Be a Funnel for God

Be a Funnel, Not a Container: Sustaining God's Flow

Opening Story: Samuel the Baker

In a small town, there was a baker named Samuel who tithed not only his income but his bread. Every Sunday morning before church, he'd bake an extra dozen loaves for struggling families.

Over time, his generosity became known—and so did his business. When the economy turned down, other bakeries closed, but Samuel's business grew.

Someone once asked him, "How is it that your bakery never runs out?"

He smiled and said, "Because I'm not a bakery. I'm a funnel. God sends ingredients through me to feed His people."

The Funnel Principle

Core Truth: God doesn't pour blessings into us to stay—He pours through us to spread.

The Problem: The moment we let fear or selfishness stop the flow, we lose the refreshment that comes from giving.

The Solution: When we see ourselves as funnels, not containers, God ensures that the flow never stops.

The Promise: We can't outgive the One who supplies the flour, the oil, and the increase.

Recap: Key Points from Last Week

Pastor Jomo illustrated several key principles regarding giving:

• Everything belongs to God
• Nothing belongs to us
• We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us
• We didn't bring anything into this world
• We're not taking anything with us when we leave

Larry Burkett: A Man Who Understood Money and God

Who Was Larry Burkett? A man of God who created a program called "Jesus on Money"—an 18-week program on Financial Stewardship from a biblical perspective. Mr. Burkett had a profound impact on my life, and I credit the principles from the Bible that he taught for allowing me to be debt-free for some time now.

Profound Quotes from Larry Burkett

Quote #1: "How you handle money is an external indicator of internal spiritual condition."

Quote #2: You can look at a person's checkbook register and how they spend their money, and you can tell what's most important to them. You can determine it could be their:

• Hobbies
• Cars
• Clothes
• Children
• Charity or Contributions
• Health
• Home

Quote #3: "Satan's number one weapon is pride. God's number one defense is humility."

My Freedom Came When I Learned These Things About Finances

Money Is a Tool: Just like a vehicle, a hammer, or a drill. It's not something you worship, and it's not something that you hoard.

Make a Difference, Not Just a Dollar:

• Our focus with the time we have on this earth is to make a difference, not just a dollar
• If you focus on making a difference, the dollars will follow
• If your focus is to make a dollar, you won't make a difference and you won't make as many dollars

Series Continuation: Getting in the Flow and Staying in the Flow

God's Search: God is looking for funnels.

Three Keys to Sustaining God's Flow

1. Faith Starts the Flow

The Widow and the Oil: 2 Kings 4:3-5 (ESV)

The Crisis: A woman's husband died and left her in debt. The creditor was coming to take her two sons as slaves to repay the debt. She went to the prophet Elisha for assistance.

Elisha's Question: "What do you have at home?"

Her Answer: All she had was a small flask of oil.

2 Kings 4:3-5 (ESV) "Elisha told her, 'Ask your neighbors for their empty jars. And after you've borrowed as many as you can, go home and shut the door behind you and your sons. Then begin filling the jars with oil and set each one aside as you fill it.' The woman left."

The Instructions: Elisha asked the widow to go borrow as many jars and pots from her neighbors as possible and fill them all with the small amount of oil she had in a flask.

The Result: At last, she said to one of her sons, "Bring me another jar." "We don't have any more," he answered, and the oil stopped flowing from the small bottle.

The Miracle: The woman by faith did what Elisha requested. She continued to fill all the jars she borrowed until the last one was filled. What seemed impossible came to fruition. But she responded in faith—and faith opened the flow of God's provision. Her oil never ran out until she stopped seeking more jars.

Critical Understanding: Faith Is the Valve

Faith is the valve that opens heaven's flow. Without faith, the funnel stays empty.

When we do all the steps that God commands, we get all the results that God promises.

Important Truth: The oil stopped flowing not because she ran out of jars. The oil stopped flowing because she stopped seeking more jars. The oil flowed to the level of her faith.

Supporting Scriptures on Faith

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

Ephesians 3:20 (ESV) "Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us."

Faith Principles:

• Faith believes it before it sees it
• Faith says, "God, if You pour it in, I'll pour it out"
• Every miracle of provision starts with a step of faith

Hebrews 11:6 (ESV) "Without faith it is impossible to please God."

2. God's Will Directs the Flow

The Parable of the Talents: Matthew 25:14-30 (ESV)

Matthew 25:14-30 (ESV)

"For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.

