Are you Planted & Flourishing?
Are you aware that studies regarding the value of church attendance, confirm the benefits of connecting and doing life with a group of believers?
The following stastics resulted from studies by Duke University, Indiana University, Barna Research Group and the Institute for Healthcare Research
- Married couples who attend church regularly are happier and more likely to succeed in their marriages.
- Church can reduce the risk of your children abusing drugs and alcohol.
- Church may dramatically reduce your children’s risk of suicide.
- Church reinforces values of respect, love, service, forgiveness, discipline, and family.
- Church provides a life-long moral compass.
So both secular and Christian based research shows how church attendance can add value to the quality of your life, your marriage and the lives of your children. Furthermore, God’s Word proves the value of church attendance. It says those who are planted in the house of the Lord will live flourishing, fruitful lives.
“The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree. They shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord they shall flourish in the courts of our God.”Psalm 92:12&13
When you plant shrubbery, flowers or a tree, it is important for the plant to establish a root system in order to grow and flourish. It is not a good idea to continually uproot and transplant a plant from one place to another. It hinders the root system and will hinder the health of the plant. Likewise, going from church to church or not being faithful in attending a Bible teaching church, will affect your spiritual health.
Read Psalm 92:13 again. Do you see the parallel of being planted in the house of the Lord and having a flourishing life? We get a visual picture of someone that is stable and strong. I believe faithful attendance to a Bible teaching church or being “planted” in a local church, is the first step to being a strong, stable Christian. The constant attention to the principles taught in God’s Word has a supernatural affect on how we live our lives.
For a plant to flourish it not only needs to be planted in order to establish a strong root system, but it must have the right environment. Environment is everything to a healthy plant. It must have the right amount of sunlight and water to provide nutrients for the growth of the plant.
Attending church, merely for the sake of attending church, is not what promotes healthy growth and development of the believer. Only a Bible teaching church provides an atmosphere to aid in the growth and development of a believer. Just as environment causes a plant to flourish, the environment produced by a Bible teaching church is vital for a flourishing Christian life. It was God Himself who established the church. It was His plan. And everything He does is good. See you at church on Sunday!
The Chapel e-letter is written by John and Gwen Miller, to strengthen and encourage believers to mature in their faith and connect with their God ordained destiny.