Feeding an infant usually involves placing a puree into his or her mouth. As the child grows the parent looks for foods that the child can grasp and feed himself without choking. Then the child is trained how to use a knife and fork to cut up his own food. Eventually most people learn how to cook for themselves (at least follow basic recipes) and only a small minority never gain the skills of preparing at least one dish (even if that is frozen pizza or grilled hamburgers) that they can serve to others.
However in the church, we tend to blame ourselves if people complain that they are not being served what they want when we should be teaching them to feed themselves and others.
This is one of the landmark findings of the Reveal study that was conducted by Willow Creek Community Church of their own congregation and later many other congregations as well.
Hebrews 5:11-14 speaks about the sad state when people have been immature for too long because they refuse to move toward spiritual maturity.
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Sometimes people don't move toward maturity because we don't really want them to. We like the fact that they are dependent upon us. When we need them to need us, it is an unhealthy relationship that has been labeled "co-dependence.
I love 1 John 2:12-14 because it clearly identifies various levels of maturity and says that we must interact with individuals depending upon their maturity, BUT it implies that people should NEVER remain in a state of immaturity.
Do you really believe the participants in your group are capable of feeding themselves and others? (2 Timothy 2:2)
When in India training pastors and missionaries a few years ago I found that it is not uncommon for a person to be saved out of a total pagan family, trained for only a year or two then become a pastor of a house church. In the States we have people who attend our churches, classes and small groups for 20 years and still feel unqualified when asked to lead a group themselves. Why the difference?
ReplyDeleteWhy the difference?
ReplyDeleteBecause we in the states have an Americanized version of the gospel.
I also think a lot has to do with leadership in the church perhaps not preaching enough of the "hard" or "meatier" parts of the word of God.
Jesus had a LOT to say about the cost of discipleship and also what a true disciple would look like (progressively and over time of course) - I think in our culture we are sometimes overly worried about "offending" others.
The word of God is offensive - because it strikes at the heart of our sinful flesh. The cross is offensive......
What we need from leadership is to be held to a higher standard......to be encouraged and helped to come up higher.
Also, in many of these other countries there is a lot of persecution going on which tends to weed out the true followers from the not so committed really fast as well.
Regarding first posting about helping those in our small group learn to feed themselves and then to feed others:
ReplyDeleteThere is an old saying that I am certain I will probably horribly misquote, but it is something like this,
Catch a fish for a man and you have fed him for a day
Teach him how to fish - and you have fed him for a lifetime
As small group leaders if our job isn't to help people in this way - then what is it?