Okay, okay, if you’re done laughing at the picture, I actually have a serious question for you.
Have you learned to feed yourself? It pains me how often I hear from people who have been Christians for 10, 20, or even 30 years complaining that they “need to be fed”. What? Are you kidding me??
I said this yesterday at Cross Point and I want to say it again here. Early on in your Christian life you need to be fed. You need someone that understands the Bible to help you understand the Bible. You need someone to help you understand what it means to follow Christ.
But at some point you have to get out of the high chair, take off the bib, pick up a fork, and start to feed yourself.
If you’re not growing in your Christian walk you can’t blame your spouse, your schedule, your church, or your pastor. As you mature you have to own this area of your life. You have to want Christ formed in your life enough that you begin to arrange your life around certain practices and methods (ie. Bible study, prayer, worship) that help God’s vision become a reality.
So let’s discuss. Have you learned to feed yourself? What are you doing to feed yourself? What excuses are you using if you’re not growing these days?
Sorry dude, you completely lost me. After I saw that picture I completely lost my concentration and couldn’t read the rest of the post.
I guess when you post pictures like that of yourself it prevents people from using it as blackmail against you, right?
I actually had to take what seemed to me a drastic step because I needed something a bit different in this time of my life. I joined a two year retreat community through the Transforming Center to meet quarterly with other Christian leaders to study and live out spiritual disciplines. It has been life altering and ministry saving. It takes alot of money. It takes alot of time. But God is moving in my life. And you are right, I stand before God for my own life. No one else does. I must seek God and learn and grow.
My church did a series this winter called Trans4mation – based on Alan Hirsch’s book The Forgotten Ways. We did weekend messages and a church-wide small group study on this.
I saw this book/study create so much amazing change in my women’s small group. Really pushing each woman to look at what she does to feed herself.
My own feeding comes from being in the Word daily, doing my small group study (currently Experiencing God by Blackaby -and since I’m the group leader: I better have my homework done!), and prayer time.
A real blessing for me recently (besides small group) is an accountability group I started with two friends this spring. We have two calls/week where we pray over each other and hold each other responsible for areas in our lives that God is calling us to change, or to grow in.
Good luck on your series! What a great discussion to have!
http://justjuli.wordpress.com
I feel like I’ve reverted a bit, but I do try and feed myself. It’s a bit messy but I try!
I have grown over the past year or so…so I have learned to feed myself – kinda? That is through Life Groups, visiting with friends, reading the bible, helping others.
With that said, lately I seem to have excuses… work, family, life in general. Plenty of excuses. I guess in some ways I want to climb back in the chair …
What an awesome way to start the day, with a good laugh. Great picture! I am constantly feeding myself and I even consider the blogs I read to be a part of that. I read blogs that are about Christ and Christian living and that stretch my mind and help me to learn. Thanks for helping me in my journey!
@bradruggles, That’s my plan! However, I got a feeling that won’t be my last time to see that pic.
If what you’re saying is true, then is it safe to assume that the majority of Churches are loaded with people that are literate in God’s word ? Healthy and growing in the Knowledge of Him ?
It’s funny how the same notion of spoon feeding doesn’t apply to entertainment. It seems like most people demand to be spoon fed in that way rather than complain about a general lack of Biblical teaching.
Looking around it seems like the biggest demand is for production quality and personal charisma, not for people gifted in teaching God’s word.
It would be funny if Pastors told people to “get you’re own sound stage at home.” Cause the Church is by the Word and for the Word. Jesus IS the Word. How can it be anything other than teaching God’s word to the Church Gathered ?
We should be hungry for God’s word like baby Pete in the picture. No matter how many books and commentaries we’ve read.
This is so true…I remember hearing people say this in our old church all the time! I couldn’t agree more with what you said…I feed myself by spending time with God, by applying what they say on Sunday mornings in my daily life, and by the great people God has surrounded me with. I also agree with Emily, blogs are a great thing when they are used to encourage!
Well, I was trying to feed myself my normal weekday breakfast of oatmeal and blueberries but when I saw this picture of my pastor and I think I threw up a little bit in my mouth. ewwww.
1st time commenter, long time reader
Love the family updates and videos!
It’s interesting you should post this. Its something that God continues to bring up in my own heart over the past few weeks. Our discussion in our Connect Group (Sunday School class) yesterday was one of Elijah and Elisha, specifically how Elisha spent as much time with Elijah as he could before he replaced Elijah as prophet. Elisha, knowing that Elijah would soon leave him, sought to gain as much from Elijah as he could in the time he had left.
