At the most basic level, a healthy Family is critical to a healthy church. In fact, the family unit, also called the nuclear family, is the basic building block of all peoples, nations, and lands. There is no other structure that can take the place of the Family. God’s first institution was the marriage and that marriage was intended to result in the Family. Therefore the Root of a strong Church is a strong Family. There is no such thing as a healthy church filled with dysfunctional families. If we are to let our light shine unto men, then it must begin at home. Fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, single parents, grandparents all share in this mission to create a healthy, vibrant, and positive root system so that the Light of Christ might be seen in this dark world. The responsibility of the healthy root is the basis of our witness and ultimately our ability to reach lost souls.
The appearance of a Christian family should be an overspill of what is beneath. Leaves might look good, but if there is not fruit, then there is no help to others. If we are known by our fruit then it must begin in places that cannot be seen: Prayer. Devotion. Bible reading. The fruit suffers without prayer. In fact, a life without prayer and devotion creates an unstable life. In a recent nationwide survey we found less than 10% of churchgoers spend more than 10 minutes of prayer a month. Many said that outside of praying over dinner, they pray only when they attend church and that for a brief time. Obviously the Root of Prayer is weak. Anemic prayers create weak families which results in a lack of Faith. Open power and anointing are borne in private prayer and devotion. No wonder why people feel so empty in times of trouble; they have no root to draw from. For these reasons it is imperative to plant deep roots for the sake of our families, our church, and this great Gospel.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole