From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 27 — If you attend a church that is not centered upon Christ, which
doesn't proclaim or teach God's Word, it would be obvious why you're not receiving
spiritual nourishment. In such a case, it would be a good idea to find a church that does.
By all means get into a church that boldly proclaims the truths of the Bible. However, if God's Word is being preached in your church, but you
come to feel that you're not getting fed, it may mean that you're not using your own
"knife and fork." Many are simply lazy and don't take responsibility to dig into
God's Word and chew for themselves. They expect someone to grind up the meat and stick it
in their mouth — like a helpless little baby. Remember that "You can't suck meat from a baby bottle."
That is, when you grow to a place where you need stronger meat, it's not going to come in
the same fashion you used to get your milk. When a baby is fed, everything is done for
him. He's held up to the bottle and all he has to do is suck. He's spoon-fed with baby
food, already ground up and strained. He doesn't even have to chew. Feeding an adult is
far different. The cooked meat is served on a plate with a knife and fork. The adult has
to take responsibility to cut his own meat. He has his own teeth with which to chew. Another reason for feeling unfed is that you may not be serving or
ministering. Spiritual meat is not intended to be stored in a reservoir, but to be used as
fuel to propel works of service. This corresponds with how Jesus described his food which
sustained Him spiritually. He said that He received His nourishment from performing works
of ministry. "But He said to them, I have food to eat of which you do not know... My
food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:32,34). There comes a time in a Christian's life that he or she must begin to minister to others and put God's Word into action, otherwise they will grow stagnant and be unable to sustain nourishment. The meat that many need is to get busy and start serving, start sharing Christ, and give the Word of God to others. Receiving the meat of God's Word nourishes us in one way — becoming a channel through which God's Word flows, nourishes us in another. This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, . |
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If you liked this article, you’ll really love the whole book! |