Hebrews 5:   MSG
11  I have a lot more to say about this, but it is hard to get it across to you since you’ve picked up this bad habit of not listening.
12  By this time you ought to be teachers yourselves, yet here I find you need someone to sit down with you and go over the basics on God again, starting from square one—baby’s milk, when you should have been on solid food long ago!
13  Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways;
14  solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

1 Corinthians 13:    MSG
11  When I was an infant at my mother’s breast, I gurgled and cooed like any infant. When I grew up, I left those infant ways for good.

While growing up there were things I just couldn’t understand why my mom made us do them.  They were not cruel, but necessary so that when I left home I would have the skills to make it through life.  Like making the bed, cleaning up the bedroom, taking dirty clothes down to the laundry room, and last but not least eat vegetables.  Mom had one rule try them at least once and if I didn’t like them she understood.  My sisters ate every kind of vegetable, but my bother and me it was just corn.

Looking back on those things I am now so grateful for the lessons that I learned from my mom.  I know how to cook meals, wash my laundry without having my white clothes turn strange colors.  I can even bake a pie once in awhile.  

Now I would like to focus on the two portions of Scripture for my text.

I have not met a person yet who does not find babies cute, the way they smile, blow bubbles, and make the noise of cuing.  The laughter that comes from them as you bounce them on your knee, to the astonished look as they complete their first step.  Yes, babies are cute and to that there is no doubt.

Now what is not so cute is when a full grown adult, barring any mental or physical challenges, is when that adult is still blowing bubbles and talking baby talk.  Yes, their body says they are mature physically, but their mental faculities are still in the infant stage.

This is the concept the Apostle Paul was trying to convey to the church at Corinth and the Hebrews.

When I travelled throughout Canada and the United States quite frequently  I would find many who have sat in a church pew for years still could not tell the basic tenets of the faith.  Oh, they could tell you what singer they liked, or what night their favorite tv show was on.  One would assume that these people would know the fundementals of the Gospel.

At my home church, which could sit about fifty people, we did not have a youth night, childrens church or really not even a full Sunday school program.  There was only one service for many years it was Sunday evening.  All ages sat together during the entirety of the service.

We didn’t have a multi instrument band, just my grandfather, until his death, playing a six string guitar.  No choir with fancy clothes, but what we did have was adults who were dedicated to sharing the Word of God.

My mom would take us to different churches on a Sunday morning, sometimes even on Sunday night, which had programs on top of programs for the parishoners.  Yet, if I had my choice I would pick our small church where tall poplars lined the small parking lot.  

Somehow though with what some would call lacking, before I was a teenager I could tell you all the books of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in order and without missing any of them.

Paul was rebuking those early Christians for being stagnant in the spiritual growth.  Chastising them for still needing the milk instead of the full meat of the Word of God.

I do not watch my of what is deemed as Christian television, so when I do I find there is a total famine in North America for the true meat of God’s Word.

I hear alot of what I call “marshmellow fluff”.  Oh my critics would say to me, but look how big the congregation is, it must be blessed of God.  My reply to these critics is this, a NFL or NHL has large numbers of people showing up does that mean the God has blessed those gatherings also?  I would answer that question with a resounding, “NO”!

The late Reverend Harold Cracknell, a former pastor of mine, believed if you knew the hymsn of the “church”, you knew the doctrine of the “church”.  They have sat songs like “There Is Power In the Blood”, “At the Cross”, and replaced them with minor key songs.  If you research the Scripture you will find that these songs were song by the children of Israel when they were taken captive by the Bablyonians.  The Word of God tells us that they hung up their harps on the trees.

No longer do we find any congregations with the windows wide open letting their songs of praise and power drift out into the air for all to hear.  I researched the beginnings of “The Salvation Army” and how William Booth would gather up some musicians and singers then go out on the street corners singing and preaching the Word of God with power and the anointing.  As they did is men, women, children would declare their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ by repenting of the their sin.

Hosea 4:6 MSG
6  My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true. Because you’ve turned your back on knowledge, I’ve turned my back on you priests. Because you refuse to recognize the revelation of God, I’m no longer recognizing your children.

If you are summoned to move to the side of the road by the flashing lights of a police car and find the officer telling you have broken the rules of the road.  You should never tell that police officer that you were not aware of that law.  The reply you will hear is “ignorance is no excuse”.

So it is with the body of Christ today, “ignorance is no excuse”.  There is a deep lack of the knowledge of the Word of God.  I know that the printing presses are still working to bind together Bibles, techology is so developed that we can have many different translations of The Word of God on our computer that sits in our homes.  Most Bible software is free  Even if you are totally blind in sight there is even the Word on tape/CD spoken out loud.  Therefore, there is no excuse for one not to know the depths of God’s Word.

The root of the problem for many who sit in the same pew for years, even decades starts at the head of the physical church, the pastor.

1 Peter 4:17 MSG
17  It’s judgment time for Christians. We’re first in line. If it starts with us, think what it’s going to be like for those who refuse God’s Message!

When one stands at the judgment seat of Christ I truly believe it will be worse for the shepherds/pastors who never preached the Word without fear or favor of men.  Who gave in to what the people wanted to hear.

2 Timothy 4:3 MSG
3  You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food—catchy opinions that tickle their fancy.

Yes, most Christians in the year 2018 who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ several years ago should be mature enough is Christ to go out and witness to others and win them to Christ.

I no longer stand behind a physical pulpit due to severe back problems but that has not stopped me in teaching the Word of God to others.  Truth be told I now can reach the entire globe wherever people are connected to the internet.  

So just as my mom told us to eat our vegetables the Word of God is saying to his church it is time to begin to digest the meat of the Word!