"They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. " Acts 2: 42-47

I never have asked my grandpa where he learned how to graft trees.  I can only assume that he learned the skill along with many of his other gardening/farming tactics back in his home country of Croatia. Even my mom, being a fantastic gardener and past horticulturist herself, has to admit that his abilities proceed her own greatly when it comes to grafting and trees. To this day, my grandpa has many huge, prospering fruit trees to show for his diligent work. When I was little, and many of his trees were a lot smaller, I would watch curiously as he oddly wrapped branches and made cuts in others. If he ever caught us trying to climb his grafted trees he would give us big trouble! That’s why it always shocked me when occasionally he would take a saw and hack off branches of his trees.  He worked so hard for his branches health; why did he do such a thing? In his thick European accent he would often explain by saying, “Ees no good doe’s branches!”  I learned latter that what he meant by that was that the branches were unhealthy and if he did not cut them, they would ruin the tree.
 
In Acts 2 after the Pentecost, the church experienced health and spiritual growth. Like a tree, the early Christians were grafted together through learning, praying, fellow shipping, breaking bread and worshiping God.  Though they all came from different walks of life, they were united through The Spirit. The opposite of what the early Christians experienced, that being Spiritual growth, would be Spiritual decline.

For many Christians unfortunately , at some point or other spiritual decline is experienced. Because of sinful distractions and temptations, spiritual decline can be rather detrimental to a person’s heart. If a Christians heart becomes unhealthy, it can often cause harm. Like a sick, grafted, tree branch, an unhealthy heart will cut itself off from the nutrients it needs such as prayer, worship and fellowship with fellow believers. What can we do then to keep up a healthy spirit and heart?  This Sunday November 18, 2018 please join us for encouragement and fellowship as we look at what it means to be a unified, healthy member of the church and how to avoid having an unhealthy heart.
 
See You Sunday!
~Tiara Ilic