He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.

Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, 'Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.'

His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.'

He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.'

But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'"

Key Lessons from the Parable

The Distribution: Each servant received resources according to their ability. God entrusted them with His wealth, expecting it to multiply.

The Problem: The one who hid his talent stopped the flow and lost the blessing.

The Principle: God's will determines where and how the blessing should flow. When you align with His will, the resources He gives you reach their divine destination.

Understanding God's Flow

God's Flow Has Purpose: He gives gifts, talents, and finances not to raise our status, but to expand His Kingdom.

Wealth Redefined: Wealth is not just what you have—it's why you have it.

The Transformation: When you follow His will, you become:

• A river, not a reservoir
• A funnel, not a container
• A tunnel, not a parking lot

Obedience Is What Keeps the Channel Clear: When we obey with our giving, our serving, our loving, God keeps the supply line open.

We're Not Meant to Be Containers.

Supporting Scriptures

2 Corinthians 9:8-11 (ESV) "You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion."

Proverbs 11:24-25 (ESV) "Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."

Acts 20:35 (ESV) "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

3. Obedience Sustains the Flow

Abraham's Example: Genesis 12:1-3 & 22:16-18 (ESV)

Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV) "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'"

Key Understanding: God blessed Abraham not to hoard, but to help. His obedience kept the flow open—every time God told him to go, he went; every time God told him to give, he gave.

Genesis 22:16-18 (ESV) "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice."

The Obedience Principle

Faith may start the flow, but obedience keeps it flowing.

God's Flow Is Designed to Be Generational: He never meant for His favor, provision, or power to die with one person.

Object Lesson: The Upside-Down Funnel

The Prop: A funnel can only work when it's open and upright. Turn it upside down or block the spout, and nothing flows.

The Problem: Many believers pray for more, but live "upside down"—God can't pour into disobedience.

Are You Living Upside Down?

Upside Down in Bank Accounts: Insufficient funds charges

Upside Down in Homes:

• We bought more than we can afford
• We refer to ourselves as homeowners, but we don't own our home if we have a mortgage—the bank owns the home
• If we have a mortgage, we will pay 2-3 times what the original price of our home was based on the interest rate we closed with if we don't accelerate the monthly payments

Upside Down in Car Loans: Owing more than the car is worth

Upside Down in Credit Card Debt:

• Some of us have so much credit card debt and we're only paying the minimum
• We will never eliminate that debt
• We've been brainwashed to believe that paying interest is normal
• We give away our wealth in the form of paying interest

The Solution: The best way to increase our wealth is to get out of consumer debt as quickly as possible and stay out of debt.

Larry Burkett's Mindset (That I've Had for 35 Years)

The Rule: Aside from a home and maybe a car: "If I can't pay cash for it, I can't afford it yet."

The Challenge: We have to learn to live below our means and live according to God's principles of being a funnel.

Larry Burkett's Greatest Fear: "My greatest fear in life is standing before the Lord and hearing Him say, 'I had so much more for you, but you held on too tightly.'"

Closing Declaration (Recap)

"The flow doesn't stop here. It goes through me.

My faith feeds generations.

My obedience blesses generations.

My wealth serves generations.

I am a funnel for the flow—from heaven to earth, and from this generation to the next."

Application Questions

1. Are you living as a funnel or a container?
2. What is stopping the flow in your life—fear, selfishness, or disobedience?
3. Have you exercised faith like the widow, or are you limiting God by the number of "jars" you're willing to gather?
4. Are you aligned with God's will for the resources He's given you?
5. Are you living "upside down" financially, making it impossible for God to pour into your life?
6. What debt do you need to eliminate to get right-side up?
7. If you stood before the Lord today, would He say, "I had so much more for you, but you held on too tightly"?

Summary: The Three Keys

1. Faith Starts the Flow

The oil flows to the level of your faith. Keep gathering jars.

2. God's Will Directs the Flow

Don't be a container. Be a river, a funnel, a tunnel for God's purposes.

3. Obedience Sustains the Flow

Every time God tells you to go, go. Every time God tells you to give, give.

Final Challenge

Turn your funnel right-side up.

Get out of debt. Live below your means. Give generously. Trust God completely.

Remember Samuel the baker: "I'm not a bakery. I'm a funnel. God sends ingredients through me to feed His people."

Be that funnel for your generation and the next.