Everything in life is sustained by a root system. Nothing starts from the top down, everything in life needs a foundation on which to build upward. Without a firm foundation or root system, you may as well be building on sand or jello. All of creation is established and maintained by a Creator. He has set each created thing in place on a foundation suited for its existence. The Root, Elohim, holds everything together. Nothing in all creation exists apart from Him, not even the devil. He controls it all.
When Elohim created the atmospheric heavens and the earth, the Bible says He took that which was without form and void, that which was chaotic and brought order to it. He then declared the Root system to be very good. There wasn’t anything that needed future adjustments or tweaking, it was all good. Man was enjoying the presence of Elohim and vice versa. The branches were enjoying every benefit supplied by the Root. Then entered root rot. Whenever we allow contradictory voices to begin speaking a twisted version of what the Root has said, we’ll experience root rot. God has designed us to hear and obey One voice, His. He knows what’s best for us. Conflicting messages are like too much water to a plant. Water is good, but if it’s used in the wrong way it can be disastrous, the same with fire.
I’ll never forget years ago when I was believing God for a house. I asked Him for the one I was living in at the time. One night in a dream He stripped the house of all the facade to the foundation. In the dream He told me that the house looked good on the outside, but that the foundation wasn’t good. He did the same with a second house I lived in. From the top down it was looking good, but from the roots up it was not. The enemy doesn’t care about what we look like from the outside. He’s after our Root system. He’s after what makes us who we are. Compromised Christians look like the fig tree that Jesus cursed. Full of leaves, giving the appearance of fruitfulness, but under close scrutiny they come up short.
What’s happening in the churches today can be described as root rot. Because it takes a while for a tree to actually die, the branches and leaves still give the appearance of life. The music sounds good, the message sounds good, the pews are packed, but the Sustainer of the tree, the Root, the Holy Spirit is missing. The tree has been cursed from the root up, but doesn’t yet look like it. Only the discerning branches are able to tell that something is missing. Jesus called it out and cursed that one fig tree. He cursed the deception. He cursed the falsehood and hypocrisy. Hungry people are being denied spiritual food by those pretending to have a Word from the Lord.
A well trained godly therapist who’s not in the field purely for monetary gain, will take the time to get to the root of their clients problem. There’s cause and effect for every situation in life. Rebellion, hatred, conflict, jealousy, rage, godlessness, hopelessness, malice, strife, anxiety, stress, low self esteem, self loathing has its roots in separation from God’s moral law. The farther a family, society and nation pulls away from its Creator, the closer the sentence of death and destruction looms. Just like the tree cannot live without the roots and a building cannot stand without a foundation, neither can the church of Jesus Christ survive without the Holy Spirit.
We may put on a good show, our churches may look full of leaves but we’re dead from the roots up. When was the last time that you saw the lame walk after the preaching of the Word? When was the last time you had a breakthrough in your own life? Check your roots. We don’t want to keep up appearances. We want to be authentic. We want to bear fruit worthy of repentance, fruit that remains. We want to daily examine our motives and foundation to make sure we’re standing not on our own merits but on a firm foundation. We want to make sure we’re planted and sustained in His root system. So on close scrutiny and inspection by the Architect and Builder of the church, we won’t give the appearance of fruit but will indeed have something to offer a world hungry for hope.
The Bible teaches us how to judge the root system. We test everything by the Spirit and the Word. A good tree bears good fruit and an evil tree bears evil fruit. Jesus is using trees metaphorically but He’s referring to people. The root system on which lives, nations, and churches are planted, determines the health of the entire structure in these areas. Spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically and economically. Cause and effect. When we as Christians begin compromising the Biblical foundation or Root system of the church, we spread saplings of confusion and hopelessness. They don’t know if they should be looking for an alternative. John the Baptist had a similar dilemma when he was imprisoned. If we’re not convinced because of poor examples, we’ll be left disillusioned and confused. John had no one to compare himself with. He came preaching the message of repentance to a culture of religion and selfishness. Jesus responded to John’s inquiry this way. Remember we’re still talking about from the roots up. There has to be visible signs of a Root connection.
“John’s disciples reported to him in prison about all the wonderful miracles and the works Jesus was doing. So John dispatched two of his disciples to go and inquire of Jesus. When they came before the Master, they askedHim , “Are you the coming Messiah we’ve been expecting, or are we to continue to look for someone else? John the prophet has sent us to You to seek your answer.” Without answering, Jesus turned to the crowd and healed many of their incurable diseases. His miracle power freed many from their suffering. He restored the gift of sight to the blind, and He drove out demonic spirits from those who were tormented. Only then did Jesus answer the question posed by John’s disciples. “Now go back and tell John what you have just seen and heard here today. The blind are now seeing. The crippled are now walking. Those who were lepers are now cured. Those who were deaf are now hearing. Those who were dead are now brought back to life. The poor and broken are given the hope of salvation. And tell John these words: ‘The blessing of heaven comes upon those who never lose their faith in Me, no matter what happens.’ ”
Luke 7:18-23 TPT
Jesus demonstrated to John His connection to His Father, by the things He did. John 5:16-44; 12:49
When we’re connected to the Sustaining Root, the Lord Jesus Christ, there are no questions or uncertainty about who He is and who we are. Nothing or no one can uproot or shake our foundation. We’re not top down Christians, we’re Root up Christians. We don’t support the Root, the Root supports us. We don’t appear to have fruit, we are fruitful. Our leaves do not wither because we’re planted by the River of Life, Jesus Christ. We have been blessed to be His representative on the earth. We’re not self made or self taught. We’re one hundred percent His. We’re not looking for another. We will not compromise, we will not misrepresent His Name. He deserves our loyalty and commitment to His unchanging Word. Top down Christianity puts us in charge. Roots up Christianity keeps us at His feet. Daily nourished by all that He is. Isaiah describes our Root System this way.
“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a Shoot— yes, a New Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of His Word, and one breath from His mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment.”
Isaiah 11:1-5 NLT
Child of God, we’re planted from the Root up. We are not shiny leaves from the top down. We’re the offshoots of His glory. Let’s endeavor to live like it.
Go deeper: Genesis 1&2; Colossians 1; Mark 11; Matthew 3 & 7; Psalm 1; 1 John 4; Romans 11
If it ain’t His Root, then It ain’t His fruit.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
July 16, 2021
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