DEEP ROOTED CHRISTIANS GROW TOGETHER IN THE SAME SOIL

If Boundless Grace Church is to reach its potential, it is my belief that we must all be willing to allow our roots to sink deeply into the soil of one another’s lives. After all, the Bible is clear that the Christian faith is a communal faith which is defined by a commitment to one another (Romans 12:10). And it’s in community and only in community that we can grow spiritually to the point of becoming fruitful for God’s purposes both personally and communally.

The New Testament defines and commands the Church to live out its faith in the context of one another. In fact, there are over 40 commands pressed upon believers to: love one another(11), forgive one another(2), encourage one another(5), pray for one another(1), instruct one another(2), confess our sins to one another(1), serve one another (1), greet one another(4), refuse to judge one another(1), refuse to slander one another(1), be hospitable to one another (2), accept one another(1), refuse to grumble against one another (1), etc…. I think is sufficient to say that apart from a rooted commitment to one another in the local church a Christian won't be in alignment with God’s purposes for their life.

Where am I going with all of this?  Well, this past week while traveling to Atlanta for a wedding I began to contemplate our Church community and the following thoughts began to come to the surface of my mind.  Thoughts I feel worthy of the printed page.

Roots Grow Together: One such thought that came to mind is simple but profound; roots grow together. Think about it, if you were to uproot a plant and examine the root system you would find that all its roots are intertwined and tangle up together. As to why this is, well, I’m no horticulturist but my guess is that roots grow together so close in proximity to one another that they can’t help but become intertwined. And of course, in the wisdom of God, there is a benefit to growing together which is best understood as the principle of synergy (a term used to underscore the idea that, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts). You see roots that grow together form a strong bond that allows them to penetrate the hardest of soils and over time become productive and fruitful, which apart from one another would not be the case. And this principle is true as it relates to believers in Christ. As we commit to one another we become stronger as a people and stronger as a Church body.

What’s my point? Well, as a pastor now for almost half my life I have observed that far too many Christians have little fruit on their faith tree because they do not remain long enough in one place to grow together. According to the Barna Research Group, one in seven adults changes churches each year, and another one in six attends a handful of churches on a rotating basis. "Constant movement characterizes the American religious marketplace," was the phrase used by the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life 2005 in describing the faith community of our country. Well, perhaps Smokey Robinson’s classic defines the motto of our religious culture today, “you better shop around.”

Common reasons people uproot themselves from their churches
1. Change of address: sometimes people move out of the area and have no choice but to find a new church home.

2. Immaturity, it takes a level of maturity to be faithful to a local Church given the fact that the Church is not perfect, neither are its people nor its pastors.

3. Selfish Ambition: some people will only stay in a church if they can have a position of prominence. If they don’t see an opportunity to be in the inner circle they're gone. (Godly ambition is great but it is often times a smoke screen for selfish ambition).

4. Lack of friends: some people leave the church because they feel disconnected from the people of the church and can’t seem to "crack the code" of fellowship. Yet this code is simple, those who have friends are intentional about cultivating friendships. And regardless of the size of the church, small groups are essential for cultivating deeper friendships.

5. Hurt: Many people leave the church because they have been hurt by someone in the church (not a good reason to leave). Family dysfunction is rampant in our culture which is best described as an inability to cultivate and maintain healthy and harmonious relationships among one another.

Reasons to let your roots sink deep into the soil of a local Church
1. The longer a person stays committed to a local Church the greater the opportunity for authentic relationships to form. And apart from authentic relationships superficiality is as deep as we go. Thus growth is subverted.

2. Only rooted Christians ever really understand and experience the truth that the body of Christ both suffers together and rejoices together.

3. Only rooted Christians gain the reputation of being faithful rather than fickle saints.

4. Only rooted Christians leave a legacy of commitment to the next generation.

The down side of uprooting
1. People who uproot themselves not only disrupt the soil around their own lives but the soil of those planted next to them.

2. People who move around too often may unknowingly pass on a bad habit to the next generation, leave rather than last in one place.

3. People who uproot often run the risk of producing underdeveloped fruit at best and at worst little or no fruit at all. I read somewhere that an apple tree takes three years to bear edible fruit.

4. People who uproot often never get to experience the joy of helping a local Church reach its potential.

5. Rootless Christians rob themselves of being directed and care for by the pastoral leadership team. (Pastors and leaders alike are reluctant to pour much time into people who appear to be transient)

6. Rootless Christians rob the Church of reaching its potential.

In conclusion, my hope and prayer for Boundless Grace Church is that our people will allow their roots to sink deep into the soil of one another's lives. We will all benefit by such choices and God's kingdom will advance.