Failure to Thrive Syndrome

Good Wednesday to you,

Peter Pan or Lord of the Flies? What really happens when children are in charge? While it might be nice to think about not growing up and becoming responsible adults, we all know the disaster that would follow. So, why is it that the lack of spiritual growth goes unchecked in many places in Western Christianity?

Much of Western Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep. When believers stop at "I trust Jesus for my eternal salvation," they fail to build a solid theological foundation. Without that foundation, it is difficult to understand the world around us and come up with helpful and hopeful solutions to the problems we face.

The author of Hebrews chastises the reader for needing spiritual "milk" rather than "meat," because the readers are not progressing past the elementary truths of God’s Word. This prevents them from moving on to spiritual maturity. It takes spiritual maturity to discern good from evil in a culture where everyone does what is right in their own eyes.

We need to think deeply about God, creation, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, human beings, redemption, and restoration if we are going to have the clarity to identify what is wrong in the world and how it can be fixed. A solid foundation enables us to have thoughtful, meaningful conversations with others, hopefully with gentleness and respect. If you are interested in these deeper conversations, let me know.

Next week is Palm Sunday, and the passage we will look at (Hebrews 6:4-12) discusses the dangers of falling away after exposure to God’s truth. Just think about what happened to the crowds who welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem a few days later. More on that come Sunday.

We are grateful to be open for indoor worship at 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. We still have some folks setting out on the lawn, listening to the service through outdoor speakers, and of course, the 9:00 a.m. service is still being livestreamed. Although we are open for indoor worship, we are not able to safely "pass the plate" for offerings. We are grateful for those who are mailing their tithes and offering to Graham and for those who are giving electronically. We cannot do this without your support. Thank you.

Grace and peace,
Pastor David

If you missed this Sunday’s sermon, click here to listen now.