I myself have been there before, blaming outside circumstances and other people for me not being ‘fed’ so to speak. While I believe it is certainly up to us individually to ‘discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness’ 1 Timothy 4:7, I also realize that sometimes I need a kick in the pants to keep me moving in the right direction. It’s not that I don’t understand the Bible, or that I don’t know how to study the Bible, or don’t know how to pray, it’s just that in the crazy life we lead these days, I need a little push sometimes to spend time with Him, internalize His Word, meditate on scripture. That’s where my mentor comes in, to encourage me, to come alongside of me. My mentor has no power in himself to change my heart or to feed me, but he does have the experience, the motivation, the proof in his own life to guide me in my walk with God. It is God alone who does the feeding when I submit myself to Him.
Great post, Pete. We all need a little encouragement now and then to take initiative to be fed by God, not by anyone or anything else.
Pete – dropped by Crosspoint yesterday and loved the church. We wanted to say Hi, but didn’t want to steal you from people that needed you more. Thanks for your comment, but even more for prayer. Looking forward to hanging out!
@Nathan, this is not an “either or” it’s a “both and”. I’m not saying that the church shouldn’t teach the Word. In fact, I’m assuming that is already happening.
What I’m saying is if your totally dependent on being fed by a church your are going to severely limit your growth. At some point you have to own your spiritual life and take the steps necessary (steps no church can entirely provide) to have Christ formed in your life.
First, I gotta say AMEN! And next I have to point out that I love the bib.
I would point out that in my natural life I have learned to feed myself but I realize that there may come a time that I may be sick enough to need someone to assist me until I am well enough to do so on my own again. I don’t know that there is a spiritual correlation or not… could we, those of us who have learned to feed ourselves spiritually, get ‘sick’ enough to need someone to feed us again? I think the answer is painfully yes if we begin to neglect eating from God’s word. We may become anemic enough to need someone to help feed us.
As far as how I feed myself – there is quite a list:
- God’s Word
- godly music
- Devotions
- On-line sermons
- Books galore
- Meditation on God’s word
- Discussions with Friends
- Accountability (weekly – its necessary folks – just do it!)
- Application through service to others – you can’t grow if you don’t use the gifts that God gives you. And you can’t know the true joy of being a Christian without it.
Great post.
I feel like a pastor always has a responsibility to feed his flock no matter how mature or immature they are. But it is the flocks responsibility to take what they are fed and apply it to their own lives individually and continue to grow.
My problem is remembering that I need to be fed everyday. Not just when things get tough.
Also, the mature church should be full of immaturity. Meaning that if a church is doing what is SHOULD be doing, there will always be lots of spoon fed babes.
Sometimes we have to show those new babes how to eat. Being a good example is something I’m really working on.
awesome post.. i love you blog by the way.
yes we should definately be feeding ourselves! i believe if you are truly living for Christ it only comes natural to feed yourselves as if human nature. your daily routine should revolve around Christ not the other way around. God will provide all our needs as He has promised so therefore nothing could possibly be more important (ie. job, children, life). He wants to bless us and feeding us is just part of the blessing. So enjoy and be full.
The old saying “you get out of it what you put into it” applies here too. My first couple of years of being a Christian, I relied on my church solely. The bible was overwhelming. I started getting involved in community groups to do bible studies and fellowship together. I have now been involved in some sort of bible study for 4 years straight. God didn’t design us to be filled up by a 25 minute sermon each week. He desgined us to intimately know Him through His word, prayer, service, fellowship, etc. The only One who can truly feed me is Christ himself, and He can only accomplish that through intentional pursuit of each other. I love and pursue Him. He feeds me. But I must say….I adore my Pastor (wink wink) and learn much from your insight through your messages, your example, and this bloggy blog.
Have I learned to feed myself, absolutely… I struggle with how often I do it though. Sure I spend most of my waking hours listening to music, worshiping, listening to sermons, reading books, engaging in thoughtful discussions, and volunteering at church, BUT… I don’t spend nearly enough time in just “THE WORD.” I don’t spend enough time letting GOD minister to me. I count way too much on other people’s revelation and other people’s studying. In fact when I get down to it, I am hardly feeding myself at all, just sneaking scraps from lots of different food sources.
This actually reminds me of a discussion I had with a friend yesterday, the answer is to spend more time with God. That seems to be the answer to every question right now… and maybe forever. Spend more time with God. But then I wonder if it could be argued that I still wouldn’t be feeding MYSELF… God is spoon feeding me then. It’s a battle of semantics but perhaps poses some interesting dilemmas.
Wow, I am more confused than when I started writing this response.
Happy Monday!
Wanted to add an update to my previous comment, and to launch off another one above:
I love my church. I love going on weekends and mid-week services. I truly get fed during those times. But what if we only fed our bodies by eating for one hour on Sunday, and maybe another hour on Wednesday? We’d be skinny, sickly, and gaunt. I don’t want my spirit to be that way.
When I feed myself – I am spending time deepening the most enriching relationship I could ever hope for. Who would want to limit the time they spent with their best friend, or spouse, to only a few hours a week?
