How to Get Planted in a Community
A few weeks ago I preached a sermon titled, “Stop Going to Church.”
The premise was that simply attending church is not going to lead anyone to the kind of spiritual growth or community that God wants for us. If we are going to really, truly grow in Him, then we need to invest in a local church and plant ourselves in that community.
I thought about the way that the Bible describes the righteous, comparing them to trees that are planted by rivers of water, and then thought of ways that we can PLANT ourselves in our local church. Here are the five ways below. You can also watch the video summary of this part of the sermon by clicking here.
5 WAYS to PLANT Yourself in a Community
Prioritize participation: You cannot be planted in a community by attending once a month. Unless we place a priority on participation–even when it isn’t convenient–we will not be planted.
Let others into your life: It is one thing to participate, or attend regularly; it is completely different to allow others to be involved in your life. I often do not want to let people in because I am either fearful of what they will think of me or do not feel I can trust them to be around for the long haul. There are many reasons people do not let others into their lives, but it is essential for community.
Accept accountability: Being planted in a community means that I will be accountable to others in that same community. There are expectations. If I want to belong, I have to accept that there will be things asked of me. This is often not an easy step, but it is important nonetheless.
Nurture relationships with Jesus: In a church community, we often talk about all kinds of things except our relationships with Jesus. This is one of the most important parts of being part of a Christian community. We all need to seek ways to encourage others in their relationship with Jesus. This nurturing of each other will give us spiritual growth like we’ve never seen, and we will begin to delight in the Lord.
Trust in the Lord: The final thing is to trust God, both in the good times and in the bad times. Things are not always going to be incredibly good in the community where you have chosen to plant yourself. Things might even get ugly. There might be storms that come your way. But a part of being planted is to trust God alongside those who are planted around you in the good times and the bad times.
These are five things you can focus on as you seek to plant yourself in a community.
Which one of these is hardest for you personally?
Leave a comment below.