Eddie Rivero

Planted to Flourish - Part 3

PLANTED IN GOD’S HOUSE
Psalm 92:12-15

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, (fresh and green – NIV) To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (NKJV)

Here is our third and final key phrase:  FRESH AND FLOURISHING

These two words mean “rich, fertile and prosperous.”  As a result of your being planted, there will be richness in your life that will cause fruitfulness and increase.  You will be a productive individual excelling in all you put your hand to.  God’s promise is abundance and prosperity for the man or woman who is planted.

But God doesn’t want us to go to just any church.  He has already chosen a place for us, and He will reveal to every believer the local church He wants him or her to be planted in.

Why?  Because He knows exactly what each of us needs to be able to grown and develop spiritually.  Often we think we know better than the Lord what we need.  However, Jesus said that the “Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matt. 6:8)

If the Father knows what we need, then He knows what local church will meet our needs and what church we are called to serve in.  As we are planted in that place, we will grow, and mature and develop spiritually.

We must allow the Spirit of God to lead us to the church where we are to be planted. It will be to our benefit and save us from the heartache and confusion produced from being in the wrong place.

Planted to Flourish - Part 2

PLANTED IN GOD’S HOUSE
Psalm 92:12-15

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, (fresh and green – NIV) To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (NKJV)

The second key word is:  FLOURISH

The Scripture promises that those who are planted will flourish.  The word “flourish” is defined as “to break forth as a bud.”  In other words – you will BREAKTHROUGH!  Those who are planted will have BREAKTHROUGH in their lives.

“Flourish” is also defined as “to blossom and to spread.”  Nothing blossoms without being planted.  Planting is the prerequisite for the satisfying of God’s promise.

As a pastor, I have spoken to many people who have tremendous obstacles in their lives.  The ones who have had the greatest number of obstacles and problems have been those who had a history of not being planted.

I believe many obstacles can be avoided when we are planted in the house of the Lord. Protection, safety, encouragement and blessing come when we join a church that is Christ centered and preaches the Word of God.

Planted to Flourish - Part 1

This week I shared a message entitled, "Planted to Flourish".  As we prepare to receive membership into our new venture in Miami Springs, I felt that we need to feel sure that we are planted where God wants us.  For some folks, this is a new concept.  I believe church needs to be "organic".  We can't force growth, but when it's God, it will grow naturally.  Here's the first of three points:

PLANTED IN GOD’S HOUSE
Psalm 92:12-15

The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.  Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing, (fresh and green – NIV) To declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. (NKJV)

Let's look at the first key word:  PLANTED

The Bible tells us that “those who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing” (NKJV Psalm 92:13-14).

In this passage, the will of the Lord for His people is clearly stated:  It is for them to be PLANTED in His house – to have roots in a particular church.

The word “planted” conveys the meaning of being stationary or permanent. When something is planted, it does not move around.  It is in a fixed location.

For so long in the body of Christ we have had people who jump around from church to church.  This is not the plan of God for any believer.

Many of these same Christians travel from church to church, and conference to conference, but refuse to be planted.  In their hearts and minds, the conferences they attend or the Christian TV program they watch substitute being planted in a local church.  Conferences and seminars and are wonderful and they can be of great benefit to a believer, but they should never consider this a substitute for the local house of the Lord. 

Staying at home and watching someone preach on TV is not the same as “going to church”, nor does it signify that you are planted.  TV ministries do not take the place of the local church.

The Greek word for “church” is ekklesia.  It means “the called out ones, an assembly.”  You, by yourself are a member of the body of Christ; but when the members assemble together, we have the church.  Since the church is “a calling out” or “the called out ones”, then know that God is calling you out of your house in order to be planted in His house.