The Parable of The Fruit Tree

There is an old saying in the church that "80% of the work is done my 20% of the people." Is that true in YOUR church?

I have found that saying to be true in most of the churches I have ever been a part of - except for my current church. There, 80% of the work is done by 80% of the people.

Our pastor joked recently about having a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. He said that if we did that we'd need to take out a loan for all of the food we'd need to buy.

Back in the Book of Acts we find our model for what the church should be. They had a 100% -100% church. All of the work was done by all of the people.

"Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need." - Acts 4:32-35

The first sentence holds the key, I believe, to a healthy church. "Those who believed were of one heart and soul."

We cannot see inside a person's heart or soul but we CAN see the fruit that people bear. Jesus spoke of this to His disciples.

"Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit." - Matthew 7:17

Churches of today are made up of all kinds of people, fruit trees, often with differing beliefs and depths of commitment. Far from the 100% church we read about in Acts.

Question: If your church is a 20%-80% church, and if you don't mind my asking, what are you still doing there?

A church should be like a family . . . because it is! All it's members should be children of God, right? And if all are children, then all are brothers and sisters. Those who are not family are like the kid next door, who came for a visit and a snack, before returning home where they have no food.

If God has blessed you with a wonderful church family, rejoice! If not, begin searching for the bountiful fruit trees around you and get grafted in today!