Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. Ecclesiastes 4:9
“While I was walking in the field and considering an elm tree and a vine, reflecting on them and their fruits, the shepherd appeared to me and said, “Why are you asking yourself about the elm tree and the vine?” “I am thinking, Lord,” I replied, “that they are extremely well suited for one another.” “These two trees,” he replied, “symbolize the slaves of God.” “I would like to know,” I said, “what these two trees you are speaking about symbolize.” “You see,” he said, “the elm and the vine?” “I see them, Lord,” I replied.
“This vine,” he said, “bears fruit; but the elm is a tree that does not. Yet if this vine did not grow up onto the elm, it could not bear much fruit, since it would be lying on the ground, and the fruit it bore would be rotten, since it would not be clinging to the elm. And so, when the vine attaches to the elm, it bears fruit both of itself and because of the elm. And so you see that the elm also gives much fruit — no less than the vine, but rather more.” “How does it bear more, Lord” I asked. “Because,” he said, “it is by clinging to the elm that the vine gives an abundance of good fruit; but when it is lying on the ground it bears just a little rotten fruit. And so this parable applies to the slaves of God, the poor and the rich.”
“How so, Lord?” I asked. “Explain it to me.” “Listen,” he said. “The rich person has money, but is poor towards the Lord, since he is distracted by his wealth. The prayer and confession he makes to the Lord are very small — weak, small, and of no real effect. And so, when the rich person depends upon the one who is poor and supplies him with what he needs, he believes that by helping the one who is poor he will find his recompense before God. For the poor person is rich in his petition and confession, and his petition has a great effect before God. And so the rich person supplies every thing to the one who is poor, without hesitation.
And then the poor person, having his needs supplied by the one who is rich, prays to God and thanks him for the one who has given him what he needs. And that one becomes even more eager to help out the poor person, so that he may lack nothing in his life. For he knows that the petition of the poor person is acceptable and rich before the Lord. And so both accomplish their work. The poor person works at his prayer in which he is rich and which he received from the Lord; and he gives it back to the Lord who supplied it to him in the first place.
So too the rich person does not hesitate to supply his wealth to the poor person, since he received it from the Lord. And this is a great and acceptable thing to do before God, because the rich person has gained understanding by his wealth and has worked for the poor per son out of the gifts provided by the Lord, and he has accomplished his ministry well. And so, people may think that the elm tree bears no fruit; but they neither know nor understand that when a drought comes, the elm nourishes the vine by holding water; and the vine, since it has an undiminished supply of water, produces fruit for two, both for itself and for the elm.
Thus also those who are poor who pray to the Lord on behalf of the rich bring their own wealth to completion; and again those who are rich and supply the poor with what they need bring their souls to completion. Both then share in an upright work. And so the one who does these things will not be abandoned by God, but will be recorded in the books of the living. Happy are those who have possessions and understand that their riches have come from the Lord; for the one who understands this will also be able to perform a good ministry.”
The Shepherd of Hermas 51. 1-10, Parable II (c. A.D. 70-140) as reported by Bart Ehrman in Lost Scriptures: Books That Did Not Make It Into The New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003) 270-271.
This may be the most famous and powerful parable in The Shepherd of Hermas. I have posted it before but have posted it again because of it’s significance and relevance to my situation at GTP.
People with riches are like the elm tree. They give structure, gather water, and make more fruitful the work of the vine. But alone, they produce not fruit. Notice how the two are better together.
Now notice the parallel to the rich and the poor. The rich are distracted by the responsibilities associated with wealth and the poor have margin to pray. On this note I am thankful for GTP ministry partner, Project 114.
Project 114 understands the role of prayer, so they have helped identify intercessors who pray for GTP. I believe their work has helped contribute to the growth of GTP as the power of prayer has opened so many countries.
And I believe GTP has grown so fruitful because elm trees have given riches to give us structure. Please pray with me for capital to scale. I am praying for $1,000,000 ($200,000 a year over five years) to do that.
And I am praying that elm trees everywhere will collaborate with vines to perform a good ministry and find joy and fruitfulness in doing it together.