THE CHURCH: Cruise ship or Battleship?

Now a cruise might just be really relaxing-being away from it all out on the deep blue, calling at exotic ports with unfamiliar sights, having no schedule, rocking to sleep by the yaw. Taking a cruise has become a sought after feature of the American life. And not that there is anything inherently wrong with taking a cruise (with the right company and for the right reasons), but the cruise ship has become not only reflective of the American life but the American church. A friend this morning told me of a sermon he heard years ago about the Church being, not a cruise ship, but a battleship. The main aim of the cruise ship crew and staff is to pamper the guests. Food is served everywhere. Towels are folded into animal shapes. Entertainment is free. Service is instantly available. However, I am sure the towels are not folded into animal shapes on a battleship. The passengers (the sailors) on a battleship are not there to be pampered and to relax. They are there in readiness to serve their country, protect their fellow citizens and to fight the enemy. In America today, many have come to view the Church as a cruise ship. They come to church to be pampered, to have their feelings massaged, their songs sung, their desires catered to. They are there for what it can do for them, what they can get out of it. But, the church is not to be a cruise ship. It is a battleship. It is a place where each true sailor has come to fill his station and do battle with the enemy for the benefit of others. Our lives for Christ are not to be spent on a perpetual cruise but on a tour of duty. I may be on a cruise on a cruise ship someday, but my life is on the battleship.