Our Diet is for babies, Pt. 5

Series:  What is wrong with church?

So many Christians who attend church services begin to feel guilty about the restlessness and boredom they experience when they show up on a Sunday morning to hear yet another Gospel message.  You can see why too.  After all, hearing the gospel is the greatest message there is. The cross is the most glorious event in all of history. The pivotal event that created a way for us to have everlasting life! It truly is the foundation of everything we believe. It is absolutely vital that we get our understanding of it right before we attempt to move on to anything else.

When builders build houses, the foundations are the most important part the structure and take longest to establish. Well it's the same with the Christian life. We must make sure the foundations are right. Therefore, I do not want to diminish the need to preach and teach about foundational topics that center around the gospel and new beginnings for young believers. But at the same time, we must not lose sight of the fact those foundations are simply that - foundational. Once you have grasped it and accepted it, there is simply no need to go over it again and again and again. Like it says in the Book of Hebrews, such teachings can actually be detrimental to your growth (Heb. 6).  At some point you must move forward and build on those strong foundations (Matt 7:24-29).

You may be one of those who is misinterpreting your own restlessness in church thinking, "I'm bored with this. And since the problem plainly can't be with the message, the problem must be with me. My heart must have grown cold. This isn't moving me like it once did. I must be drifting away from God or backsliding. I'm not perched on the edge of my seat like I use to be. I don't feel the same level of excitement as when I first believed."

If this describes you, don’t despair.  You are not alone.   Scores of believers are experiencing the same thing you are. If you were to listen to the same song every day you may get bored of that song but it wouldn't necessarily follow that you have become bored of music altogether, right? If you drink milk every day you will eventually become bored of milk, but that doesn't mean you've ceased to have any appetite at all. Similarly, if you hear the same message at church every week you may get bored of that message but it doesn't necessarily follow you have no appetite for Jesus. A better and more likely explanation is that you're ready for something deeper and more substantial. You're ready to move from nursery rhymes to concertos. You're ready to move from milk to meat. It's not necessarily a cause for concern if you don't feel the same heights of emotion as you once did every time you hear the same gospel message.  It is time to move on to deeper things from the Word. Your heart and soul are craving for it.

End of Part 5