The Milky Way Must Die

If I Were the Devil

If I were the devil… I wouldn’t scream. I’d whisper. I’d move quietly. I’d show up with a smile and a soft tone. I’d use religious language to avoid repentance. I’d plant weeds of shallowness in the church and call it "relevance." I’d convince people that spiritual immaturity is authenticity and that emotionalism is the same thing as the anointing. I’d make correction feel like abuse, and discipline feel like hate. I’d praise milk and reject meat. I’d infiltrate the pulpit, pacify the people, and wrap it all in a spiritual package labeled “gospel.”

Paul Harvey was right, and he never even saw TikTok theologians or YouTube prophets who preach peace when there is no peace. The American church has fallen for the lie. We’ve settled for spiritual softness. We’ve been bottle-fed for too long, and we’ve grown comfortable in the nursery.

I call this deception the Milky Way—not the candy bar, but a false gospel of comfort, a church culture that resists correction, avoids depth, and prefers milk to meat.

I. THE MILKY WAY: A FALSE GOSPEL OF COMFORTABLE CHRISTIANITY

The Milky Way Church is one where sermons soothe but don’t stretch, where truth is thinned out, and where the people applaud shallowness. This message is not just about wanting more for the church. It’s about warning against what happens when the church refuses to grow.

People with discernment are being silenced. The ones crying out for holiness are called “legalistic.” The ones calling for repentance are labeled “divisive.” The ones offering meat are dismissed for being “too deep.”

And now, churches are filled with believers who’ve been saved for years but are still babies in Christ. Mouths full of Scripture but hearts that can’t handle rebuke.

II. THE WARNING FROM HEBREWS: REFUSING TO GROW IS DANGEROUS

Hebrews 5:11–6:3 is not just a plea—it’s a pastoral rebuke. The writer says, “We have much to say to you, but it’s hard to explain because you’ve become dull of hearing.”

That word “dull” means sluggish, unmotivated, spiritually lazy.

The problem isn’t the teaching. The problem is the appetite of the listener. The Word is being preached, but people stop receiving it. The milk is being sipped, but no one is chewing the meat.

Let me illustrate this.

I want you to imagine a baby bottle in one hand, and a steak knife and fork in the other. The bottle has its place for babies. It’s appropriate for infants.

But picture an adult—grown, capable, seasoned—still nursing from this bottle. It’s not just odd; it’s disturbing.

And yet this is the state of many believers today. Still bottle-fed after 10, 20, 30 years in the church. Still needing to be rocked and reassured. Still resisting solid food. Meanwhile, God is calling us to grow. To pick up the fork. To chew truth. To stop needing to be spoon-fed and start learning how to feed others.

Children, let me talk to you for a moment: Imagine if you stayed in the second grade for your whole life. No new lessons. No new learning. You’d be bored, frustrated, and left behind.

Adults—some of you have been in the spiritual second grade for a decade. You’re still repeating the same habits, still quoting the same clichés, still waiting to be fed, when God is calling you to lead. That’s not just disappointing, it’s dangerous.

The Scripture says, “By now, you ought to be teachers, but you still need someone to give you milk.”

There comes a time when staying immature isn’t just sad, it becomes rebellion. When correction comes, you throw tantrums. You say things like, “If that were my child, they’d learn how to act.”

But let a pastor correct your behavior or confront your pride, and suddenly you storm out, slam the pastor in the community, and declare yourself the victim. That’s not maturity. That’s a tantrum in spiritual clothing. And tantrum-throwing Christians embarrass the name of Jesus. But even worse they delay their own growth. They stay stuck. Stalled. Stunted.

And here’s the pain of pastoral ministry: It’s not just the sin we see. It’s the pride we can’t correct.

It’s the unwillingness to be taught, to be disciplined, to be challenged. When people value their feelings over the truth, they become spiritually deaf. And that’s what Hebrews calls “dull of hearing.” Spiritual stubbornness

DISCERNMENT: TRAINING YOUR EARS FOR TRUTH

Hebrews 5:14 says, “Solid food is for the mature, who by constant practice have trained themselves to discern good from evil.”

Discernment is not extra credit it’s a sign of maturity. When you grow, you stop chasing hype and start recognizing holiness. You stop asking, “Did it make me feel good?” and start asking, “Was it true?”

So what is discernment? It’s simply spiritual clarity. It’s the ability to know what’s real and what’s false, what’s sound and what’s shallow. It’s knowing the difference between what tickles the ears and what transforms the heart. Let me give you three biblical facts about discernment.

First, discernment begins with hunger. Solomon prayed, “Lord, help me discern between good and evil.” (1 Kings 3:9). You don’t need more charisma—you need more clarity.

Second, discernment is trained through practice. Philippians 1:9 says, “Let your love abound in knowledge and all discernment.” You grow it like a muscle by staying in the Word and submitting to the Spirit.

Third, discernment is vital in a world of counterfeit preaching. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets. You’ll know them by their fruit.” (Matt. 7:15–20).

FALSE CHRISTIANITIES IN A CONFUSED CULTURE

In our day, not all false teachers deny Jesus, some just distort Him. They preach what sounds true but lacks power. They offer a version of Jesus that’s safe, shallow, and self-centered.

Some offer “Therapy Jesus,” who never confronts your sin. Others offer “Prosperity Jesus,” who always blesses but never breaks you.

There’s “Progressive Jesus,” who affirms everything and judges nothing. And “Performance Jesus,” who rewards hustle instead of holiness.

But the real Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him. The real Jesus speaks truth even when it hurts. And if we are immature, we won’t be able to tell the difference.

And so we come to this truth: pastors are called to correct, not just comfort. Hebrews 13:17 says, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls.” That doesn’t mean we control you—it means we are accountable for you. I will answer to God for how I preach, how I protect, and how I discipline this flock. And some of you may not like the truth I preach. But I’d rather you be uncomfortable now than unprepared later. I’d rather offend you than lose you. A biblical pastor is not your enemy when he calls you to grow up—your pride is the real enemy.

THE CALL TO MATURE: LEAVE THE BOTTLE, PICK UP THE FORK

Hebrews 6:1 says, “Let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity.” That doesn’t mean we move on from Jesus—but we grow in Him. You don’t build a house by re-pouring the foundation every day. At some point, you build the walls. You raise the roof. You mature.

And if you don’t? You remain spiritually vulnerable.

You stay stuck in cycles of sin. You confuse emotional highs with spiritual depth. And worst of all—you become susceptible to deception.

Church, we need to grow up. The bottle must break. The nursery must become a training ground. The Milky Way must die.

If you’ve been sipping on milk for years, it’s time to repent. If you’ve resisted correction, it’s time to surrender. If you’ve stayed soft and shallow, it’s time to stretch. The world doesn’t need a baby church—it needs a bold one. One that’s rooted, trained, and Spirit-led.

So I invite you today: Drop the bottle. Pick up the fork. Stop nursing your comfort and start chewing the Word. Let the Lord make you strong. Let the Spirit stretch you. Let the Word grow you into the likeness of Christ.

INVITATION Are you tired of being stuck in surface-level faith? Are you ready to move from comfort to calling? Then say today: “Lord, I’m done with milk. I want the meat of the Word. I want to grow up. I want to mature.”