PEAR TREE

A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit … Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Matthew 7: 18-20

A walk in the neighborhood often prompts ideas. On my early morning walk, I enjoy the songs of the birds, telling me all is safe. I get a kick out of the rabbits as they eye me and then scamper off to find a bite of breakfast. I gasp at the rare beauty of a white squirrel (I named her “Blanche”) as she scurries up her tree. A whimsical miniature garden, other walkers with their dogs, and the fresh air and sunshine all add to my pleasure. At my half-way point is a dwarf pear tree along the sidewalk. In the spring the tree exploded in solid white with blooms. Now the season has come time to pick and eat gorgeous pears as they hang heavy on the tree, bending the branches almost to the ground. Squirrels and rabbits take advantage of the drops on the ground, and there is evidence that birds have picked at pears still on the tree. Nature is wonderful.

I have noticed the drops on the ground from the pear tree are often not formed well, they have rotten spots, or they have been picked at by a bird. The pears on the tree continue to grow until the harvest, when they will become a delicious complement to a meal—pear preserves, spiced pears, pear bread, baked pears … your favorite.

I thought about how the pear tree can be a simile for the Church. Churches may have a nice congregation where the attendees sing the songs, bow their heads, and listen to the sermons. They may have been born into one of the church families or new in the pew. Yet, after a period of time they are gone—dropped off and snatched away by the world. We miss them and wonder why. The list below from “Outreach Magazine” may explain some of the reasons:

Here are the ten most common reasons people leave the church and don’t return.[i]

“I got out of the habit.”

“I left after I graduated from high school.”

“I decided I didn’t like the institutional church.”

“I was hurt at the church.”

“I just couldn’t find a church to meet my needs.”

“I had a need and the church didn’t meet it.”

“I never felt connected in the church.”

“I did not give to the church

“I left when Pastor John left.”

“We moved and never went back to church.”

We hear other reasons, as well, but perhaps the true reasons why people drop from the church go a lot deeper than the “felt” reasons. Rereading the above stated reasons begs these questions:

Did my parents make me go to church as a child, but they didn’t go?
Is church attendance about me and what I feel, need, or like?
Do I see myself as intellectually above Bible doctrine?
Do I see the church as a club/business/entertainment venue?
Am I a follower of personalities?
Do I hold onto personal life choices the Bible states as wrong?
Do I resent giving money to something I’m not certain I believe?

An answer to these questions may give insight into why people drop from the congregation like pears from the tree. What is the role of the church and how can those who claim the creed find both place and purpose in becoming a part of a local body of Christ followers? Church goers need to understand who God is and what the Bible teaches about God and our responsibility to Him.

Obviously, once a pear has dropped from the tree, the fruit cannot be returned. The dropped pear will either be chewed on by squirrels and bunnies, or rot and be food for the ants. Not so regarding every person who has dropped from the Church. Indeed, some will be eternally destroyed by our enemy as he pours godless philosophy into their minds, bodies, and souls. The quest for fleeting pleasures of the world system, accumulation of possessions, and striving to achieve a sense of ultimate self-accomplishment will quench the thirst for a relationship with an eternal God.

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

1 John 2: 19

On the other hand, we, who are in a local fellowship of believers in Christ, have a mission to serve these dropped “pears” among our acquaintances. We cannot know who will come to true faith. God, alone, knows and judges everyone. Our job is to love them, let them know we do not judge them, and have a genuine desire for them to come to a true and vibrant faith in Christ. Yes, we may invite them to go to church with us, but we need to understand that different people have different personalities and respond to different modes of worship of God. They may respond better to another type of worship than our own. Most important is to live a life before others that they will see the evidence of the indwelling Spirit in our daily life.

Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 5: 15-16

As followers of Christ, living our lives in a way to demonstrate our faith in our Savior is the first step to drawing others to faith in Him. We pray for them regularly; we zero in on their issues and point them to the wonderful God who can meet each concern we have; we let them know their goodness is not a ticket to eternal life, but the perfect goodness of Christ and his substitutional death in our place is the sole means to our salvation. And yes, we invite them to church, but they need to know we care, know God alone judges everyone, and realize no one can ever be good enough to meet God’s perfect standard.

Challenge:

Whether you like to eat pears or not, the next time you either see them or eat them, think about someone you need to invite back to church. If you have slipped onto the ground beneath the tree, ask yourself the real reason why you left and turn to Jesus.

Prayer:

“Our Father, who art in heaven …” We pray for those who have strayed away from a true faith in You. Open their hearts to Your Holy Spirit. Make us ready to love and live in ways to draw them to Your side. Because of Jesus, and in His name … Amen.

Promise:

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. John 6: 37