Guest blogger: Anonymous - The secret strength of the redwoods

“So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude.” (Colossians 2:6-7)

I recently watched a show on the wonders inside our National Parks, including such dramatic wonders as Old Faithful, which erupts about every 90 minutes, and Grand Prismatic Spring, which boasts rings of colors around the edges of its hot spring. But the one that really caught my attention and embedded itself in my mind were the Redwoods of Northern California.

Here are some facts about the Redwoods:

-They’re the tallest tree in the world and can reach a height of 378 feet;
-The circumference of their base can measure up to 30’;
-They can live 2000 years;
-They can resist natural enemies and fire.  Their thick bark provides protection from fire.  There could be visual evidence of scorching, but their thick bark protects them from burning, and because their foliage is high above the range of the fire, they are able to withstand the fire.
-Their roots go straight down 10-13 feet then spread out laterally about 100 feet.

You might wonder how 10-13 feet of roots could possibly hold up a 300-foot tree. Here’s the interesting part:  each tree also spreads their roots out laterally, which interconnects them with the other trees in that sphere and creates a root mesh.  We don’t see their roots, but it is their secret to survival. This root mesh creates stability, strength and resilience. When a storm comes, when the winds blow, when the fires rage, they’re actually holding each other in place.

What a picture of the church of God!!!!  When we are saved, we begin to grow our roots in Jesus, and as we hopefully mature, we begin growing our roots laterally as well.  In this way, we are creating a root mesh system, wherein we are strong, resilient, stable and hold one another up when the storms come.

THE CHURCH AS CHRIST’S BODY: The church should function as a unified body, being interdependent and showing mutual care for each other.  When one member suffers or is honored, all members are affected. “Indeed, the body is not one part but many.”  (1 Cor 12:14)

THE CHURCH AS GOD’S DWELLING: Believers together (not apart) form God’s holy temple, where His Spirit resides, built on Christ as the cornerstone. (1 Cor 3:16-17 and Eph 2:19-22)

THE CHURCH’S IDENTITY AND PURPOSE:  The church is God’s household and the pillar of foundation and truth.  The church is to teach, fellowship, pray, praise God, and break bread together (Acts 2:42-47).  The church also has a communal purpose and that is to provoke love and good works and encourage one another.  “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”  (Heb 10:24-25).

Proverbs tells us that the roots we grow in Christ are immovable. “No one can be made secure by wickedness, but the root of the righteous is immovable” (Prov 12:3).

And: “The surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward and bear fruit upward”  (Isaiah 37:31).

Some verbs that Jesus uses to describe what a lack of roots produce are withered, short-lived, scorched, fall away in time (Matthew 13:6, 21, Mark 4:6, 17, and Luke 8:13).

Just as watering, fertilizing, and pruning help to create a strong plant, the church can engage in practices that strengthen it.  Prayer (direct conversation with God), study (food that sustains you), church community (for support), and witnessing (sharing what you have experienced in Christ).

Many pictures of the church body can be found in Scripture:

“He is before all things, and by him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).
 
“For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12).
 
“For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13).

“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).
 
“Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:4-5).
 
“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).

Jesus and the apostles knew we would be persecuted for our faith, that the enemy would try to bring us to a place of despair, that there will be broken relationships in need of restoration, and that our health will deteriorate and discourage us. And that is the glory of the church of God showing the world how we hold up one another, how we minister to each other’s broken spirits, and how we bring joy and gladness to the sick.

Can we see the connection that strong roots have in the church? Can we see how we are interconnected and need one another in order to stand strong? We may not know everyone in the church, but one’s roots are connected to another, and theirs to another, and so on. It is in this way that the church grows a root mesh where we can hold each other up when a trial comes - when one is grieving the loss of a loved one, has lost a job and is having financial difficulties, is fighting an illness, is feeling discouraged and wondering where God is, is struggling with an addiction. We stand next to them and hold them up in prayer, walk with them, and love them. They will know the rains have arrived, the winds are furiously blowing, the heat feels unbearable, but their brothers and sisters will not let them go. Scripture describes our affliction as momentary and light:

“Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:16-17).

Like the Redwoods, the church of God can grow our roots deep and be established in Christ Jesus, then laterally we spread our roots to stand tall, resist enemies and persecutions. Although we can’t live up to 2000 years in these tents, we are assured by the Word of God that we do have eternal life in Christ Jesus. The secret strength of the Christian is not only our roots in Christ, but the connection of our roots with our brothers and sisters in Christ.