Only feeding yourself spiritually on Sunday morning is as smart as only eating one time a week.
For me, I feed myself with podcasts of great leaders, books, prayer and sometimes I actually read… the Bible (don’t tell anyone).
Sometimes I think people believe I buy all of my messages and just memorize them. That makes me laugh because I’m not smart enough to memorize that much every week.
I can’t get past the fact that you fit in a high chair! I’m just saying…
Anyway, I’m going to go with=
E) All of the above
Yeah…all those things that everyone else has said. I think for me the cornerstone in my walk has been solid Bible reading and prayer though.
Classic Pete. We used this same illustration at our church – baby chair and all right on stage! It was a hit. I think the struggle we have as pastors/leaders is (a) continuing to feed ourselves and (b) continuing to find ways to “feed” the sheep, because it is a direct command from Christ to Peter – “If you love me, feed my sheep”. I’m TOTALLY on board with you, but if we have no strategic ways of growing people closer to Christ and learning to love him more and more – then they will always be babies. Once they begin to see that they grow by feeding themselves and helping new Christians learn how to feed themselves it becomes a spiritual growth circle that builds health… at least that’s where I’m at right now. Thanks for the reminder!
Amen! Before I met my husband, I was dating a man of Catholic faith (I’m not knocking the Roman Catholic Church, so don’t be hate’in). I was raised Southern Baptist, but now attend Fellowship Bible Church (non-denominational). This young man had never opened the Bible , much less read it himself to learn or study the word of God on a personal level. He believed the priests and nuns would tell him what he needed to know and left it at that. This is one of the reasons I knew I could not marry this person because our beliefs were so very different. I couldn’t marry someone who believed he already knew what he needed to know or depended on someone else to tell him what he needed to know.
PS. That photo will haunt me all day.
When I grow up I want to be just like you! Seriously… great post.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha!!!! That is hilarious
I am thankfully at a place where I can feed myself. To get here, it took personal discipline but mostly an inner passion (desire) to want to grow & to want to know my Jesus more. I found the more and more I put forth the effort to discipline myself to make growing a priority the easier it got, but also the hungrier I got.
I grew up in a very legalistic church environment (KJV Only) – Did I go home as a young person and read Old English? No! Could I understand Old English? No! So growing up in church, I got in a rut of not growing and relying on the church to feed me, because after all it was my adult leaders that could “translate” the foreign language for me. Don’t get me wrong…I would try, but I could not do it. I know we cannot blame the church when we do not grow, but I do believe at times they provide a very easy environment that creates reliance on them for spiritual growth. When I started breaking loose from their influence, I did a few of the following:
*Got a Bible I could understand (I love the NLT)
*Found books & devotionals that challenged me beyond where I was at spiritually (This is why I love authors like McManus)
*Expanded my arena of influence (Basically I started exploring pastors & speakers who were off limits to the legalistic crowd)
*Studied – I dug deep in scripture to see what words meant & what the scripture was saying to me.
*I had some college students who challenged me when I was late middle school to early high school with specific faith topics, one usually played the devil’s advocate & would challenge us with what we believed, I would leave those meetings so hungry to know why I believed those things that I would go home & study all week just to have an answer.
* Though I can feed myself, I still need others to share life with and to help in my spiritual development. I am 27, so there is a wealth of knowledge in men & women who are older than me of the things of God that they have learned & experienced in their life journey & spiritual walk that I can learn from, however I am not dependent on them for my daily growth, but they are an asset to the process.
Good post, totally agree. Can you really fit in a high chair?
I really like to read the Bible for myself and pray that God will give me insight as to what it means and how I can apply it to my life. Early in my walk, when I would get confused, I would talk it over with a pastor I trust.
Sometimes I get lax and feel like I have nothing new to research or to learn. {Pride is dangerous!} So then I pray and find something to study. If I can think of one question I want an answer to, that ususally kicks off my studying time quite well, and then I’m on a roll!
Pete great picture and great post. This is one of those topics that my wife and I have been talking about a lot lately. I actually put up a post this morning about being stuck. I’ve got to say you’ve really got me thinking – I’ve just started listening to the Sync series you’ve been doing. Between this post and that series God is really speaking to where I am and how I may need to rethink some things in my life.
As I heard a preacher say one time, “Babies are fed. Adults eat.” If we aren’t getting “fed” or getting what we need, it’s our own fault.
Loved the picture!
This post stung a little, but that’s a good thing.
I have been a Christian for a number of years. I feel a little under nourished, but I think that is mostly because I feed myself with snacks and desserts (Christian music, Christian books, Christian blogs) instead of the main course (Bible and Prayer). I know that I need the main course, but the snacks and desserts are easier for me somehow. It’s a matter of discipline and if I want an intimate relationship with Christ, I’m going to have to move beyond the appetizers!
I love the Elmo bib. Do you where it often?
