Illustration: The Church

A group was visiting a heavy-duty grease factory and was ushered into a large room, where a tour host introduced them to the company history and the number of employees at work producing the best machine lubricants in the world. They toured the noisy factory, with lots of machinery and wheels whirling, mixing, packaging—there was incredible activity.

As the tour ended, one of the visitors said, "I didn't see a shipping department." The guide responded, "Well, we don't have a shipping department because it takes all the grease we make to lubricate our equipment and keep the wheels turning."

The church is the best lubricated grease factory in all of history. What's too often missing is the shipping department. The church does not exist for itself; it exists to bring others to a commitment to Jesus Christ. (John E. Harnish, Collected Sermons)