Bleacher Buns and the Twenty Percent

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May 10 2016 Bleacher Buns and the Twenty Percent

Posted at 03:28h in Devotionals by

I am a spectator. And I have bleacher buns to prove it. After decades of watching my husband coach and four boys play sports, I am a professional!

As a spectator, I don’t make much of a difference to those participating. It’s easy for me to criticize the participants as I sit on my rear. I haven’t invested myself as the players have. I don’t understand the mission at hand. I haven’t seen the playbook or practiced for hours.

Years ago, I approached an acquaintance at church and asked if he’d like to help with an event. Laughingly, he replied, “No thanks, I’m a church spectator, not a participant.” Not many people have the guts to admit it as he did. You’ve probably heard the stat: 20 percent of church attendees/leaders do 100 percent of the work. I’ve also heard this same thing about charities and PTA-type organizations. 

Reading through the Book of Acts, I am inspired by the eager expression of faith the early church possessed. They were partakers, not spectators. Participants. Not just twenty percent of them. Now, I’m sure there were exceptions. And we know of people claiming they were all in but holding back, as Ananias and Sapphira did (see Acts 5).

The genuine believers were fully vested and contagious. 

These new Christians, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, understood the mission at hand:

1. God has called all of us, not just the 20 percent.

“For so the Lord has commanded us, ‘I HAVE PLACED YOU AS A LIGHT FOR THE GENTILES, THAT YOU MAY BRING SALVATION TO THE END OF THE EARTH.'”…  

Acts 13:47, quoting Isaiah 49:6

2. The church is to press on, to persist.

“First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds.”

Acts 26:60

3. When we participate in the church’s mission, our lives are filled with joy in the Holy Spirit.

“And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”  

Acts 13:52

 Getting off the pew and into ministry is risky. It’s easier to watch from the sidelines and stay safe. Perhaps you’ve been burned. Maybe you feel insecure or unworthy. Or it’s a difficult time.
 Reading Acts convicts and inspires me.  I see real people (yes with faults and personality conflicts), who surrendered their lives to and for God. Real people (like us) willing to get off the pew and serve, to give and tell the world about Jesus. Where would the church be today without their sacrifice?
 We all have a part to play in this mission. Ask the Lord to show you if you don’t know what yours is. Open the Bible and read the Book of Acts. Talk with the leaders at church. Where is God nudging you? Is He telling you it’s time? It’s a crazy world out there. People need God’s love more than ever before. He created you uniquely for such a time as this. Live your purpose.
 
Goodbye, bleacher buns; it’s time to play in the game.
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2 Comments
  • Genna
    Posted at 19:47h, 12 May Reply

    I am a church attendee with bleacher buns. I’ve wanted to get involved for years. Not sure what’s holding me back but this writing motivated me. Thank you.

    • Kristin Saatzer
      Posted at 23:41h, 13 May Reply

      Yeah! Where do you want to serve Genna?

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