What kind of church do we want to be? A Spiritually Mature Church

Hebrews 5:12–14 KJV (WS)

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Introduction

In the Bible, there is an expectation of growth that correlates with the time spent as a Christian.

The longer you are saved, the more time you spend in the family of God, the farther along your spiritual journey you should be.

This is not an unrealistic expectation.

This is a Biblical principle.

The writer to the Hebrews begins this passage in the real world.

He has expected a greater reality for them then the one they are currently experiencing.

He is clearly disturbed by their spiritual progress.

Enough time has passed since they received Christ.

By this point, they should be teachers, instead they still need to be taught.

The Bible establishes an expectation that is placed on the older, more mature Christians within God’s families.

Too many elder believers expect younger believers or more immature believers to seek them out for instruction.

This is counter to the natural course of things.

How many kids do you know that would take the initiative to sign themselves up for school?

Why don’t more senior believers, long-time Christians take up the mantle of mentorship?

Many times, it’s because they don’t feel qualified to teach someone else.

This may be due to their personality.

Many times it’s because they have never matured themselves.

This was the condition that the writer of Hebrews found his audience.

The position of teacher does not necessitate a classroom.

There are many forms and methods of teaching.

People learn in different ways.

The problem being addressed here, is not just that the people were not standing in front of a group of people expounding the scriptures.

They were also failing to live out and demonstrate the principles of God.

They were failing to engage in one-on-one discipleship that is intended to take place through the daily interactions of every believer.

Rather than teaching others, they had need of being taught again.

It wasn’t like they had forgotten the deep things of the faith.

No, they needed to be reminded of the basics tenets of the faith.

Simple Christian living had fallen out of mind and practice.

The writers audience had gone backwards in their development.

How could someone go backwards in development.

Think of atrophied muscles.

Think of how you feel after having a stomach bug.

Think of all the formulas and dates that you learned in school that you can no longer recall.

Every believer must guard against regression.

The writer then transitions to an illustration.

This picture is meant to help the reader understand what the immature believer is missing out on.

It is a vivid example as all of us have a relationship with food.

The Bible warns us that immature Christians cannot handle tougher food.

The author likens the lack of spiritual maturity among his audience to the lack of digestive maturity among babies.

Different foods are appropriate for different stages of maturity.

As our bodies grow and change they naturally crave different foods.

We also appreciate different foods at different stages.

Have you ever tried to eat a food you used to love only to find that it isn’t nearly as good as you remembered?

Have you ever shared some really good food with your kid and they either eat it so fast they couldn’t have tasted it or they spit it out?

If you drop a sizzling steak down in front of a baby, what are the chances that baby will get the maximum benefit of that steak?

If you hand a man that’s been working outside all day a glass of milk and say, “here’s dinner,” what are the chances that will be enough for him?

Different foods are required for different stages of our spiritual maturity as well.

Milk is the perfect food for babies.

It is exactly what they need.

Babies should be fed milk; they should desire milk.

Peter talks about this in his first letter.

1 Peter 2:2 (KJV (WS))

2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Peter is not commending the baby’s innocence, or size.

He is pointing out the almost ferocious desire that a baby experiences and expresses when it comes to getting more milk.

But, if milk does it’s job of nourishing a baby at the beginning of their life, the baby will outgrow a diet consisting primarily of milk.

Mom and Dad will begin introducing solids.

What a fun experience.

Taking some cereal powder and mixing it with the milk.

Watching the baby try to figure out what to do with that paste you just put in their mouth.

Then you start slowly amping up the consistency of their food until eventually they are able to handle regular table food.

Nobody looks down on a baby drinking a bottle.

We cheer them on and brag about how fast they drink their milk.

But, if they never graduate to solids, it is a sign that something is wrong.

Paul writes about this in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 3:2 KJV (WS)

2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.

There is nothing wrong with milk.

It is simply insufficient for the nutritional needs of an adult.

The readers of Hebrews had declined in their spiritual maturity to the point that they once again had to build up their digestive system to be able to stomach meat.

If you look back at the Corinthians passage, Paul said that they were unable to bear it.

Strong meat would make them sick.

What is the milk and strong meat of Christianity?

This would be hard to make a list.

Neither the author of Hebrews nor Peter or Paul really attempt to make a list.

We could maybe assume some of the Christian dairy products would be things like...

Forsake not the assembling...

Pray without ceasing...

All scripture is profitable...

These are the basics, and yet so many believers struggle to digest these simple truths and apply them.

If we can’t handle the milk, how can we ever handle the meat.?

If we can’t handle strong meat, how will we ever teach others?

The meat of Christianity might be things like this.

Love your enemies.

If you’re forgiven, forgive.

Mortify the flesh.

Preach the word.

Do all things without murmuring.

All of these things are needful.

A nutritional, filling diet will lead us to that abundant life that God wants to give us.

We won’t get there subsisting on milk alone.

So, how do we mature as believers?

The milk-drinkers are those that are unskillful in the word.

How do you become more skilled?

Someone said it requires 10,000 hours of practice to master something.

For many Christians, it would take them decades to spend that much time with their Bible.

Even if you attend 3 services a week, that is insufficient time for you to get a fully balanced spiritual diet.

Church is a supplement it is not a meal replacement.

The meat eaters are also those that have applied the word to their life in an effort to attune their senses to discern both good and evil.

To become a fully mature child of God we must apply what we learn in the Bible.

It’s the difference between ingesting food and digesting food.

Even if your baby could eat a bite of steak, they wouldn’t have the ability to digest it.

They certainly wouldn’t enjoy it.

They wouldn’t appreciate the value of what they were eating.

These are all things reserved for the mature adult.

So it is with spiritual meat.

There are spiritual truths that are reserved for those that have developed a taste for the things of God.

The believers who mature to this point are able to guide those that are still on a milk diet to make the transition to solids.

Our desire for our church is that we would be a congregation of spiritual carnivores.

That requires each one of you to spend time every day reading your Bible.

That requires each one of you to spend time every day applying the Bible to you relationships, reactions, and thoughts.

If we will each do our part to grow, then we will have a church that can handle the meat of the BIble.

But not just that, we will also have a church that can teach the Bible to others as well.