“Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding with thanksgiving”.
Colossians 2:6-7
Reflect:
In the first part of this blog series (Rooted), we explored the need to be rooted in Jesus in salvation and a continual connection to him. As his followers, we need him and a deeper relationship with him above all else, but we also desperately need other Christians. We were made for community. In God’s perfect plan for us he created the Church. A community of those who have a relationship with Jesus to grow up together and out into the world.
Again, looking to God’s creation we find another great illustration. The Red Wood or Sequoia trees in California are a great example for us. They are the tallest trees on the planet. They can grow up to 250-300 feet high. They can also live up to 3,000 years or more. Some of these trees were alive when Jesus was! While their height and life span are enormous, the tree’s roots only go about four feet deep. How can these magnificent trees get so big and live so long with such small roots? Their secret is a connected root system. These roots of the Sequoia tree don’t go deep into the soil because the soil is full of water, but they do intertwine with one another. This gives them unbelievable strength and sustainability. These trees remind us of the power of being connected to one another.
The Sequoias, while being their own separate trees, connect and form a network of united roots. Much like followers of Jesus should be. Each tree is unique. Each tree has different knots and leaves. Each tree is its own, but deep down they are one. This is like what we see in 1 Corinthians 12:12, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” While each of us is a unique creation with different characteristics, gifts, abilities, and passions we are all connected through our roots in Christ. While we have different functions and are in different places, we are all united in Christ.
While this is true of all believers everywhere, it is especially true of our local churches. Much like a Sequoia tree, if we try to live in isolation without regular connection and community within our local church we will get blown over and destroyed. But when we stay in regular community, we are stronger for it and we help one another walk in, be rooted in, and established in Christ. This is why the Bible commands us in Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
We are made for community, but a community that is united in Christ and love. 1 Peter 4:8-10 reminds us of this as it encourages us to love one another, be hospitable, and to serve others! As does Jesus in John 15:12-13 when he tells us, “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” As followers of Jesus, we should love others as he has loved us. Especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. When we do this well, we will find ourselves even more rooted and growing up and out into a world that desperately needs Jesus with the strength and power to reach them! We grow together to help one another be rooted in Christ, but also so that we have a better and united reach into a lost and dying world.
Think about what this means for you today.
· What happens when you get disconnected from church?
Commit:
· How can you and our church grow closer to one another and out to the world?
· Do you see the need for community with believers and the value of church?
Are you willing to commit to making involvement at Redemption Hill a priority? Commit to your church and church family.
Pray:
Ask God to surround you with good friends who help you remain rooted in Christ. Ask God to give you a love and desire for the church he has called you to. If you are involved in church, thank God for it and that he would help you serve it well.