Let’s look at the parable of the sower in Mark Chapter 4.
Specifically the seed sown on rocky places.
Mark 4:16-17 says, “Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.”
I have never looked at this verse and thought about the church before until today.
Cam gave me this little pot with soil and some seeds in it he got from school for Mother’s Day. Within a day or two of watering it, it began to sprout. Now it’s a few inches tall and I know I need to plant it in a bigger pot before it dies. Because even if I keep watering it, and it gets enough sunlight, it will eventually die because there isn’t enough soil for it to take root. The amount of soil it’s in matters.
It reminded me of Mark 4:5,6 where it says, “it sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.”
You can read your Bible and pray alone.
You can watch church online alone.
You can help others alone.
But when trouble or hard times come, you don’t want to be alone. And by alone, I don’t mean without God. Because if we have Him, we are never alone.
But Christ gave us the church to build each other up and encourage us. To be a help to one another. To be a place we can come to lift up praise to His name together.
If you’ve been living your Christian life not planted in a church, find one that will help you grow in your walk with Christ. Where your roots can grow.
I love how God uses his creation to show us how to live.
I asked google if it was important for roots to spread out. Here is what it said:
“Yes, for a plant to be truly healthy, its roots must spread out. A wide, outward-growing root system allows the plant to anchor itself, absorb essential soil nutrients, and access enough oxygen and water to thrive.”
And that is exactly what a Christ-following church does for us as believers.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47
