Lately I have been visiting my former church. I love the people there so much. The same people, singing the same songs, saying the same things as thirty years ago. Not that there is anything wrong with that in itself. I have sat in the same pews of comfort and I myself have been moved by the spiritual hymns written by men and women who must have had some experiential move of the Third Person of the Trinity made evident in the words that were penned. Otherwise, the wise words written would not have meant so much from generation to generation. Words like Amazing Grace that saved a wretch like me, or What a Friend so faithful, Who with all our sorrows share? There’s Just Something about that Name?… These words could not be written and even better yet, set to music without someone being filled or well acquainted with the Living Spirit of God.
But I noticed my friends were root bound. They were rooted in the space. They were there to worship and I believe the Truth was there, they worshipped in Truth, but the Spirit was absent. I sat on the back row so that I would not be too troublesome for the in-‘habit’-ers, or too distracting to the meek and mild worshipers, when I raised my hands in the air to praise the One who filled my lungs. The sweetest brothers and sisters on the planet, had the most beautiful intellectual knowledge of God and Jesus, but they did not ‘know‘ THE Spirit, that other person mentioned on the onion skin pages.
I say these things not to shame at all. If God had not moved me to other churches (what I consider homes of my other family members), I too would be “root bound”. Like a plant that has stayed in the same pot without any new soil or expansion room, the roots WILL inhibit growth of the plant. AND just like when I would visit family when I was a kid, some of these family members had lives nothing similar to my own, and I was richer for the visit. Sometimes, some family members were richer. Sometimes, some family members were poorer. Each one giving a renewed perspective of my own life and the way I was living it.
Like a plant that has stayed in the same pot without any new soil or expansion room, the roots WILL inhibit growth of the plant.
There are pastors that shame visits to “other family homes”. They call it church hopping. Sadly, causing the parishioners to PARISH LITERALLY because they are not growing as well as they could or should. I wonder if you who is reading this is Root Bound. Are you seeing growth along your walk? Is a new song in your heart? Are you feeling compelled to visit some of your other family members? Do you feel shame at the thought of it? Well consider our brother Paul. He visited many “homes” in many towns, bringing encouragement, sharing his gifts with multiple family members. Can you imagine if he stayed at the Church of Ephesus his whole life and never left? His lampstand would have been put out!
Beloved, if you are root bound in your walk I pray that the Holy Spirit guides you on your next service, whether that be in the same pew, where maybe you will sprout out a fresh new renewal of the move of the Spirit where you are, or maybe you will be moved into a new planter, at another family member’s home, where you will be enriched at this new perspective and your Spirit will be revived and brought back to life. Either way may the Words from Ephesians 3:10 be set in motion, where you KNOW GOD, a personal experiential relationship rather than just intellectual knowledge. Experiencing the Spirit of God working within, transforming life. Sharing in the hardships of Christ through service and sacrifice for others. DYING to self and sin, to LIVE for God.
