No matter how long and fervent a rice farmer fasts and prays or cultivates the soil, he will not see any harvest if he sows his rice seeds on clay soil. Why? Because rice grows best on a rich swampy soil or terrain.
From 1Tim. 3: 15, we understand that the Church is called the ground (soil) of truth. It reads;
“But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the Pillar and Ground of the truth”
Again in Isa. 61: 3, Christians are called TREES of righteousness. The passage reads;
“To appoint unto them (Christians) that mourn in Zion (the Church)… that they might be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified”
Like we know, a tree will do well and produce fruits when it is planted in the right soil/ground. Marrying the two scriptures above, we can safely say that a Christian (being Spiritual Trees) will do well and become fruitful when he or she is worshipping in the right Church (Spiritual Soil). It must be noted here that what makes one soil right for a particular tree may be very unsuitable for another tree. Again, the fact that this soil is unsuitable for that particular tree does not make it bad or unsuitable for other kinds of tree. For instance, cassava will not yield well if planted in a very swampy mangrove as when planted on a rich loamy soil, but we know that swampy mangroves, are the best kind of soil for crops like sugarcane or rice plantations. We must also be able to draw the lines. What does this mean? A Christian “K” may be planted in Church X and be fruitful while another Christian “B” may not be fruitful in that same Church X until he relocates to Church Y. Does this make Church X fake? No!!! It’s because Christian “B” has not been able to identify or define what kind of tree he/she is, which now reveals which Church he/she should be planted.
Practically speaking, the illustration above perfectly describes what goes on today with Christians. We see membership migration and gallivanting from one Church to another. We join Churches for different reasons; it’s the reigning Church, I love the Pastor’s swags, it’s the closest and most convenient to where I stay, my physical needs would be met in this Church, this Church suits my status, there is air conditioner in this Church, I will get connections in this Church. Such people are never PLANTED, they are Auditors who come to evaluate/audit/inspect if the style suits them. It’s not about, this is the place God wants me planted and give Him true worship and service.
So the challenge is 2-folds;
1. For the Christian to discover his/her identity (kind of Tree)
2. Based on this discovery, to locate his/her soil (place of planting – Church)
Saints of God, as a Christian, you have been designed and created to be planted somewhere you will be evidently fruitful and unmolestable. From the Word of God, God is the One who does the planting. Read in Gen. 2: 8;
“And the Lord planted a Garden (Church) eastward in Eden, and there He put (planted) the man…”
In Isa. 61: 3;
“…that they (Christians) may be called Trees of Righteousness, the planting of the Lord that He might be glorified”
Isa. 60: 21;
“…thy people also shall be all righteous… the branch of My planting…”
And read this powerful expression in 2 Sam. 7: 10;
“Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime”
Saint of God, can we see the attendant benefits of allowing God appoint and plant you? You will be glorified, you will live in righteousness, you will no more be afflicted, you will enjoy divine supplies/provisions, you will be divinely guided and guarded, etc.
Just like Adam, Isaac was also shown by God, his place of planting. Read in Gen. 26: 1-3;
“…and the Lord appeared unto him, and said, go not down into Egypt; dwell (be planted) in the land which I shall tell thee of; sojourn (be fruitful, grow) in this land…”
Jesus again came in the New Testament reiterating and reechoing this planting nature of God in Mt. 15: 13;
“But He answered and said, every plant (Tree), which My heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up”
Beloved, we need to ask God to show us like He showed Isaac, where is my place of planting, which is the right Church for me, most especially if you are just coming into the faith. For those who are already in one Church or the other, the following signs below may point or serve as a check to know if you are in the right Church or not;
1. A Church where your Spiritual fervor is fading instead of flaming
2. A Church where your God-given vision and purpose in life is being killed instead of being kindled
3. A Church where you are enduring instead of enjoying your Pastor
4. A Church where you dissociate rather than associate with other members of the Church
5. A Church where you are retrogressing instead of progressing in life
6. A Church where you suspect rather than respect your Pastor and members of the Church
7. A Church where you feel imprisoned instead of being liberated
8. A Church where you feel chained instead of being changed
9. A Church where your gifts and talents are being suppressed instead of being expressed
10. A Church where you are only informed instead of being transformed
11. A Church where you feel exhausted going to instead of being excited
12. A Church where you are being drained instead of being trained
Saints, if you feel this way about the Church you are attending, then my dear, I diagnose you as being in the wrong Church. This simply explains why you have been unfruitful, unproductive, afflicted, unfulfilled, sad and sorrowful all these while. You need to prayerfully re-evaluate yourself, seek God to uproot and transplant you PEACEFULLY to where you rightly belong so the profiting following Jesus brings, can be evident to all.
Like was said earlier, discovering that you don’t fit in your present place of worship does not make that Church necessarily a fake Church. It has been you who has not discovered what kind of Tree you are. That Church may be good but not right for you. The gospel is meant to profit you; if its not, then check and be planted rightly.
– Joseph Baiyekusi is the presiding minister of Doxa Soma World Ministry, a non-denominational prophetic ministry sent to prepare the Bride for the Bridegroom.
Can be reach on:
Email: baiyekusijoseph@gmail.com
