Have you ever been driving on a long trip, watching the needle drop on the gas gauge, signaling that your car needs fuel? Years ago, our family was traveling out West when I noticed our van was dangerously low on gas. There was quite a distance to the next town, and the gas light was already illuminated. While the family slept in the vehicle, I anxiously watched the needle inch closer and closer to empty. Fortunately, we reached the gas station just in the nick of time. We were running on fumes, as the saying goes!
The above story is easy to relate to. We all know what happens if we don’t move the needle back to the right. Eventually, we run out of gas, and the vehicle stops moving. Metaphorically speaking, what needles must be moved to help the church grow spiritually?
What about moving the needle of evangelism? 2 Peter 3:9 makes God’s intentions clear – He desires the lost to be saved: “The Lord is not slow about His promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” Too often, it seems the work of evangelism is running on fumes. If this is the case, we need to move the needle.
What about moving the needle of holiness? Jesus’ intention for His church was for her to be a “…holy people, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:10). Too often, it seems some in the church are only an arms-length distance from the world on moral and ethical issues. If this is the case, we need to move the needle.
What about moving the needle of church attendance? The Hebrew writer instructs Christians to encourage one another by gathering and “…not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some…” (Hebrews 10:25). Some folks seem to have fallen into the bad habit of neglecting the appointed meeting times of the church. If this is the case, we need to move the needle.
If you press your luck with the gas needle long enough, eventually your luck runs out, and you end up on the side of the road. Similarly, if you’re constantly running on fumes spiritually, you risk allowing sin to creep in, trials to wear you down, and the devil to gain a foothold. I mentioned a few areas, but what about you? Are there aspects of your spiritual life where you need to move the needle? God created us in Christ to run on full, not fumes! (2 Peter 1:8)
Mike Green