Short Roots

Matthew 13:21 ESV

Yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away!

No-one is admired for being a fair-weather companion. As the Christian church began to gain notoriety it became evident that they were Christians first and Roman Citizens second. Such an understanding of identity was seen as subversive and destabilizing. So, it had to be “corrected” by various Emperors. Over the decades and centuries not all weathered the storm equally. One of the great controversies of the Church was when good times came back so did the turn coats, what do you do with them? How hard it would be to worship with gouged out eyes and charred extremities as the man next to you simply said “Cesar is Lord” and was allowed to stay “intact”.

With my sick days I was blessed to watch through a few hours of church history and was continually overwhelmed by how regular it was that the church did not have the depth of root to last through the persecution. As my Bible reading brought me through this text it struck me again. What is so undeniable is that the Gospel is good news. What is equally undeniable is that so many of us think that God can be kept on the surface level. That the roots of this faith will not necessitate a penetration into every ascpect of our lives. That “Jesus is Lord” is a declaration of a totalitarian regime. Not one among many but a singular Lordship. One that is given to ever deeper and more obtrusive behavior. Just like the Pregnancy that in the end will change everything down to the way a woman walks, eats, breaths, sits, gets out of bed, so to does the Christian walk.

When many see the reality, they are tempted to abort the project, tempted to not let the roots grow to deep. Thinking that no one can see the difference they persist until one day the sun comes out. Persecution shows itself and then the lack of depth is revealed. “I can’t believe you can be an Engineer and not believe in evolution” was my colleagues comment. The inference being I can’t believe you could make it through school and be quite so dense. So, the persecution begins. For many it isn’t so subtle as they are fired and black listed.

As we look at previous generations of Christian trial, the failures came, and the church responded. The Church responded by teaching more. By being more committed to belief. Not by reducing to the lowest common denominator but by raising the expectation. Doctrine, fancy word for teaching, was the solution that the church has found to be the best defense against apostacy. As we come to times of less favor or, more likely, persecution we do not need to invent a way through. Christ has told us the way, deeper roots, the church has shown us the way, doctrine, clear articulate teaching. If the sermon is not clear and articulate please ask me. I was encouraged by our 34^th President (Dwight D. Eisenhower) when I learned that he would have the Pastor over to the White House Sunday afternoon to clarify points in the sermon. Don’t be afraid to ask, it will help me be clearer next time, and it will help your roots grow. And that is a matter of life and death because Augustine was right when he said,

“God had one son on earth with out sin, but never one without suffering.”

CRUCE, DUM SPIRO, FIDO