Seriously, you’ve hit on a sticky subject for what should be mature believers. The problem is not that we’re not being fed, the problem is, we won’t eat.
My mom always told us, “Don’t eat that it will spoil your appetite.”
As believers, we get our eyes off Jesus and it spoils our spiritual appetite. We know what is good for us but we’ve put too many things ahead of what really nourishes us.
There. My two cents worth. Great post, Pete.
I swear to God I just wrote my blog for tomorrow that answers your EXACT question. That’s so weird.
I do feed myself; because I decided to a long time ago. The decision is always the first step I think people tend to forget about. They are just waiting for that “feeling” of faith to magically happen. Once I stopped trying to find God and started acknowledging Him everything changed. I can be having the worst day and still acknowledge the beauty He has created, the small joys He brings to my life and the blessings He bestows on me. But only because I pay attention and choose to.
And the days I don’t pay attention and remember to acknowledge Him are the days that feel empty to me. Because I forgot to feed myself… when I’m fed by others, it’s more of the “faith as a feeling.” When I feed myself it’s an entire attitude change. At least that’s the difference I noticed.
Man I love coming to your blog. Sometimes you give me the bread so I can start to make the meal… and feed myself.
sara
http://www.gitzengirl.blogspot.com
Pete,
I’ve now read three pastors blogs that address this issue, so it must be something that many pastors are confronted with.
Gary Lamb discussed this on his blog and wrote how those who complain about wanting to be feed also are concerned about the lack of depth in the teaching at their church. Gary had a good response to this when he wrote that, “people really don’t want depth in the teaching, what they want is the perception of depth”.
I believe that people need to take the personal responsibility to feed themselves, whether it be by studying the Bible, time in prayer, small groups, etc.
I know that Pete Wilson sermons are not going to bring me closer to God. You may introduce me to thoughts or teachings that enhance my walk with God (which you have), but it is up to me to make the time to walk with God and allow Him to reveal Himself to me.
I wonder if any of these who complain about not being feed also need to be changed.
Scot
Hi Pete. Great picture. You and your wife have a fun sense of humor!
I am being fed. Without the high chair and the bib. I have meals every single day and on Sunday I have a feast. I read the Bible daily, spend time in prayer all throughout the day daily, and I go to one awesome church with one awesome pastoral/volunteer staff. I am one healthy little Christian and I am so full of joy over it.
Heidi Reed
@Scot Justice, I think this is a huge problem of the consumer driven Christianity that is so prevalent in our culture today.
Gary is right. We do want the “perceptions of depth” that accompanies knowledge rather than the “reality of depth” which comes from action.
Now there is a whole other blog post.
Thank you! I have said that before and people just look at me like I’m crazy.
I believe our Christian walk is up to us. Sunday morning church is great but it should be a supplement to your every day activities.
I have learned that right now I need to be fed and I need to do some feeding. God has placed 2 great mentors in my life right now that are helping me get fed and watching me eat. Life isn’t about a pastor, a person, but my own relationship with Him. Unless I am willing to invest the time into changing habits and getting fed and feeding then I don’t really have one. And what good is it then? Good post.
Mama and Daddy believed and led by example: Man can’t live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Their Bibles were always at different places around the house because they sat down with them and grabbed them often to look up this or that. God’s teaching was the bread, and the concepts and scriptures taught by man did not qualify as ‘bread’. They had to be studied. Did they line up with the Word? Were scriptures used in context? That makes M&D sound very legalistic, but they weren’t. Quite the opposite, really.
Mama and Daddy wanted me to understand how much I need God’s truth in my life. There are many excellent teachers out there, but there are some messed up philosophies out there too, and even the best teachers aren’t going to be perfect. They were strict about it: revere only God’s Word as absolute truth, the only real ‘bread of life’. And I will starve spiritually if neglect that truth. It is my job to sit down and eat directly from the Word, or to compare a teaching to the Word and meditate on God’s truth in it, to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to me about the teaching. I wish I did a better job than I do at that. I sure would be dangerous to the kingdom of darkness if I did. I think I don’t because I forget that my battles are not against flesh and blood and dishes and carpets. :O) Wow. I feel like I’m in spiritual occupational therapy. Thanks again.
I posted just this very issue in my life on my blog yesterday. Its my challenge to myself and for others to read so I do have some accountabiltiy.
*oh, that picture is hilarious! Did Jett take the picture?
@ Scot and Pete_
I’m not sure what you mean by the “perception of depth” in teaching. There is either great care for teaching the Word or there isn’t. If a hunger for God’s word isn’t preimminent in the focus of a church then how one expect it’s people to be feeding themselves ?
It takes both emphasis on teaching the Word in dicipleship and the individual taking in the Word for themselves. Spend a little time asking the people in your Church about their Salvation and their spiritual life and you might be suprised at some of the answers. That’s not to say we learn Christianese, but in Nashville I talk to a lot of churched people who can’t give an account for thier salvation. Isn’t that alarming ?
