But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh.
Our granddaughter, Harriet, is just now getting her first teeth which will soon open up all new possibilities beyond milk, cheese, and bread. Lobster tail is still a long way off but she is a growing girl! That is the type of language Paul was forced to use with the adult, yet immature believers in Corinth. Paul must have been grieved at the report he heard about them, that they were divided over who they followed, who they lived with, and who they sued. It was all evidence that they were spiritual babies, throwing tantrums and rebelling against authority. Years later, they are still not ready for solid food but lack the basic spiritual manners of adults. They should have been embarrassed but I doubt they were.
There are many in our American churches that are limited to a milk diet and seem perfectly content to stay that way. They are not growing teeth to dig deep into the word of God to apply its nutritious fruit to their lives. They are, as C. S. Lewis, happy to keep making mud pies in a slum instead of enjoying a holiday by the sea. Our congregants are missing out on so much meat and potatoes! There is a diet plan to cure this. It includes a healthy helping of Bible reading at breakfast with a serving of prayer. Then gather together with others for a covenant meal at Communion. Let’s become…
Growing boys and girls.
Pastor Brad Boyer
Cape Community Church