The Hungry Church - 2

3 - Healthy Diet – MEAT – right hunger – eat right – mature church – adult

REVIEW

The NEED for Revival

· The LATENESS of the hour

· The DARKNESS of the world

· The WEAKNESS of the Church

Weakness Caused by

⁃ Injury

⁃ Hunger

Junk food

· tastes good - what I WANT - short term high, then crash, feel yucky

Comfort food

· feels good - tickle ears

Whole Foods

· IS good for you. - what you NEED - sustained energy source - feel good

Whole Foods = Milk, Bread, Meat

Hebrews 5:11–14 (NLT)

11 There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.

12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.

13 For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right.

14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Milk is for Babies

1b –LIQUID Food = MILK = baby Church

MILK – spiritual babies

Milk is God’s Word = whole milk and wholesome, not referring to the jink food of the world

GOT MILK?

· Milk does not supply enough ENERGY to get you through the day

· BABY –

· Even babies must eat milk many times throughout the day

· Babies will put anything in their mouths – including toys, hands and feet

· IMMATURE appetite leads to IMMATURE food choices – sweets over substance

DAYCARE –

SERMONETTE –

· short attention span, so Church is reduced to an adult daycare center, telling stories, warming bottles and burping babies

· Church sermons reduced to an episode of “Blippi”

Result:

· The Result of a poor diet is WEAKNESS due to poor health

o Hangry

o Feel yucky

· Calories but still malnourished

· UN-DER developed

· UN-able to carry revival

· Unable to feed themselves – need a “ba-ba” from their mama

· Milk has to be just the right temperature – not too harsh of a sermon tone or other things that could be interpreted as a microaggressions

o Some churches label their sermons and ministry as “non-threatening”

· Some babies actually prefer man’s milk “formula” to whole milk – prefer its taste and texture (mouth feel) – just feels right…

· Spiritual babies are unable to digest “Real food” –

o Choke on correction, puke when rebuked,

o throw a hissy fit when told to grow up or take personal responsibility

· Result: Weak, Crying church

Perpetrators: pastors (milk man) or flock (babies)

Milk vs meat

· Pastors’ problem - not preaching (serving) the Word

· Churches problem, not eating, refusing, swiping, turn nose up. Finicky, spoiled

1 Peter 2:2 (NLT)

2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,

Basic Teachings are the milk of the word

Milk will make you hungry for BREAD

· Salvation Teachings will make you hungry for souls

· righteousness Teachings will make you hungry to live right

· judgment Teachings will make you hungry for the fear of God and wanting to please him

· eternal retribution teachings will make you hungry for witnessing

· Its ok to be a nursery church, just don’t stay there…

· Testimony of Baptist – Trinity AG

Hebrews 6, move on from elementary teachings…

Hebrews 6:1–3 (NLT)

1 So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.

2 You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3 And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding.

What the Bible considers as elementary teachings - the modern church tends to view as advanced topics.

BREAD

Problem: BREAD of the WORLD (only) vs Bread of the WORD

Matthew 4:4 (NLT)

4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

· Bread ALONE = human efforts apart from God

· Man’s desires apart from God’s Wisdom and direction, correction – even in the church!

o Doing what you want

o form of religion w/o power

Bread of the WORLD = “man-made”

Jesus denied the devil’s bread

Jesus multiplied man’s bread

Jesus became God’s divine bread

Jesus denied the devil’s bread

Adam was tempted by an Apple - God made

Jesus was tempted by bread - man made

Or the arm of the flesh = limited, temporary

Man’s wisdom = quick fix

Natural food makes your naturally strong

Spiritual food makes your spiritually strong

This is why Jesus left the wilderness after 40 days, in the power of the Spirit.

Because he was doing the will of the Father.

Jesus multiplied man’s bread

Jesus became God’s bread

Eat His flesh by believing

Milk = Hourly, Bread = Daily

Matthew 6:11 (NLT)

11 Give us today the food we need,

Answer = BREAD of Jesus’s Body

John 6:35 (NLT)

35 Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

John 6:51 (NLT)

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.”

Meat is for the Mature = Eat to Fight

Hunger - healthy appetite

The Word is enough!

No supplements needed

Result: all good!

Natural meat

Jesus Goes to Galilee

John 4 woman at well

V8 buy meat

Strong’s Definitions

τροφή trophḗ, trof-ay'; from G5142; nourishment (literally or figuratively); by implication, rations (wages):—food, meat.

Spiritual meat

Meat you do not know of

Spiritual Meat is doing the will of the Father

In other words, we get stronger by doing the will of God.

John 4:32 (NLT)

32 But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”

Strong’s Definitions

βρῶσις brōsis, bro'-sis; from the base of G977; (abstractly) eating (literally or figuratively); by extension (concretely) food (literally or figuratively):—eating, food, meat.

John 4:34 (NLT)

34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.

John 6:27 (NLT)

27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.”

You are what you eat, Natural and Spiritual

Two different types of meat

Two different types of bread

Two different types of love, Philleo and agape

Even after the resurrection, one would think Peter will be willing to say anything to gain favor with the Lord

Agape love lays down her life

Philleo love preserve their life, is this why Peter denied Jesus?

He was weak and could not stand under pressure

He also slept in the garden of Gethsemane. Spirit was willing the flesh is weak.

Is this why Peter did not understand Jesus’ comment about the bread with the woman at the well?

Proper hunger = God’s desire:

Righteousness

Matthew 5:6 (NLT)

6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied.

Healthy Appetites are developed over time

· start small - devotions

· Get Inspired by past revivals - videos, books

· Fear of God - lost souls, hell

· Compassion for Man - hurting hearts, desperation for answers, addictions, human suffering, injustice

Jeremiah 15:16 (NLT) 16 When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O LordGod of Heaven’s Armies.

Preaching

Eat the Word

Meat not milk

Listen to tapes while driving to work

Listen to teachings while at work

Get in church

Eat to Fight

· Get around hungry people

· I am so hungry!

· Testimony of military – learned to eat