God has put it on my heart to declare 2010 as "the year of meat". I get frustrated many times with the so called "modern churches" who have members (like a country club does) who even after many years are still "babes" who are only interested in digesting milk. The Apostle Paul was also frustrated with those in His day who were the same way. Take at look at these scriptures:
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for you were not ready to bear it, neither yet now are you able. For you are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are you not carnal, and walk as men?"
Hebrews 5:11-13
"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness."
1 Peter 2:1-3
"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
Notice the causes for needing milk... deceit, hypocrisy, envy, strife, slander and divisions. It is sad to say but there is a lot of each going on in the modern church so no wonder the church is stagnant at the milk or baby stage.
Jesus Himself was also frustrated at those around Him who did not read the scriptures (know the scriptures). See these passages:
Matthew 12:3
"But he said unto them, Have you not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him."
Matthew 12:5
"Or have you not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?
Matthew 19:4
"And he answered and said unto them, Have you not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female."
Matthew 22:31-32
"But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God,saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Mark 12:10
And have you not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner."
Mark 12:26
And as touching the dead, that they rise: have you not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spoke unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?"
Luke 6:3
And Jesus answering them said, Have you not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?"
God expects us to read our bibles, not just read them but study them and become familiar with them to the point that we can point to a scripture when we need to. I can just hear the frustration in my mind's eye when I read those scriptures. 7 times Jesus asks the rhetorical question to them of "have you not read?". I am afraid for a vast majority in the modern church the answer to that question is an unequivocal "NO" because most have not read, at least not studied. They may know the "milk" but they do not know the "meat".
The quickest way to get from the milk stage to the meat stage is to grow up spiritually. The first way to do this is to study the Word and apply what is learned. However, most in the modern church do not study (nor do they seem to feel it is important.... what with life getting in the way and all). It is impossible to digest something that is never taken in.
The modern church has eschewed the fundamental means of teaching the body (Sunday school) with the new wave of "small groups". The concept of small groups would be fine if people 1) actually joined a small group, 2) the small groups met on a consistent basis, and 3) when they do meet they actually dig into the Word and not turn it into a social event only. The majority of modern church goers will only do anything spiritual on Sunday mornings. At least with Sunday school classes many would attend since it was right before the service. So few seem interested enough to do anything spiritual on the other 6 days of the week which is the biggest fallacy of the small group movement. The small group concept is much like Liberal politics where intentions are the same as results.
I for one have become Lactose intolerant. I am blessed that I am in one of the rare small groups that actually meets every week year round (imagine that concept) and that we actually dig into the scriptures and learn. In fact, a majority of our small group members would be capable of leading another small group and showing them how it is done.
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