Milk vs. Meat

[HDoggie19]

Are we ever really ready for the meat? I feel like I've done some growing and gone through some serious trials in my life, but a lot of times, it seems like it's too much to take in, so I revert back to the "feel-good" milk messages in the Word.
When do you get to a point in your walk with the Lord where you feel like you're ready for the "meat?" I want to grow--I'm tired of stagnating--but I feel like I'm still stuck in a baby Christian phase. When you exhibit the fruits of the Spirit on a regular basis, is that when you know you're a "mature Christian?"

[Timothy]

I always liked the way Peter put it:

I Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby

One man's meat may be another's milk, but we need to remember the desire, and the desire for growth, and continual increasing in knowledge.

Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God

That growth and increasing in knowledge is work. That's what study is, and what being a workman is.

II Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

When the search function is re-enabled, there's an old study that I posted on what Paul calls the old man and the new man, and growing the new man.

Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him

[Paul]

I always thought of milk as being the basic, foundational truths like God loves us, Jesus died for our sins and rose again, things like that. We should never tire of those messages.

I think once we understand the basic truths we should move on to gain a deeper understanding of them. I don't think we leave behind the milk, I think we add to it. For example, milk would be the idea that Jesus died for our sins, meat would be exploring the messianic prophecies that foretold His death and resurrection.

Milk alone is great but when you add meat the meal becomes so much more satisfying.

[TyTex]

When it became time to wean our kids from their bottles, we began to introduce them to "solid" food. They didn't know they were ready, but we could see they had grown enough to move on to the next phase. I will never forget how frustratingly slow the process was at first. We would work the little spoon with some baby food on it into their mouths and spend the next several minutes catching it as they drooled it out, putting it back in, and hoping some was getting down. Gradually, they became used to it and were able to take more and more. Soon, they were able to feed themselves to an extent.

All believers need to move from a milk-only diet to one which contains meat as well as they grow in the Lord. However, in my experience, helping them adjust to meat has proven to be a difficult challenge for most of the churches I've attended. Just as a baby needs help to get used to solid food and to develop a taste for it, so a young believer needs help in being exposed to meat as well as milk so that he will develop a desire for it. Pastors and Sunday school teachers are naturally situated to give this help, but not all provide it. As our church has grown, our pastor has adopted the belief that he needs to be the "shepherd to the lambs", with the result that his sermons are generally pretty long on milk and very short on meat.

HDoggie, if you're thinking about meat, then you're ready for it. If you're not getting it from the pulpit of your church or in Sunday school, there are other sources to help you. First, your own study of the Word will be a primary source as the Spirit reveals truth to you. Also, there is plenty of good "meat" out there to be had. For example, you can read sermons by preachers such as Charles Spurgeon or the writings of someone like A. W.
Tozer.

As you grow, you will someday be able to look back and realize that you have been maturing as a Christian. Someone may even look at you and call you a mature Christian. However, I think that in this life, we're never mature, just maturing.