When a seed is planted and it begins to grow, it puts down roots, and up grows a shoot. Basic primary school science, but the plant cannot survive without both of these. The roots are needed for stability, and extracting water from the soil, and the shoots grow up and produce leaves which are needed for photosynthesis.
We usually only see the plant/flower/shrub, we don't see the roots. Yet without the roots, the plant would be carried off in the wind or uprooted by animals.
We see a lot of plant imagery in the bible. In fact, many similes and metaphors using this theme are used in both the Old and New Testaments. Jesus Himself uses plants and crops in many of His parables.
This imagery is continued in the epistles, we shall "know them by their fruits"; we have the "fruit of the spirit". We know that when the bible talks about these things, it is referring to the things that people see in our lives. Plants have distinguishing features. Sometimes it's easiest to identify a plant by the fruit it produces. The "fruit" that we bear shows what type of person we are. A life lived for God will have corresponding fruit - a kind, compassionate, truthful, forgiving, humble, loving, gracious nature.
However, just like a plant, we need roots. The evidence of the (unseen) roots existing and being strong, is the plant above the surface that everyone can see. But this evidence or fruit is not possible without the roots. The bible makes it clear on what it means by having roots.
Eph 3 v 17 "May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love"
We only grow roots when we let Jesus live in us. The word live or dwell carries a meaning of being in permanent residence. See this verse from 1 John 2 v 27 ... "so you must abide in (live in, never depart from) Him [being rooted in Him, knit to Him], just as [His anointing] has taught you [to do]" . The message is clear that we must live in Him, and Him in us every day in order to be rooted in Him.
Think about the people who live in your house; you see them everyday, you speak to them everyday. We don't ignore our family who live with us, we don't just speak to them once a week. We have a relationship with them: we share food, laughs, tears, the exciting and the mundane. That is exactly the same with Jesus Who dwells in us. To be rooted in Him is to cultivate that daily relationship with Him, being secure in His love.
In order to do this, we need to spend time with Him. But we also need to be rooted in a church, and submitted to that church and its leadership. Listen to Psalm 92 v 12-14
"The righteous will flourish like the date palm [long-lived, upright and useful];
They will grow like a cedar in Lebanon [majestic and stable].
Planted in the house of the Lord,
They will flourish in the courts of our God.
[Growing in grace] they will still thrive and bear fruit and prosper in old age;
They will flourish and be vital and fresh [rich in trust and love and contentment]"
In order to help us cultivate our relationship with Him, we need to plant ourselves in the House of the Lord (or the church). Why?
- Being planted in a church allows us to hear biblical teaching. From here, we can ensure we are on the right track. Iron sharpens iron, we learn from each other, and the bible clearly teaches that He has given us apostles, evangelists, teachers, pastors etc to help the Body of Christ
- Being planted in a church allows us to serve. We can serve the Lord in our church, use our gifts, and help others in the Body of Christ. This again is clear biblical teaching
- Being planted in a church gives us fellowship. It's good to be with like-minded people
- Being planted in a church allows us to grow spiritually. The passage above says we will grow in grace, and thrive when we are planted in God's house. When we go it alone, we stagnate, and we allow ourselves to become insular
- Being planted in a church causes us to be accountable. We are accountable to the leadership of the church, to our fellow brothers and sisters and this accountability helps us to stay humble. It's so easy to fall into pride and to develop an 'unteachable' spirit.
- Being planted in a church allows God to use us. Whether that's in our gifts and talents, or in the gifts of the Spirit, when you are faithful in a little, He will say "You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much" (Matth 25).
There are many other reasons to be planted in a church, I have just given a selection here.
Our goal is to bear good fruit, and have deep, strong roots in Him. I think Jeremiah sums it up perfectly:
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. "For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8