Elementary Teachings Series: Introduction
Babies grow when they drink milk. And this is also true with spiritual growth. If you have been in a church for awhile, but your spiritual life has not grown. Maybe, you should check on the "milk" you are drinking, and is there something missing?
ENGLISH - BASICS
YTM
9/14/20253 min read
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. And this will we do, if God permit.
(Hebrew5:12-6:3, KJV)
Milk is widely considered as a highly nutritious food, packed with essential nutrients like high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin D, minerals, and potassium that are crucial for bone health, muscle growth, and overall wellness. However, when you check on the nutrition label on the milk, you will find that milk also miss some other important micronutrients, such as Vitamin C and Iron. Vitamin C helps our bodies grow tissue and also heal wounds and strengthen our immune system. While Iron helps our bodies to make hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. So, a person could not grow healthy, if the milk lacks important nutrients .
Similarly, this is also true to our spiritual growth. When a baby Christian remains at infant stage, they should check their milk "compositions" that was taught to see if the nutrition table matches God's table.
The nutrition table instructed by God is listed in the above Holy Scriptures. Sometime, the improper division of the Bible text into different chapters could lead us to miss important information if we have not studied God's words carefully. Based on Hebrew 5:12-13, the baby Christians can only eat milk but not solid food. Such "milk" is the "principles of the oracles of God". Then the author encouraged the church to move from the infant stage to the maturity stage. One of the ways is to "leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ" as mentioned in chapter 6 :1-2. As shown in chapter 6 verses 1 and 2, there six basic nutrients in this milk teachings/principles:
(1) foundation of repentance from dead works;
(2) foundation of faith toward God;
(3) foundation of of the doctrine of baptisms;
(4) foundation of of laying on of hands;
(5) foundation of resurrection of the dead;
(6) foundation of eternal judgment.
I don't know about you, in my experiences of disciple training, we focused a lot on gospel preaching and evangelization. And not much of teachings on such principles of the doctrine of Christ. I found many Christians stayed at the infant stage, and because of that, you will find strife, relationship conflicts among the members within the small groups. The main reason is the baby Christians are carnal Christians.
And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 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; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
(1 Cor 3:1-4, NKJV)
So, if you are the small group leaders, please pay attend to this. If you are "burnt out" for taking care of the baby Christians in your group, well, may I point out gently that "it's your fault" for not feeding them the right "spiritual milk"? I speak this from my past experiences. Right after I was water baptized, I was put as a small group leader. I found myself burnt out pretty quickly. The group grown with numbers, but being a carnal Christian myself, and working with a bunch of crying baby Christians is not fun at all. I would say, if there is one thing that I had learned from that process, that is: endurance. I wish I had read this post at that time. Any way, for the next few months, we will go over this God ordained nutrition list one by one together. For God had promised us that if we do so, we will grow up in our salvation, and will taste that the Lord is good!
Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
(1 Peter 2:1, NKJV)
Lord Jesus, please help us grow from infant to maturity, so we can be acquainted with the teachings about righteousness, so to distinguish good from evil. Amen!