This is the third post of a series looking at the health of our churches. Read the first post if you haven’t already.

All living things need energy. They use this energy to move, grow, function, and repair or heal themselves. But where does this energy come from?

Since organisms cannot make their own energy, they must use an outside source of energy. Plants capture the energy from the sun and store it in their leaves, roots, stems, and fruit. Animals and humans can then use this stored energy when they eat plants or eat animals that ate plants.

Christians are no different from living things, they must also tap into an external source of energy. “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.” (John 15:5-6) Christ will provide the energy a Christian requires for life if we abide (remain) in him.

Living cells need a continual supply of energy, as soon as their source of energy stops, they begin dying. Churches also require a constant input of energy. Every member must be connecting with Christ each day, or they will begin to die spiritually, and the church will then begin to die with them.

How often do you connect with Christ? Is your time with God each day meaningful, or are you going through the motions because you know it’s the right thing to do? There can be value in doing the right thing even though your heart isn’t fully in it, but we must be careful that we don’t become complacent in this state. A vibrant connection to the Vine is not just recommended, it is vital to the life of a Christian. When we allow busyness or distractions to prevent us from connecting with Jesus, or we try to do things in our own strength, we face a life of spiritual death and failure.

The first step toward a connection with Christ is to realize your need of Him. You are an imperfect sinner who cannot do it on your own. The next step is to reach out to God and ask for His power. If you ask, He will give you what you need.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:9-13)

In a more practical way, be sure to make reading your Bible and praying a regular part of your day. These practices alone do not guarantee a vibrant spiritual life, but it would be almost impossible to have a strong connection to Christ without them.

A healthy church will have members who receive their spiritual energy from Christ.