PASTOR OLUWASEYI OSANYINBI
[biblegateway passage=”HEBREWS 5:12-6:2″ display=”HEBREWS 5:12-6:2″]; [biblegateway passage=”I CORINTHIANS 3:1-11″ display=”I CORINTHIANS 3:1-11″]
Paul compared the spiritual growth of a believer with the natural growth of a baby who needs milk for his tender digestive system. Milk represents the basic demands of God on a new believer while meat connotes the advanced demand of God on mature believers.
Just like babies need milk to grow, new believers need the fundamental principles of God’s word so that they can have a sure foundation. Once, the foundation is in place, we can build the superstructure using the higher dimensions of God’s dealings.
God’s demands on us keep increasing and increasing as we get closer and closer to Him. As we advance in age spiritually, we are expected to be more and more consecrated unto God. It is weird to see adults crying over biscuit. In the same way, it is shocking to have someone who has been born again for long still missing it in some basic areas of God’s principles.
With maturity comes discernment. One critical sign of immaturity is the inability to discern the workings of God in our day to day activities. Another sign is division or partisanship. When the church is divided into factions, it is a sign of infancy. Maturity comes with sensitivity, patience and obedience.
Revelations are not revelations because they are confusing and shrouded in mystery. They are revelations because they are understood and people can run with them. We don’t gain anything by confusing people with so-called revelations. When you hear a word and your life can be made better thereby, you have caught a revelation. We must not mistake confusing ‘revelations’ for meat.
The milk and the meat of the word of God are not relative from people to people or place to place; they are uncompromisable standards set by God himself. Even if the milk of the word appears difficult to a group of people, it doesn’t become meat. The correct understanding of the milk and the meat is what will ensure our going unto perfection.
Immaturity is what makes believers promote the Gifts of the Spirit above the Fruit of the Spirit. We need a proper mix of both to be mature; we need them in the right balance in order to go unto perfection.
The word of God is seed, water, rain, fire, hammer, honey, etc. Each of these dimensions of God’s word is needed at various stages in our walk with God. These dimensions sum up the operations of the milk and the meat of the word of God.