When a tomato plant starts to mature into a full size plant it will begin to grow additional stems or branches, rather like a tree. So instead of having just one single branch or stem to produce fruit off of, you can have several.
But what not everyone knows is that if you take one of those young new branches while they are still small, maybe up to 5 or 6 inches in length, you can actually break them off of the tomato plant, and begin a whole new plant from it. How I have often done it is by taking the separated branch and let the bottom of it soak in a bucket full of water. After maybe 5-7 days the branch will have grown an entire root system, at which time you can plant your new tomato plant in your garden.
But you can’t simply just place that new tomato plant anywhere you want and expect it to grow. You can’t set your new plant on the tar in a parking lot–it will soon wither away from the lack of moisture and nutrients. Even just placing it directly on top of the soil isn’t quite enough. You need to plant those roots deep into the garden soil so that they take hold and continue to feed the plant.
Like the roots of those tomato plants, we need to be “rooted” in Christ and His word. Rooted means “fixed in one position, immobile, or unable to move.”
Through daily reading and application of the teachings of Christ in our lives, our roots will be able to continually grow stronger and more established, so that if or when situations arise that the devil tries to deceive us through his subtlety, we will remain unshakeable and immovable in our belief in Christ.
Colossians 2:6-10 “As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:”
You have the teachings of Christ, and you have the teachings of the world, and these two are completely different from each other. The world will tell you that “it is okay for two men to marry each other,” but when you search the word of God you will find that it teaches something completely different. Homosexuality is a sin, condemned in the Bible, yet some so-called churches who claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit readily marry and allow these things to happen in their “churches.”
One of the very first things that many people learn when reading the Bible is the account of how God created the Earth. By the word of His mouth God created everything–animals, plants, water, light, humans etc. “But the universe was created in an explosion of dust and gas.” No, that is what the world wants to believe, because the world does not believe in God. “Humans evolved through a series of different creature species, and are descendants of apes.” God said, “Let us make man in our image.” Man was created by God out of the dust of the ground, and God breathed life into Adam to create the first man.
Love and forgiveness are a couple of the founding teachings that Christ taught that we need to possess. It was love that caused Jesus to do what He did by dying on the cross for our sins. It was through this extraordinary act of love that we have forgiveness and salvation, as Jesus reconciles us to the Father. And as the Author of our faith, Jesus commands His faithful followers to do likewise, telling us to be forgiving with one another. But the teachings of the world say otherwise, that, “no, you don’t need to forgive others. You don’t need to be reconciled with someone if they apologize, repent, and are sorry for their misdeeds.” This is obviously completely opposite of what Christ has taught, yet this too is another false teaching of the world that has begun to imbed itself into some so-called, professing Christian “churches” today.
Do you have a question about our faith? Then go to the Bible for the answer. The Bible is deep well of knowledge that we each have access to to help us grow stronger. Like a warrior preparing for battle, the Bible contains the armor that we need to protect us from the false teachings of the world. Search the scriptures, put on that armor. Grow those roots deep, and let your faith be firmly founded!
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 