Do you know how to tell? How to tell if you are strong Christians? Good day Salt and Light Commissioners! Welcome once again to another topic that affects many today. The topic of have sustainable faith. Today we will be talking about two types of Christians…weak Christians and strong Christians. Which one are you?
But before we do into that take a minute and like us on our facebook fan page and follow us on twitter and don’t forget to share this post if it has been helpful to you or someone you know. The links are all over my page to make it super easy to share and connect with us. So now lets jump into the topic.
I was watching a program on TV a few weeks back and one of the protagonist was known for his strong faith. The other co-stars regarded him as the moral compass of the group, very spiritual. Well one day his faith was rocked, by one bad break after another. He began to doubt if God was even there, until eventually he spiraled out of control and left the faith.
Christian life is a lot like trees. Jesus understood this, because His parables reflected this…
“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” ~Matthew 7: 17-20~
So how do you tell if you are a strong Christian? To do that you have to examine the two types of Christians are what I like to call, Branches and Roots. The TV character I was describing early is a prime example of a Branch Christian. And sadly there are lots of Christians out there that are branches as well. Let me explain.
Branches are Christians that are showy Christians. Branches bearing leaves are looked at and admired for their beauty whether in the spring when they bud beautiful flowers and bright green leaves or whether in the fall, when the leaves turn to an array of bright colors. Often times people take trips to the mountains to see the leaves turn all the colors of sunset, during the fall. The branches stretch and reach out providing shade in the summer and shelter and food for woodland creatures. Some Christians are likewise, they are admired by the people around them as being spiritual. Constantly are seen as the group’s moral compass. Always reaching out and providing comfort to others with their wise words and scripture to back it up. Can be seen reading their bible and reaching out in the community. Showing the love of Christ.
All this is good, but branches are are not strong. Have you ever seen a tree in wind storm? The wind is swaying the tree back and forth. The tree and more directly the branches can’t stand still given the power of the wind. And if the winds is strong enough it may break a branch or two and the leaves are scattered across the yard. Branch Christians are like this. They are seem strong and are beautiful, but when the storms of life happen, they cannot stand. Swaying back and forth in their faith with God until eventual they crash to the ground broken and scattered.
The problem occurs because they have never had their faith tested. They have always had sunny days. I’m sure they have had set backs, but nothing profound enough to rock their faith. God was probably blessing them continuously Spiritual muscles are built in times of trouble, not in times peace.
The second type of Christians are Roots. Like roots they are deep in the dirt and soil. They are solid. They are not glamours, but dirty and strong. Not seekers of the spotlight, but are more focused on the foundation. This is like Root Christians. They have a foundation build on the word of God. They are strong in their faith and are not shaken by a storm. They remain rooted in the truth that God will protect.
The roots of a tree are resourceful. In times of a drought, the tree roots dig deep in the dirt in the attempts to reach water that maybe just under the surface. The deeper the root system, the stronger the tree. A tree grows stronger in the midst of adversity. If it was no adversity, there would be no growth. That’s why Root Christians are much stronger than Branch Christians. Like I mentioned early, Branch Christians had an easier life. Nothing really significant came to test them and when that drought eventually comes, they have no root system…or no true foundation, so the sun scorches them…the glam of their leaves fades and they wither away.
In contrast, Root Christians seem like the Christians we should all strive to be. But that would be incorrect. Root Christians are strong in faith, but they lack the fellowship. They don’t reach out in the community. They hold their salvation dearly, but they are not sharing that good news with others. And often times, they become judgmental and rude to those that are new to the faith, which can push the newcomers away. They become so wrapped up in securing the foundation that they don’t show the love of Christ and forget how Jesus took them in as sinners. Christianity stops being a lifestyle and more or a religious routine.
So we should strive to be a mixture of both…a Whole Tree Christian. To do that we need a trunk to bridge the gap. That trunk is Jesus Christ. Jesus said that He is the vine…and we can’t do anything without him.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” ~John 15:1-6~
We can’t bridge the gap between branches and roots without Jesus and Holy Spirit. We need to be Christians that first dig deep in the word like a root system and while we are learning, ask Jesus to give us that boldness to share the Good News, connecting with the trunk, and then go and reach out like branches spreading the Love of Jesus Christ. And when a storm or drought hits, they grow stronger, to blossom and produce good fruit for many seasons to come.
This is an example of strong Christians. We have to embody the whole tree to be strong Christians.
So there you have it there are actually 3 types of Christians. The 3rd is the one we should all strive to be #christiangoals. Now is the time to be honest…. write in the comments below, if you are real and not a spam bot, which Christian are you right now? Are you strong Christians? Are you Branches, Roots, or Whole Tree? I want to hear from you. Remember share this post and subscribe…join the movement… we are going places and we want you to join us. Until next time, remember you are the salt and light of the world…. be blessed!