Every person is responsible for his/ her own faith but the Word talks about the responsibility of people who shepherd (Ez 34) to feed the flock.
I was having this discusion with a good friend of mine a couple weeks ago. He said: You know on Little House on the Prerry the big Dorky Kids in the back of the School House? That’s how I feel. Like the teacher is focusing on the young children up front, and I am left to fend for myself.
I looked at him and said: Duh, that is your call to action, you will now grow by digging into the word yourself, but also by teaching others about Christ. That is the whole point behind becoming a disciple.
LOL! That is hilarious… and I’ll have that image in my mind for years to come!
Part of being fed, is actually the part of being hungry. And God puts that hunger for Him in us from infancy. The difficult part is actually choosing Him ( reading your bible,prayer, worship, corporate worship) to fill you , instead of t.v. media, shopping, etc.
@Nathan, I get the feeling you’re kind of looking for an argument here. You won’t get it from me! I agree with you. I agreed with your first post. I don’t think you want us to be on the same page but I think we actually are.
NOBODY is saying that the church shouldn’t “feed” the members. What we are saying is that can’t be the only source. You need more. I need more.
The idea of “perception of depth” I think is quite clear. A lot of people want to define spiritual growth by knowledge. They want to think they are spiritually mature simply by “knowing a lot” even though there is no fruit in their life. Knowledge or “deep teaching” alone is not enough. We have to put it into action.
Nathan,
There are Christians who say they want more depth in the sermons at the church they attend. I have had people say this to me the last 10 years while I attended The Peoples Church, Brentwood Baptist, and now Cross Point (I guess it’s an interdenominational thing ) .
I believe they think they need to have sermons that are like college lectures, where the pastor digs deep into the Bible passages to give the person more knowledge. Like Pete said above, knowledge is not the same as action.
I believe that I heard the following in a sermon by either Gary Lamb or Pete Wilson (I don’t remember which, at 43 my sometimers sometimes kicks in). The pastor said that they give sermons on life lessons and how the scripture applies to these life lessons. The pastor then said that people who complain about the lack of depth in sermons really don’t want to face what these life lessons are saying about their own life. It is better for them to complain about the sermons than apply what they are learning at church in their own life (come to think of it, this is more Gary’s style than Pete’s).
I can attest that I have been challenged by the life lessons that have been addressed in sermons at Cross Point in my life and that I don’t feel that there is a lack of depth in what Pete, Tom, Brian, Pat, and others teach on. I take the personal responsibility of having daily prayer time, Bible study, and small groups to allow God to open y mind and lead me through life in a way that glorifies Him. I also ask God to lead me to other sources for learning, like podcast of other pastors’ sermons.
Scot
Amen and amen! I spend time in the Word every day and keep a little booklet of words He is speaking directly to me. In fact, you can actually read the Bible until He stops you at some point, and write down that verse. He does this not only in the Bible, but in other books I read, movies I watch, speakers I listen to. It really helps me to write it down immediately, date it and keep it in a small booklet each year (I’ve kept a small appointment calendar for this purpose since 1990). When I get low & discouraged, I grab one of the booklets and go for a walk to remind me of times He has spoken directly to me in the past. I don’t worry about writing something down every day — (I ignore the dates in the appointment calendar) but just record words I know He’s giving to me. Some days it’s none, and other days it’s 10-12 different verses. He’s faithful to speak to me day by day! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!
@starwoodgal regarding us catholics:
I was on the phone with a friend yesterday and I was about to tell her a story about something that happened with a different person in my life. I told her, “There is no way of telling you about this without raking her over the coals…” At which point I added, “Nice christian I am, eh?”
To which she replied… “Oh, it’s ok… rake her over the coals. We’re Catholic… that doesn’t apply to us.”
At which point we both busted out laughing, the mood lightened and I told the story in a bit nicer way than I originally intended. At least we can laugh at ourselves and the way we’re raised
We catholics definitely have our more uptight moments, but I promise we’re working on it 
sara
http://www.gitzengirl.blogspot.com
I am actually commenting on the TWITTER comments….now now now you leave us scrapbookers alone! Remember I run with scissors!
diggin the PJs!
@Kristi O, no worries. I heart scrapbookers. You guys are a crazy bunch! I’ve got a blog post I might launch about this topic real soon.
@Sara: LOL – I was raised Catholic and completely understood everything you said. You are too cute!!
Heidi Reed
Gotta love your blog!! Controversy controversy….
Pete,
During the years that I was ill (98 to 03) – I was often told by some Christians that I could not be growing in my walk with God because I was unable to be “inside the walls of a church.” (I was homebound or in a hospital the majority of the time.) How could I grow if I was not able to hear the preacher’s sermons or the teacher teach the?
