It’s Time to Grow Up

II. FOOD FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH

“as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, . .

“. . . as newborn babes”—notice it does not say they are newborn babies. They were to act as though there were newborn babies and their insatiable desire for milk. In the word for “desire”–epipotheō—the preposition epi intensifies the meaning of the main verb, which is potheō, meaning “to long for or desire.” We might think of a “burning desire” or “eagerly desire.”

And what is this milk we are to eagerly desire? It is described as logikon, the root being logos (word). God’s Word. What is the basis for consistent growth in the Christian life? Some would say it is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Until then, we are like Peter before Pentecost: upand-down. Others would say the key to consistent growth is plenty of praise and worship. Unless we stoke the emotional fires of our spiritual temperatures we will always be blowing hot and cold. Still others will tell us the key to consistent growth is to have plenty of Christian friends. Everyone knows one log burning alone soon dies, but several logs burning together make a bright light. But what does 1 Peter say? God’s Word. It is the only means presented in the Scriptures themselves that can bring one to maturity (Heb 5:12-14), stability (Eph 4:11ff), equipping for service (2 Tim 3:16-17), and holiness (Jn 17:17).

Fellowship, prayer, witnessing, praise and worship, spiritual gifts—all these help provide an atmosphere for growth, but the life is in the seed; growth comes from the seed; everything else softens or prepares the soil for growth of the seed. After hanging around Christian circles for over fifty years I have observed that mature Christians have one thing in common other than the indwelling Godhead–an abiding knowledge of God’s Word. I know some who would argue with this, but unless we want to contradict Ephesians 4:11ff, the statement is true. Why? Because Ephesians 4 defines immaturity as a Christian that can be blown about by every wind of doctrine. Does this mean someone needs to go to seminary to become a mature believer? Of course not. But they need exposure to God’s Word somewhere–sermons, Bible studies, radio, TV, podcasts, personal study.

Someone will surely say, “But I don’t have a burning desire or an eager desire for God’s Word. Is there something I can do to get it?” There is, actually. It reminds me of after I got engaged to my wife of fifty-two years. I had always been a skinny basketball player (6’4″ and 185 lbs). I had never weighed over two hundred pounds. I wanted to impress my new bride on our wedding night with bulging muscles. We planned to marry on my graduation day from Rice University, nine months away. So, I put together a diet plan to gain weight but not fat. To do that I had to stimulate my appetite.

At first, I had to force it. I started with breakfast in the morning at Baker College, one of the men’s colleges at Rice, where for $.50 I could eat all I wanted. But I couldn’t just eat sweet rolls. Instead I put ten soft-boiled eggs in a glass, stirred it up, and drank it. To that I added some bacon, a sweet roll, orange juice and milk. Next was lunch. A block from our campus was Foot’s Cafeteria where I could get one meat and one dessert, but all the salads and vegetables I wanted for $1.04 (1966-67). So, in addition to my meat and dessert I had five salads and thirteen vegetables. I repeated this regimen for dinner. I soon discovered that my digestive system was shooting so much acid into my stomach to handle all this food that at midnight it was burning me up inside, so I cooked a pound of round steak and drank a can of Nutriment. In addition to all this food I also began to lift weights. After nine months of this I had gained fifty pounds, but my waist stayed the same. I couldn’t wait to impress my new bride. So, on our wedding night, as I began to disrobe and flex my muscles, all I heard her say was, “Could you turn out the lights, please?” But, but, but, but . . . .

I know, I know–pretty pathetic. Oh, what we men will do to impress a woman. But lest all this effort be wasted, the Lord did have a lesson in it or me. Just as we can stimulate physical hunger, it occurs to me that we can stimulate spiritual hunger. How? Not that complicated, really. Just two things: 1) Exercise more than normal; and 2) Eat more than normal. When I first got to seminary, I didn’t know Genesis from Revolution, but I knew I needed to learn the Bible. So, I studied. But it was drudgery and discipline–had to make myself do it, like eating health food and taking supplements. But as time went on a hunger was growing within me. It took a couple of years, but feasting on God’s Word became like eating Homemade Blue Bell Vanilla ice cream. For those of you who don’t know what that is, the Bible calls it manna. I couldn’t get enough. I had trouble putting it down. That hunger has never left, but it is something that had to be developed. You don’t start out with meat and potatoes. As Peter says, you start off with milk, like any newborn baby.

You know, sucking is one of the main pastimes of babies. Have you noticed that? You say, no, it’s crying. Well, it’s been a long time since I helped raise one of those little suckers, but that’s why they call them little suckers. They suck. Do you remember what a binki is? It’s how you fake them out when you want them to be quiet. Why are they crying? Because they usually want some milk. So, you pop all those fake plastic things in their mouths. Put a little honey on it, and it lasts longer. But they suck. They suck for years. If it’s not a bottle, it’s a binki; and if not a binki, it’s their thumb.

Want to grow your spiritual life? Want to avoid spiritual dwarfism? Then be a sucker. I don’t mean a sucker in business, but a sucker in the Christian life. But don’t be a sucker for binkies. Don’t be faked out by sucking up something just because there’s a little honey on it. Go for the milk of God’s Word. That’s the only way to grow.

But why, we might ask? Why should I grow? What is the goal?