| But I, brethren, could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it; and even yet you are not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving like ordinary men? For when one says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely men? 1 Corinthians 3:1-4 |
| If you could understand spiritual baby talk, this is what you would hear: Pastor, I just want to be fed. (And you’re not doing a very good job at it.) |
| At the First International Consultation on Discipleship, held last month on England's scenic South Coast, John R. W. Stott called attention to the ‘strange and disturbing paradox’ of the contemporary Christian situation: We have experienced enormous statistical growth, he said, without corresponding growth in discipleship. ‘God is not pleased,’ warned Stott, ‘with superficial discipleship.’ Theologian Tokunboh Adeyemo called attention to this same paradox on his continent, where the phenomenal numerical growth of Christianity is matched only by the mind-boggling butchery of Christians engaging in the horrors of ethnic cleansing. ‘The church in Africa,’ said Adeyemo, ‘is one mile long, but only one inch deep.’ - - - John Stott, “Make Disciples, Not Just Converts,” Christianity Today, October 25, 1999, 28. |
Spiritual Newborns
are consumers of pastoral care.
When their developmental needs for nurture and
security are met, they become spiritual children
who are curious, ask hundreds of questions
and delight in exploring their faith.
are consumers of pastoral care.
When their developmental needs for nurture and
security are met, they become spiritual children
who are curious, ask hundreds of questions
and delight in exploring their faith.
| Photo courtesy of Amber Ferrell ©2007 All Rights Reserved Use Backspace Key to Exit |
| An estimated 83% of worship attenders are developmentally stuck at the level of a spiritual infant. This is both the source of almost all our problems in church and the clear indicator of the needed solution. |
| Not everybody who grows old, grows up. Warren W. Wiersbe |