I say that to say… Thanks, Pete for not being the type of pastor or Christian who thinks that way. This post was evident of that.
Oh..by the way – most came back and apologized. Wonder if they would have if I had not been physically healed and then surrenderd to God like we did as a family?
AMEN!!!! It is pretty pathetic when professional church goers still whine to be fed, and wouldn’t be caught dead “feeding” other baby Christians around them.
Personally, I spend quite time with God just listening alot, reading His Word, studying it, attending a Bible study group out of our church, and preparing to teach our discipleship group in our home sometimes. Oddly enough, blogging and reading others blogs have also become a huge source of food for my soul. My own blogging causes me to take a thought the Lord has given me, and dig deeper so that I can blog about it with accuracy.
Yes, I feed myself. Then I go on a diet. Ugh! But I go back consistantly. Not because I am some spiritually disiplined person, but because I miss it.
I really have been a lot better recently. Reading the Word and worshipping at home; mostly because I am spending most of my time during the weekend service praying for those around me.
I miss it desperately, if I not feeding myself.
@rachelrowell: I think the whole problem lies within this phrase right here – professional church goers
Is there such a thing???
They probably aren’t even Christians then and it’s probably better they don’t try and teach the baby Christians – lest they scare away the new lambs… LOL!!
That phrase made me laugh!
Ouch. But true.
(putting down my scrapbook scissors) teehee. I love this blog. I love the random challenges that come forward and really make me think. Just last week I wanted to stop the world and get off for a day or so, just to take a breather, funny how there isn’t a way to do that. BUT if we are continually getting fed there are long deep breaths so to speak from the word and from worship and fellowship. I was in a hospital all weekend at my husband’s bedside and yet God still spoke, reminded me of powerful prayers from the word and allowed me to worship Him in the most random places.
Okay, I didn’t at all read these comments. I can usually only make that commitment if there are less than 20
. But I couldn’t not post this quote that I first read years ago and it has so stuck with me. A. W. Tozer wrote these words in The Pursuit of God:
How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Everything is made to center upon the inital act of “accepting” Christ and we are not expected thereafter to crave any further revelation of God to our souls. We have been snared in the coils of a spurious logic which insists that if we have found Him, we need no more seek Him.
@Scot,
There’s a back and forth misunderstanding perhaps.
I’m involved with a church that teaches the Bible verse by verse and continually sends people into the city of Nashville and around the world to be the hands and feet of Christ. I’ve been in several dynamic churches that not only teach the Bible, there are laypeople that are dedicated to building one another up in the Word.
For instance, I’m in a Genesis Class where we have gone through the entire book over the course of a year. Particularly the life of Jacob, all of the miss-steps and scheming. The Pastor is teaching through the book of Exodus which is a continuation. All through these books are the images of Christ in sacrifice, a richness that compells us to look further and read for ourselves. I don’t bring this up to heap on anybody. Just to say that it is possible, and beneficial to seek this out in a community. If you came to my fellowship without the assumption that people are needlessly pious and cruel you might see the point.
I see a lot of commentary on emergent blogs, contemporary blogs, inter-denom. blogs that are highly critical of traditional churches yet when the examination ( and honest questions ) return there isn’t as much room for dialogue and pontification. I’ve actually been a part of contemporary-style churches that spend a great deal of time alluding to the faults of other Churches.
The idea that sound, Biblical knowledge can so easily carry a stigma harkens back to the baby/ bathwater analogy.
I totally agree with Pete that Christians absolutely must get in the word and grow strong in their own faith but, BUT the Word is too rich and powerful to not be taught in the same respect. Have you guys ever sat under a teacher who examines the word verse by verse ? Is that something to be feared or continually misunderstood ?
Pete – thanks for the clarification on the scrapbookers thing!
Loved the post – and I’m with the others – The reason I stalk your blog is to get fed……
Keep it coming!!
PS: Am I the only one who thinks it’s ironic that he is telling us to ‘feed ourselves’ and ‘feeding us’ at the same time?
I can understand both sides of what some might perceive as opposing views, but I agree with you, Pete…the 2 views aren’t really contradictory. The only potential for disagreement I can see would be if a) someone who felt like they personally were not being fed just assumed there’s something wrong with what their church is serving, b) somebody who felt they were being fed just assumed that people who say they aren’t being fed are flawed because they think differently than they do, or c) the ones doing the feeding just assumed that they were capable of satiating the appetite of every single believer that ever accepted Christ. The phrase ‘just assumed’ seems to be the common denominator.. That doesn’t seem to be the case with either you (Pete) or Nathan. I think you agree more than disagree.
People like to eat different things at different times and the medical profession would probably say we’re healthier if we do. (I guess that’s why there are so many restaurants.) But if we don’t like holding the fork we shouldn’t blame it on the food.
