What Happened?

In 1985, a small group of couples obeyed what we believed was a clear call from God, and together we started a church. We were not driven by numbers, buildings, or recognition. Our focus was missions, the restoration of men and women God brought to us, and raising up the next generation. We never owned a building. We met wherever doors were opened, in schools, parks, and backyards. We were small in number, but God was clearly at work among us.

We poured ourselves into mission work. We sent young men and women on mission trips, some for weeks, some for months, and some who gave years of their lives in full time service. Along the way, God brought men and women to us who were wounded, weary, or had stepped away from their calling. We walked with them patiently, helped restore their faith and confidence, and watched many return to fruitful ministry. What we experienced was not polished or impressive by the world’s standards, but it was real. There was repentance, sacrifice, obedience, and quiet faithfulness.

Years later, I look back with grief. Some of those same young people who once worshiped passionately and served faithfully are no longer walking with Christ. Some drifted away. Some denied the faith. Others embraced beliefs that left no room for the gospel. Not all of them, by God’s grace, but enough that the question cannot be ignored.

As I prayed through this grief, the words of Jesus in the Parable of the Sower became impossible to ignore. He spoke of seed that fell on rocky ground, springing up quickly because the soil was shallow, but withering when the sun rose and the heat came because it had no root. He also spoke of seed that fell among thorns, where growth was slowly choked by competing desires. In every case, the seed was good. What differed was the soil.

That truth brings clarity. One reason some seed fails is not because the gospel lacks power, but because faith becomes rooted in something that cannot sustain it. When faith is built on rules, systems, or the traditions of men rather than on Christ Himself, the roots never grow deep. Rules can shape behavior, but they cannot sustain faith. Traditions can create structure, but they cannot produce life. Jesus warned of this when He said, “You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.”

A faith rooted in tradition may look strong for a season, but it cannot endure pressure. When those traditions are questioned or removed, the faith attached to them often collapses. Seed planted in shallow soil grows quickly because it is supported by routine and environment, but when faith is tested, there is nothing beneath the surface to hold it. Seed among thorns survives for a time, but it is slowly crowded out by other loves, other voices, and other loyalties.

A W Tozer captured the heart of this problem when he wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” If Christ is not the true center of faith, something else will be, and whatever replaces Him will eventually fail.

That brings the question full circle, not with despair, but with direction. How do we move forward? By returning to Christ Himself. Faith must be rooted in who He is, not in rules, traditions, or emotional experiences. What lasts is not what grows fastest, but what grows deepest. Only seed planted deeply in Him will endure the heat, resist the thorns, and bear fruit that lasts.