Last week we began the series “Go and Do Likewise,” built on the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10. Jesus told the story in response to the question of what it takes to inherit eternal life. The man on the road to Jericho was in a dangerous place by choice—much like the Tenth Street in Bogotá where people routinely get robbed. Sometimes it is easier to help someone who is simply unfortunate than someone who “had it coming.” The priest and the Levite saw the man and walked by. The Samaritan stopped, poured oil and wine on his wounds, set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn.

The oil and wine picture the blood of Jesus that washes us clean and the Holy Spirit who leads and empowers us. We are a church that believes God still heals, saves, restores, and breaks chains. But Christianity is not only about the rescue. It is also about recovery. The Samaritan did not leave the man on the road; he took him to an inn and paid the innkeeper to care for him until he returned.

1. Find an Inn

Psalm 92:12–14 says the righteous will flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon, “those that be planted in the house of the Lord.” Planted means roots. Fruit comes from roots. You cannot live uprooted and expect to stand unshaken. In a Category 5 hurricane the houses fall and the cars flip, but the palm trees remain standing because their roots hold. Our testimony is not that we never go through storms; it is that when the storm passes we are still standing.

People say “I believe in Jesus but not the institution” or “I don’t go to church—I am the church.” That is basura. The storm does not create your roots; it reveals what you have been rooted in. Some treat church like a buffet: “I’ll only come if you play the songs I want and preach the way I want.” Recovery sometimes requires things that make us uncomfortable. Hebrews 10:24–25 tells us to consider one another, provoke one another to love and good works, and not forsake assembling together. Church is the gym you cannot fully replicate at home. People push you, give you reference points, and help you grow up so you stop needing middlemen in your walk with God.

When I was eighteen my dad dropped me at the airport and said, “There is a God, and I’m not Him.” A few months later my car broke down. I called my mom; she sent money. My dad called and said next time call him first. He was pushing me to know God myself. Parents who make the things of God optional raise children who treat them as optional. Seek first the kingdom does not mean seek only the kingdom. Put first things first.

2. Find an Innkeeper

Luke 10:35 says the Samaritan gave the host two pence and told him to take care of the man, promising to repay whatever else was spent. He did not just leave the man at a building; he entrusted him to someone who would care for him. Jeremiah 3:15 says God gives pastors according to His heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. Ephesians 4:11–12 says He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting of the saints. A sermon can feed you; a shepherd helps care for you and strengthen you. You will never outgrow your need for the gifts Jesus gave His church.

In October 2020 we lost our baby. Pastor Joel and Peppy invited us to their home. They served tomato soup and jalapeño cornbread. It did not give us back what we had lost, but it lightened the load we were carrying. That is what community does. We want you rooted here not as a gimmick to fill volunteer slots, but because Psalm 92 says those planted in the house of the Lord will flourish and still bring forth fruit in old age. Your children need to grow up in an environment where they learn to pursue the presence of God—something no school will teach them.

3. Strengthen Your Inn

At some point the place that carried you becomes the place God calls you to carry. If you still need recovery, develop roots here—find a small group, find a place to serve. If you have already found recovery here, you have a call to strengthen this house. Ephesians 4:16 says the body is fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies. There is a supply expected from you. Don’t just look for a church worth joining; become the kind of person who makes a church worth joining.

My daughter Amanda is the proudest Mississippian you will meet. She tells people in Spanish that she is from Mississippi. As parents we do not only pray for the church; we give of our strength and our finances so that the blessing that carried us will still be here if our children ever need to be carried. Find your inn. Find your innkeeper. Then strengthen the inn.