By: Roby Ellis
Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:12–14
Have you ever stopped to consider how many members of our church family have passed on in the last decade? It has been exactly 10 years since the passing of Eleanor Edwards (March 28, 2006), and since then, we have lost 50 other members of this congregation. Hard to believe, isn’t it? There have also been several individual members and entire families who have moved away. Even more disturbing is the number of those who have become unfaithful to the Lord. Fortunately, on the other hand, we have celebrated the births of an astounding number of babies, and we have also witnessed dozens of baptisms and restorations. The church has also been involved in some great works, including evangelistic campaigns canvassing both Elizabethton and Bristol.
The numbers on the attendance board may not be all that different from what they were in 2006, but we have a lot of things to be thankful for. This congregation still enjoys a very strong record when it comes to attendance of Sunday school classes and evening services. Roughly 75% of the Sunday morning worship crowd is present for every worship and Bible study period during the week. When you take into account the number of visitors we have on a given Sunday morning, that number goes even higher. We have never had any difficulty achieving our weekly budget; in fact, giving has consistently and significantly exceeded demand over the past decade.
As well as things have gone for this congregation, we need to want greater things, to set our sights higher. God wants us to make progress. Paul said that he tried to forget his past accomplishments (as well as his failings) so that he might press on toward greater things in the future. Imagine if Paul had stopped his evangelistic work after his first campaign with Barnabas. Would anyone have ever planted a church in Philippi or Ephesus? Would Lydia’s household ever have heard the gospel? Would anyone ever have written letters to saints in Thessalonica or Corinth or Rome? Where would we be without those letters today?
When Israel first entered Canaan, they made valiant efforts to expel the pagans that inhabited the land that God had given them, but over time their ardor began to wane as they settled into their spacious estates, and they grew complacent and simply allowed the Canaanites to dwell among them. God didn’t want this for Israel; He wanted greater things for them. Centuries later, Jesus told Israel the same thing: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37). God wants greater things for us today. He wants greater things for our families. He wants greater things for the church. He wants greater things for this church. Are we more willing than Israel was to answer that “upward call”? Will we put forth the effort that it takes to press on toward the goal? If we will, God alone knows what great things the next decade might hold.