This message is intended for all those who pastor or teach others in the Christian community. I encourage you to consider what I have to say, and if it is helpful to you, then Praise the Lord! If not, then Praise the Lord again! The message has to do with what the Scriptures call “the Milk of the Word or the Meat of the Word.” What is the difference? The foundation to understanding is the question, “what is our motivation, and what should be the motivation of those we minister to?” Show More
Motivational Teaching
In the area of discipleship or learning how to live as a Christian many teachers and leaders focus on the “practices that lead to successful living.” I call this motivational teaching. According to the dictionary, Motivational Teaching is “Designed to promote the desire or willingness to do or achieve something.” For example, someone may teach that if you do this, then God will bless you, but if you do this, then God can’t bless you. While there may be truth to these statements, and it may be appropriate for new Believers, there is more to being a Jesus follower than do’s and don’ts!
Living under rules of behavior often leads to fear of doing something wrong, and fear is the ground on which the Devil operates. The Old Testament is filled with examples of rules and regulations known as the Law or the Law of Moses, and as the Apostle Paul put it, the Law leads to death, whereas Grace leads to life. To grow as a Christian, we must be brought into a relationship with Jesus that is based upon love and not fear. Understanding and living in what Jesus purchased on the Cross for us is to understand our relationship with Him by Grace, the gift of God.
Milk or Meat?
That leads us to the question, is motivational teaching bad? Of course not; motivational teaching is necessary for a new Christian. However, to mature as a Christian, the motivation must come from the inside of a person and not the outside. For example, a newborn baby relies totally upon its mother to give milk, but as the child matures, the child learns to find food on their own. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says in Hebrews 5:12, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Let us examine these verses of scripture.
The writer of Hebrews chastises the Jewish converts to Christianity for not growing in maturity. He describes them as needing “milk and not solid food!” I think the meaning is clear; the people were being motivated by the leaders at the time to follow the rules to behave as Christians. To be fair, remember that these are newly converted Jews; they were used to “following the rules.” This kind of motivation tends to make people depend on leaders or others instead of on Jesus and His Holy Spirit. Believers who need milk will often try to imitate the Christian lifestyle. Again, let me be clear this is perfectly normal and proper for a “babe in Christ.” A babe needs to be taken care of, guided, and directed, but at some point, they need to learn how to be motivated by the Christ living in them, to become independently strong in Christ!
Righteousness
Verse 13 states, “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. Righteousness is both a gift and an essential characteristic of a Believer. Righteousness can be defined as being right in God’s eyes. Spiritually we are righteous before the Father as a gift of Grace by believing and trusting in Jesus. However, you know as well as I do that our thoughts and actions don’t always align with what God wants or expects. Spiritual righteousness is instantaneous. Working it out so that we also act righteously is a work that is continually in progress.
So, on the one hand, as an immature Believer, there are many misunderstandings and habits that are not in line with God’s purpose for us. Now I am being taught from the Bible a whole new way of life, and I need rules and direction to help with those areas that are not part of my customary behavior, and being taught by others how to live is what I need.
However, if I practice doing something I am not accustomed to because I am being taught what is right and wrong; what is a conscious effort eventually becomes a sub-conscious effort. I no longer must think about what is right or wrong; I will do what is right because of an internal motivator, the Holy Spirit. You see, every Believer needs the “Helper,” the Holy Spirit. There is no victory in this life based solely on human effort or discipline. When we partner with the Holy Spirit and learn to be led by Him, we will fulfill the call and purpose of God in our lives. That call and purpose are to become more like Jesus every day!
Exercising our Faith
Hebrews 5:14 says, “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Some think that years as a Christian determine maturity in Christ, but that is not necessarily so. I’ve known many Christians that have been Christians for 25 years and have not grown in Christ. As someone once said, “It’s not how long you’ve been on the road, but how far you’ve traveled on the road!”
Having senses exercised to discern both good and evil is a spiritual gift every mature Believer has because of the Holy Spirit. The key word here is “exercises” to discern both good and evil. Walking in the righteousness of God is a process of trial and error. When we begin, we need guidelines. As Christians, we have the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and faithful teachers. As we continue to grow in faith, the Word makes more and more sense to us. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, “13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 16 For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
Our faith continues to grow because of the Word of God. Romans 10:17, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I should point out that the word in the “word of God” is the Greek word rhema. Rhema is the spoken word of God, so we have the written word of God and the spoken word of God. What is the difference? The written word is the Bible, and the spoken word is when the Holy Spirit speaks to you concerning the written word! The Bible is a spiritual book and can only be understood by those who have the Holy Spirit. As Believers, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Getting Back to Milk or Meat.
We saw Paul chastising the newly converted Christians in the book of Hebrews, and now he has something to say to the church in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 3:1, “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able.” Paul chastises the Corinthian Christians for not growing in maturity. They were still carnal or worldly. Remember, it’s not how long you’ve been a Christian but how much you’ve grown that is important.
We Need Milk and Meat.
One way to look at this subject of motivation is the following: “we start in the flesh and end up in the spirit.” As new Christians, we are still very carnal. The word carnal simply means that we are relying on our own worldly logic, intellect, or habits. We don’t always realize that what we are doing is wrong or evil. Our salvation experience is real, but we are still very natural-minded. We start by being motivated by biblical teaching, preaching, and Bible study. We consciously practice what we learn, then what we practice becomes our natural response. This is the meaning of Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” In the beginning, we must consciously choose good over evil, God’s view or the world’s view, but in time the good becomes our default or first choice. All of this is because righteous habits and the truth of God replace our old habits and lies that we have believed.
The Apostle John makes it clear that it is the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth.
- John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
- John 14:26 “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
What Does a Mature Christian Look Like”
As a mature Christian, you have learned to trust the Holy Spirit to discern truth when you hear it or read it and, therefore, to be led by the Spirit and not the flesh. A new Believer does not need anyone to act like the Holy Spirit in their lives, approving or condemning their actions. There is only one Holy Spirit, and a human being cannot take His place. The Holy Spirit is more than able to complete what He has started. Philippians 1:6, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;.”
A mature Christian is not measured by age, gender, position, or title. The measure of a mature Christian is found in Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” These are the characteristics of the Holy Spirit living in the Believer. All these attributes are already present in the Believer. The Believer must learn to walk in it. This takes trust or faith, boldness at times, and sensitivity or awareness of God at work in you.
Every Believer has the potential to fulfill the call of God upon their lives because every Believer has Spiritual Authority. Spiritual Authority has been given us by the Lord Jesus Christ to become mature disciples and to resist anything or anyone who would try to undermine our relationship with the Lord.
We will be sharing about the Spiritual Authority of the Believer the next time. Don’t miss it!