I have a lingering fear that many congregations, particularly those with rich history, have grown satisfied in who they have become. What I mean is they look at all they have done in the past and grow satisfied with what they have done, sit back on their heels, and expect their work of the past to carry them into the future with similar success. Sure reputation can have lingering effects but in our fast-paced society even the strongest of reputations is quickly forgotten. There is a constant need to continually press forward.
We see this theme in the opening chapter of Joshua. Up to this point the children of Israel had survived generations of violent Egyptian oppression, pursuit by the Egyptians, forty years of wilderness wandering, and a general rejection of God by their forefathers. But now they have finally arrived. They’re standing on the brink of the Jordan River as a success story. But this was no time to be satisfied in what they had accomplished – God told them to press forward:
“Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spoke unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel…There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I swore unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest” (Joshua 1:1-3,5-7).
They had accomplished a lot in their past. They had overcome a multitude of obstacles (most of them of their own making), but now was not the time to stop and bask in the glory of their successes. They needed to move forward. They could not afford to slow down; they needed to press ahead.
This is true in our churches. We have, no doubt, survived many disasters (perhaps even some of our own making) and have enjoyed many victories. But what about tomorrow? What about next week? What about next month? What about next year? Souls are still being born and souls and still going to their graves knowing nothing about the saving message of the gospel. Which one will we be able to look at the judgment and tell them they didn’t hear the gospel that could have saved their soul because we had decided to slow down and take our breath? Press forward, move ahead, and make each year better than the last. Never slow down…never!
-Andy Brewer