When you hear the word “rooted” you usually think of a tree. When you plant a tree, it is easy to pull it out of the ground after the first few days. But it will be nearly impossible to pull the tree out once it is properly rooted.

In his letter to the Colossians, Apostle Paul advises being firmly rooted in the Lord: “[Be] rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith” (Colossians 2: 7). If this can be said of us, then nothing can cause us to be uprooted. It is therefore important that we are firmly rooted in our New Apostolic faith. Anyone who tries to pull us out then will be unsuccessful. Then no spirit can stand a chance against us because we are firmly rooted in the doctrine of Jesus Christ. But this is not always easy because Satan is constantly at work, and he seeks to pull us out of this firm grounding.

I am reminded of John the Baptist. He was a great man, and had been selected by God for a specific purpose. But he was not properly rooted in the Lord. When he found himself in prison he began to doubt, and sent messengers to ask the Lord if He was truly the one for whom he and his followers had been waiting, or whether they should wait for another. He was not firmly rooted. His faith was not strong enough. He gave room to doubt. Let us not do this.

When doubts arise, let us reject them and pray to our heavenly Father for the necessary strength.

Many of the disciples who had heard Jesus say: “Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him” (John 6: 56) did not understand these words. And indeed, these words were difficult to understand. Today we have a clear understanding of what these words mean, but for the disciples of that time they were incomprehensible. For this reason, many of them became annoyed and said: “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” And so they left the Lord Jesus. They were not firmly rooted. They were torn out of the ground because they did not understand properly. When the Lord Jesus asked the twelve: “Do you also want to go away?” (John 6: 67), Peter answered: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6: 68). He was firmly rooted in the doctrine of Jesus.

The disciples on the road to Emmaus had left Jerusalem because they were disappointed. Holy Scripture relates that the Risen One joined them on their way. They did not recognise Him, however. He asked them what they were talking about and why they were so sad. They told Him that the Lord Jesus, who they had believed would redeem Israel, had died. Then the Lord Jesus gently opened their eyes. In the end they recognised Him, but at first they had been uprooted, as it were. After the Lord had spoken to them however, they came to the right understanding and stopped running away (cf. Luke 24: 13-33).

If we are disappointed, persist in our own opinions, or no longer heed the word of the Lord, we run the risk of being uprooted, or “pulled out of the ground”. Let us be aware of this danger, because the Devil never sleeps. He seeks to uproot us. Let us be firmly rooted in the ground of Jesus Christ and in the teaching of the Apostles. Then we will remain firm and sure in our faith.

(From a divine service by the Chief Apostle)