Spin, Spin, Spin

Do you remember, as a child, getting a top out of a cereal box or purchasing one at Ben Franklins (for you older people)?  You could take that top, put it between your thumb and forefinger and give it a spin.  WOW...it would spin and spin and spin.  The amazing thing about a top is that though it is full of energy and moves round and round, it actually makes little progress.  For the most part, the top expends its tremendous energy in one location, finally giving out and falling over.  This top reminds me of the plight of many modern churches of our day.  They are full of activity but going nowhere.

The apostle Paul said that he forgot those things that were behind (his past - good and bad) and was pressing on (forward) to reach the goal.  The mental picture is that of a runner who is not focused on where he has been, but is focusing on what is ahead...the finish line.  Can you imagine the race official raising the starting gun, shouting "runners on your mark, get set...go!", firing the gun...only to watch the runners jump out of their starting positions and start spinning rapidly in one place on one foot like a ballerina?  That would be a waste of time and energy...runners have a course to follow...they are going somewhere.

Friends, Jesus never established the church with an intent to expend tremendous amounts of energy going round and round, but getting nowhere.  The church is not to be like a top, but a runner.  Many churches in our day have concluded that much activity equals productivity.  This is simply not true.  They've become nothing more than spiritual "tops."  A church can spend "gobs" of money on highly advertised entertaining events, "hip" sounding programs promised to lure in the most spiritually uninterested, expensive give-aways and more...only to be expending great energy, but making no spiritual progress at all.  The goal of the church is not to be "busy" for the sake of busyness.  It is not to lure in people with the promise of entertainment or a "good show."  It is not even to "get people saved".  The goals is to make true disciples who continually follow Jesus and grow in His likeness.  In Jesus' last words before ascending to heaven, He told His people to go into all the world and make disciples.  Certainly this begins with salvation, but that is just the beginning.  Now the disciple is to be taught, trained and launched into service through the systematic preaching and teaching of the Word.  When a church focuses its attention on preaching and teaching the Word of God with the intent of growing the disciple into a spiritually mature person, then launches that disciple into serving Christ...this church is making true progress.  It is not acting like a top, but a runner, reaching for the prize.