From Milk To Meat
a message by Trevor Lund

When we take a look at what the writer of the book of Hebrews calls “milk”, it’s easy to see why there is so much spiritual immaturity in the western church. We focus on the milk and rarely move the meat. This message goes through the basics, but also gives clues for how to mature.Immediately download the MP3 to listen to on any device.

Download audio file (milktomeat.mp3)

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Available from Expectancy Press.

About the Speaker:

Trevor Lund is a Christian Speaker, Author and Lead Dreamer for Expectancy Ministries. He lives with his beautiful wife and kids in Edmonton Canada and blogs at RevTrev.com

If you’re enjoying this series on moving from Milk to Meat you may like to check out the Podcasts episode 1 and episode 2. You may like to also check out the posts on Repenting from Evil Deeds, Placing our Faith in God, Baptisms, theLaying on Of Hands, the Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgement.

1. Put away childish things. I Corinthians 13:11, NIV. “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me.”

2. Put the Word into practice. James 1:22-24, MSG. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

3. Don’t copy the world. Romans 12:2, TLB. “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how His ways will really satisfy you.”

4. Think for yourself. Exodus 23:2-3, TLB. “Don’t join mobs intent on evil. When on the witness stand, don’t be swayed in your testimony by the mood of the majority present, and do not slant your testimony in favor of a man just because he is poor.”

5. Avoid men’s philosophies. Colossians 2:8, TLB. “Don’t let others spoil your faith and joy with their philosophies, their wrong and shallow answers built on men’s thoughts and ideas, instead of on what Christ has said.

6. Refuse to compromise. II Corinthians 6:8, TLB. “We stand true to the Lord whether others honor us or despise us, whether they criticize us or commend us. We are honest, but they call us liars.

7. Find a spiritual father or mother. Proverbs 13:20, NIV. “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”

8. Seek to know Jesus more. Galatians 6:14, TLB. “As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in all the attractive things of the world was killed long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead.”

9. Prepare your heart for the Word. Matthew 13:23, MSG The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.

God wants you to mature. He wants you to grow more-and-more into the image of His Son, who was an exact representation of the Father. The world needs to see Jesus in you.

Do you have any other tips for developing maturity? Love to have your comments.

photo credit: antwerpenR

We know that God wants us to grow up, to mature, to become the mothers and fathers He’s made us to be. The first step to
growing up in Christ is to define what we’re eating. Babies need milk, maturing believers need meat. And honestly, I’m a little surprised what the Scripture defines as milk.

The writer of Hebrews writes: Hebrews 5:11-6:2 (New Living Translation)

There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

The writer defines maturity here as “through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” So remember:

1. Maturity takes training and skills…you’re not expected to mature overnight.
2. In this passage, a sign of a mature person is they can recognize the difference between right and wrong.

Now the writer of Hebrews tells us to mature, we need to stop going over the basic teachings of Christ again-and-again.

Let’s understand there is great value in knowing the basics. There is good reason to call them the fundamentals. They are the foundation of all we understand. We need to know these things. It is important and I am working on a book that covers all these topics and perhaps a few more. They are being written with the knowledge it’s for baby Christians.

If the milk is all we focus on, we’re never going to mature.

In the next few posts I’m going back to the basics. It’s good to understand what the writer of Hebrews considers “milk” .

Did you catch them already? Let me know what you think they are.

photo credit: yto

Grow up? Really?

I know, I know, men are boys with bigger toys. My son said this week, “It’s going to be easy to buy me Christmas presents
this year, but it’s going to be an expensive year.”  He’s experiencing what every man knows.

We may not want to grow up but God wants us to grow up.

God wants you to mature. He wants you to grow more-and-more into the image of His Son, who was an exact representation of the Father. The world needs to see Jesus in you.

Jesus said:

“In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Matthew 5:48 (MSG)

Paul wrote:

No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are an easy mark for impostors. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love. Ephesians 4:14-16 (The Message)

Paul told Timothy to establish elders in Ephesus and one of the criteria was that they couldn’t be a neophyte – “newly planted” or “recent convert”. It makes sense to us as it must have to Timothy. You don’t put a young Christian, in a leadership position.

But did you know when Paul wrote this to Timothy the church in Ephesus was not much more than two years old? Before Paul arrived in Ephesus, there were no Christian and he spent two years there. There wouldn’t be anyone in the church longer than two years.

His definition of “recent convert” is different from ours today.

It could be because we don’t suffer persecution to the point of shedding blood. I’m not saying you have to look to be a martyr, I am saying there’s something wrong with the church in North America if people can be a Christian for two years and not see spiritual, emotional and relational growth. We need to know how to help others grow up.

Now Paul also wrote:

I’m not writing all this as a neighborhood scold just to make you feel rotten. I’m writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can’t wait to tell you what you’ve done wrong, but there aren’t many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God’s Message to you that I became your father. I’m not, you know, asking you to do anything I’m not already doing myself. 1 Corinthians 4:14-16 (The Message)

God wants you to mature. He wants you to grow more-and-more into the image of His Son, who was an exact representation of the Father. The world needs to see Jesus in you.

I’m starting a series on Moving From Milk to Meat. It’s about growing up in our Christian journey. I’ve done a version of this as a podcast you can listen to here and here. Or stay tuned to the posting I’ll be getting through in this series.

Are you trying to grow up?  Love to hear what you’re doing. Tell me about it.

photo credit: Smabs Sputzer

From Milk to Meat - Episode 10 – RevTrev Radio

Download audio file (RTRadio1_10.mp3)

From Milk To Meat – Part 1

When we take a look at what the writer of the book of Hebrews calls “milk”, it’s easy to see why there is so much spiritual immaturity in the western church. We focus on the milk and rarely move the meat. This message goes through the basics, but also gives clues for how to mature.

Enjoy!

Are you a follower of Christ who struggles with having a victorious daily walk with the Lord?

If so, it may be because of the sin of un-forgiveness. God cannot violate his perfect nature and overlook our sin. Un-forgiveness is a common stronghold the devil has in the lives of many of God’s children. We believe lies about forgiveness and live according to those lies.

Even if you’re not struggling with un-forgiveness, you are connected with someone who is. It is possibly the greatest inhibitor of spiritual maturity in the body of Christ. It effects us spiritually, emotionally and even physically.

We live in a fallen world where hurt people hurt people. Once you know how to be healed, you can help heal others.

Other the next 12 posts we will be examining the lies and truth around forgiveness and enable you to release others in the freedom that it brings.