The fact you can fit in that chair cracks me up!!!!
As you know this is a new walk for me… So at times I can fed myself as far as doing my reading and setting time apart in my life for God. But I do still lead on others to help me understand what I don’t know or if I have questions. I have a long road ahead of me to be where I want in my spirtual life. But hey even babies take a bottle till at least one and I’m not quite to my one year mark yet:)
Fantasic pic.. I wonder how the conversation went with Brandi. Hey honey.. i have a great idea for picture for my blog.. here’s what it is….
But honestly.. I’ve rea a lot of things that other people have done as well that have helped me. The big one was finding a Bible that I really understand and keeps my attention while I am reading. The Message Remixed is an awesome reading Bible. NOt the best study.. but I really enjoy reading it.
2nd finding Devo’s that really make me think and that are more of a workbook instead of just light reading. I want to be able to write stuff down. That is how I absorb it.
Last but not least. I started journaling this year and it has been and amazing tool in my life. I really enjoy writing down my prayers and seeing how God has been there through difficult times in my life.
@danielle, Who am I to argue with A.W. Tozer?
I wish I could say things that eloquently.
Nathan,
I am a firm believer that if you allow him, God will lead you to the church you need to attend. There are all sorts of churches for all sorts of people. So I think it is great that you are happy at a church that teaches the Bible verse by verse.
What I am talking about are those who attend a church and constantly complain that the pastors are not teaching them the way they want to be taught. Hence, they are not being fed. This is a self-centered view of what the church can do for them. Pete appropriately called it called it consumer driven Christianity in an earlier post.
If someone is that unhappy in a church, leave and then ask God to guide you to the next church you need to attend. I believe God leads people to churches for a season (to learn something, to meet someone, etc.). So don’t sit around and constantly complain because the church is not what you want it to be because this type of behavior is detrimental to the Body of Christ.
At the tail-end of being single, I attended The Peoples Church. I met my wife through a joint activity The Peoples Church singles did with other single groups in Nashville. After I got married, my wife and I jointly decided to become members of Brentwood Baptist Church. When we moved to West Nashville, we decided to look for a new church because we wanted our child to be brought up in a church and BBC is too far away for this (it is forty minutes away from our house, a little too far to drop her off at events when she gets old enough). We visited multiple churches in West Nashville and the only one we felt like “home” to us was Cross Point. Each of the churches I mention are great, and I was lead to attend them for a season.
So I feel that if you are unhappy at a church, you need to ask God to lead you to the church He wants you to attend.
Scot
You know so many comments to read I have to go back to some they were really good. This is awesome let me just say that up front! Me & a girlfriend of mine were just talking about this! We can no longer be fed and be fed on milk or pretending to be on meat when we should still be on milk because we have pretended so long that we didn’t get anything out of this wonderful relationship we should be having w/Jesus. There will be days, seasons times whatever you want to call them when God will take away somethings so that you HAVE TO FED YOURSELF, encourage yourself. We have to work out our own salvation, we are accountable for that we cant place the blame on anyone. When we are face to face w/our Father and he asks us why did you stay bound or why didn’t you fight or why didn’t you believe or why didn’t you do this or that?? We cant say well my prayer partner left me or the one person in my corner left. No we are ultimately responsible for encouraging ourselves. If David had to do it what should make us any different? God puts us in consecration so that we have no choice but to DO and DO whatever it is to get us up and out! My mom use to say when I would say something about being alone and it was this “You came in this world alone and you will die alone so get use to being alone sometimes” its true. No complaining or making excuses the word is right in our faces yet we want someone else to do our work for us. Be our spiritual Hype Master! Its cool in the beginning but after that you need to be strong enough and well able to fend for yourselves. Its like w/babies we have to feed them to a point after that they can do it themselves. Now a days these babies are growing fast my girlfriends 2yr old can drag a chair to the frig and get whatever he wants when he want to. I agree its time to step up to the plate and pick up that spoon and feed yourself and if whoever is feeding you stops dont get upset take it as a clue its time for you to feed yourself.
Nice visual..lol..lol
Just my thoughts on some of the earlier discussion…ok not all my thoughts but some of my thoughts. Something I heard from Ron Sylvia “Teaching/Preaching is not intended for information but for (life) transformation.” – I think it is what we do with the information that we are given that makes the difference. I can go to a church and sit under the greatest pastor, but if all I do is increase in knowledge I have accomplished nothing, in fact I am probably closer to the pharisees if anything, but if I apply the information and put it into practice, then and only then do I feel I am going to grow and live out a faith life that is pleasing to the Lord. The pastor cannot force me to take his message and apply it to my life, maybe when I am a new believer I need help taking the first steps, but at some point I have to have my hand let go of and I have to start taking the steps to apply those teachings in my own life. Just as I cannot be made by a pastor or teacher to put the teachings into practice, I can however live by the mentality that it is the pastor’s job to do so…which is wrong, and I don’t believe scripture teaches that. It is the pastors job to shepherd and oversee the flock, but in the new testament we are called Christ’s ambassadors, we are filled with the very life of Christ and called out to “Go” ourselves and to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach the commands of God (not just the pastors), so at some point we have to become shepherds ourselves.
