A recently widowed lady was very lonely so she decided to buy a dog for companionship. She went to the local pet shop and asked to see the puppies. She explained to the owner of the shop why she wanted a dog. The man responded that for her situation he had something better than a dog. He showed her a parrot. He explained that he had purchased the parrot from the son of a lady that had just passed away. He assured her that the parrot talked all the time and would make her a great companion.

The widow decided to purchase the parrot and a new cage. After about two weeks she came back to the pet store complaining that the parrot had not spoken a word since she had taken him home. “That’s strange,” said the shop owner. After thinking for awhile he said “you know the old cage had a ladder in it and the parrot frequently played on it. Maybe a ladder is what he needs to be happy.” So the widow purchased the ladder and took it home.

Another two weeks passed and again the lady returned complaining that the bird had not talked. The pet guy told her that the old cage had a mirror in it and the bird used to look at it and talk, talk, talk. So the widow purchased a mirror and went on her way. However few days later she was back with the same complaint.

By this time the merchant was quite puzzled and asked how the bird was behaving otherwise. The lady responded that the bird had become increasingly irritable. ” He squawks at me all of the time but never says a word.” The shopkeeper responded, ” Well…the only other thing that was in his old cage was a couple of small bells that he would ring quite often and a ornament that whistled when the wind blew through it. I’ll tell you what. I will sell you the bells and the ornament if the parrot has not talked in one more week, I will refund all your money and give you a puppy free.” The little old lady agreed that that was fair and went home with her latest purchase.

Two days latter she entered the store carrying the cage with the ladder, the mirror and the bells in it. The parrot was on the cage floor, on his back and with his wings spread, dead as a doorknob.

The shopkeeper asked what had happened. The widow explained that the parrot “just up and died.” “Did he ever say anything at all?” asked the merchant. The widow replied that indeed he had, just before he died. She said he looked at me and said faintly, “Hey lady, don’t they have any bird seed down at that store?”

What killed the parrot? It wasn’t the new cage, the ladder, the mirror or the bells and whistling ornament. The poor bird simply starved to death under the watchful eye of the loving and concerned widow. She was so busy trying to get the parrot to talk that she neglected the most fundamental need of the bird.

There is a great deal to be learned from this little tale as it relates to our churches, today. Although the story is humorous the result is deadly.

In today’s Christian world there is a great emphasis on church performance. While all churches need to be productive for the kingdom of God, many times we are looking in all the wrong places for revival.

We decide our church needs a new building (cage) in a better location. So funds are raised, property purchased and a new church is built. There is excitement and great exception. Then the newness wears off and the church is still not productive for the kingdom.

Our pastor and the board are concerned so the staff is sent to check out the ladders. A seminar that promises to teach “Seven Simple Steps to a Church Growth”, or maybe “Three Steps to Revival”. We Christians really like the numbers three and seven. Our Christian bookstores are full of books (printed ladders) to spiritual growth and success.

After a short time it becomes apparent that the church still is not producing. So it is decided that what is needed is a good look in the mirror. We may appoint committees to visit other churches that are productive. We look at our church in the mirror of comparison and we are confused. Our church looks like a productive church. It has a great location, beautiful facilities (pretty feathers) and everywhere we look people are busy, busy, busy.

By this time the people are beginning to squawk. Some have concluded the need is a new pastor, others a new board. The mirror only shows what is on the surface. What we need is not a mirror but a spiritual x-ray (God’s Word).

If we only had a better orchestra (bells and whistle) or choir that would really make this church productive. A dynamite minister of music and a great praise team. We do not have to choose between Word and Worship. Praise however is only true when it is the result of God’s Word resonating in the hearts of His people. Thank God for great music from dedicated singers and musicians. But, if the people are starving for the Bread of Life they will be playing for the funeral as the church slowly but surely starves to death.

None of the above things are bad or fatal with in themselves. New locations and new facilities are often needed as a result of the growth. Growth that comes when people are fed and taught to feed upon the manna found only in God’s Word. There is no substitute for the teaching and preaching of God’s Word.

There is a deadly trend in some areas of the Church of Jesus Christ that emphasizes worship over teaching. Sunday Schools and Bible fellowships are eliminated and the people subjected to marathons of “praise and worship”. By the time the pastor takes the pulpit the older sheep are exhausted, the younger sheep are hungrier for physical food than spiritual nutrition and the little lambs are fed very little if they are fed at all.

Growth can never take place in a state of starvation or malnutrition. I am convinced that any church of any size that truly emphasizes God’s Word will be productive for His kingdom. The widows and orphans along with all that are lonely, hurting, and in need of Our Savior will find comfort and companionship in the person of Jesus Christ. That is how Christ grows His Church.