The Church: Staying in the First Grade

...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 3:13,14

There are Christians who grow up and have no relish for anything spiritually advanced. They're preoccupied with their first lessons. The average church is a school with only one grade and that is the first one. These Christians never expect to get beyond that and they don't want to hear a man very long who wants to take them beyond that. If their pastor insists they do their homework and get ready for the next grade, they begin to pray that the Lord will call "our dear brother" somewhere else. The more they hate him the more they bear down on the words "our dear brother." All he's trying to do is prepare them for another grade, but that church is dedicated to the first grade, and the first grade is where it's going to remain.

Paul said some of them went up into the second grade and gave it up, and said, "it's too hard here," and they went back to the first.

"How long have you been in the first grade, Junior?"

"Twelve years."...

Paul said, "Forgetting what is behind...I press on toward the goal" (Philippians 3:13b-14a). There was a man not satisfied with the first grade. Success and the Christian, 4,5.

"Father, I do pray that our church might not get stuck in the first grade. Some of the lessons in the upper grades are pretty hard, Lord, but help us not to shrink from the hard lessons that bring us to spiritual maturity. Amen."