At the base of a mountain that is popular for mountain climbing on its steep, jagged, face lived a woman whose house had a perfect view of any climbers who dared to attempt to master the mountain. One morning, as she sat outside sipping on her coffee while reading a few pages in her newest novel, she noticed a group of people setting up camp. She watched with keen interest as they unloaded all the gear they would need to climb the most dangerous slope.

She quickly went into her house to get her binoculars so she could see more clearly, and watched carefully as they checked, then double checked, all the equipment that would be needed to make a safe climb. As the sun began to set on the other side of the mountain, she watched as they all made their way into their tents to get a good night’s rest for their arduous first day of the climb.

Early the next morning she made her way out to the spot where she would have the most unobstructed view of the mountain. She eagerly waited to see how many of the group were actually going to make the climb. Some, of course, would remain at the base camp in case of any emergencies that might arise. Six of the eight in the group were going to attempt the climb. It would be a difficult task, climbing the most dangerous part of the mountain face.

The first day of the climb was the easiest, as the base of the mountain was not as steep, and not nearly as sheer as the upper portion of the climb. So, they made their way in good time to a pre-selected place where they would make camp for the night. The second day was a little more difficult, but the third day would be the most challenging of all.

The woman watched intently, only going into her house for brief periods, not wanting to miss any of the action. She sat comfortably in her expensive lounge chair, with everything she needed at her fingertips so that her time away from the action would be minimal.

As the third day’s climb began, it was obvious that much more caution would be necessary, as this part of the climb was by far the most treacherous. But the six men made their way without any difficulty at all. As they reached the summit, and as the last of the six men ascended the top, the woman became ecstatic with excitement. She made her way into the nearby village, and began to exclaim, “We made it! We made it!” to all who would listen.

Some stopped to gaze at this half-crazed woman, while others tried to move away from her with haste. Some began to snicker and sneer, while others simply rolled their eyes and walked away.

One, however, walked over to her and asked, “Were you a participant, or merely a spectator?” The woman, after being asked this probing question, got quiet, and slowly walked away.

You see, she didn’t make it. As a matter of fact, she didn’t do anything – but watch. She sat in comfort while those six men put their lives in danger, and took great risks, to climb that dangerous mountain.

There are many in church who are like that woman. When the church does something, they are quick to identify with the church. “That’s my church.” Or, “Did you here what we did down at the church?” Or, “We have baptized 70 people this year!” Or, “We have so many special ministry events planned for this coming year.”

But in reality, the pronoun “we” should not be used by many. Rather, to be correct in our grammatical sentence-structuring, the pronoun “they” would be more appropriate. “We” are oftentimes bystanders, spectators, while we watch as “they” do the work.

Someone has said that in most churches, 10% of the members do 90% of the work. The 10% are like the pillars, shouldering most of the responsibilities and carrying most of the workload. The other 90% are like caterpillars: they just crawl in and out.

Are you a pillar, or a caterpillar.

Be a pillar!

Until next time:

Blessings.