Have you ever seen how a robin feeds its young chicks? When a baby bird is born, it cannot go out and catch its own food to eat. It needs to rely on its parent bird to get it for them. The adult robin catches and swallows its food and brings it back to its chicks and regurgitates it into the baby’s mouth. It is not strong enough to be able to eat stronger food, and needs to be fed with easier food.
Did you know that pigeons feed their young with milk? Pigeons are one of a few birds that have the ability to secrete milk in their crops to feed their babies. Incredibly high in protein, “crop milk” will be fed to their young babies for the first week that they are born. Once the chicks get older, it can handle more solid foods.
When a baby is born, what do they eat? They drink milk from their mother. Unable to handle strong foods, they need to be nourished with milk until their stomachs become stronger to handle more solid foods.
That is just like a new Christian. A new Christian needs to be fed the milk of God’s word, or the first parts that they need to get them started in their life for Jesus. They need to know that Jesus loves them, that He died for them, and that if they believe on Him they will be in Heaven with Him. Once they become stronger in their faith, then they can receive the stronger parts of scripture, dealing with things that a new Christian may have a hard time understanding. Just as a baby slowly becomes stronger every day, the more a person spends time in God’s word, the stronger they will become and will be able to understand and handle the stronger parts of scripture.
Remember when Jesus told His disciples that they would all be offended in Him and leave Him when they came to take Him to the cross? Peter wasn’t even converted yet. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Luke 22:32.
Peter was still growing stronger in his faith. Just before Jesus was crucified, Peter denied knowing the Lord. He wasn’t fully ready to stand by the Lord’s side. Later on in Peter’s life, he was able to handle the meat of God’s word.
In 1 Corinthians, the church wasn’t ready to handle the stronger parts of the word. They were having trouble with fighting and strifes among themselves. They needed to learn the basic thing first: to love each other.
“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 hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?” 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
A new Christian may have trouble learning how to deny the part of the flesh that makes you want to hurt someone, or to avenge yourself of something wrong that someone else did to you. They might have trouble telling lies, or speaking evil of another person. These people need to continue to receive the milk of the word, so that someday when their faith becomes stronger, they will be able to control their actions, and instead show others love.
A tree doesn’t mature in a day, it takes a long time. A new Christian isn’t fully strong and mature in their faith on the first day either; it takes time. Going through trials and persecutions will continually strengthen a Christian. Spending time in God’s word and understanding what is written will make you wiser, so that you will be able to discern certain situations that a new Christian might not be able to.
Are you ready for the meat of God’s word?
In Christ,
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 