I think that is why we hear a lot of the “I’m finding a new church because we missed two weeks and the pastor didn’t call us” type scenarios. People have been taught its ok to be lazy and to rely on someone to spoon feed us everything. I would much rather have a church that provides me opportunities to apply the information they are giving me rather than giving me an overload of that information, because then I am more likely to apply it outside the walls of the church. Just my 2 cents worth, its probably of no value to anyone else, but I feel much better now!
Great post…love the Safari Elmo Bib
The key for me is keeping a good variety. For me this includes church, music, Bible study tools, Christian people who can teach/mentor me, and any other thing that can help keep things new and fresh for me. Personally I struggle the most with “feeding” myself when things become too routine…changing things up really helps me to keep things consistent. (just a note…I don’t seek variety in church..we have chosen a church and we stay there…but we do seek to be involved and do different things within the church to keep things fresh – to meet new people – and to keep learning. I don’t think that the church can alone be responsible for one’s spiritual growth and that as Christians we need to step up and take personal responsibility for finding what we need to experience that growth)
The other piece to this for me is that when I was younger I chose to attend a four year Bible college. (Moody Bible Institute). I am so thankful that the Lord led me to make that decision as it truly gave me a basis for my spiritual growth for the rest of my life….
Great conversation on this post….
i think you need to eat a little bit more of whatever that is on the spoon…it’s pretty sad you can fit into your kid’s high chair at your age
Great question. There needs to be a growth and maturity that comes with spiritual growth. Very thought provoking.
Discipline. Easier said than done. Can I pick it up at McDonalds with my egg McMuffin?
@ Nathan:
I’ve been involved in one.
Worst experience of my Christian life.
So glad to be delivered from that church now and totally healed of the spiritual abuse that the preacher shoveled out.
Just because it’s an Expository Style Church doesn’t necessarily mean anything good.
You could not be more correct. I sense though that the lack of growth we often find in Christians is also symptomatic of society at large. People tend to want to walk the easy path which is not always the case for the faithful.
I find that the messages I hear in church are so very often only for those just starting in the faith or those not yet in it. My mind wanders off and I seek to learn and grown on my own. If I fail to do it for myself there is no one to blame but me.
For some the difficulty is that they are not prepared to work for the faith. Jesus said to count the cost, for there is one. Few are willing to pay it.
As Chesterton said, Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried.
this is so true, we need to step out of our high chiars and own our faith
Click Here to take survey
I love that picture!! Hilarious!
Just a side note, we have to make sure that we have a balanced diet. Through prayer, reading the bible, studying things that we don’t quite understand, hearing the Word in messages, and allowing God to speak to us peronally are all parts of a nutritious spiritual diet. I mean there may be people that only ever want to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but I prefer variety!….LOL
Hey Pete…saw this YouTube video today…thought you’d enjoy it if you haven’t already seen it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4QFKS4LzS4
Boy, I’m glad you clarified that in comments, Pastor Pete… Though the sheep are indeed to graze for themselves, so to speak, it is also the primary responsibility of the pastor to protect, shepherd, and, yes, provide food for the sheep. (And that from someone who is constantly begging, cajoling, and occasionally pounding it into believers that they *must* read and study the Word for themselves; besides, once one gets started, it’s incredibly difficult to put that Book of books down.)
Though…I would feel a lot better if you’d put that clarification in the post itself. I nearly had a heart attack!
(A friend of Jonnelle)
i saw this yesterday and thought: nice shirt. preacher man must feel pretty secure to wear an elmo t-shirt.
but, wait, today i can see that it’s actually an elmo baby bib. and i don’t know if that’s an improvement or downgrade!!!
When you can feed yourself you get the real manna…
Who wouldn’t want the manna?
Scot,
It’s all too typical to tell people to go to a Church that fits their “style” but that would be missing the point.
Let me put it another way. Let’s say you’re a mid to major city like Nashville. You invest a lot of money on infrasructure and developing growth corridors. You issue municiple bonds to pay for an arena and a stadium. You encourage corporations to move in and raise the economic tide. You go to great lengths to provide things to see and do, promoting a great environment for tourism.
Yet the schools are failing !
When concerned parents approach the Metro Council or Mayor’s office you simply tell them to provide their own alternative ? Like home school ? Like, move to Williamson County if education is your deal ?
I admire your lack of inhibitions in telling it like it is.
Perhaps you tell the poor to just feed themnselves too ?
This is a case of “if the shoe fits.” I don’t know what the seminaries teach of the growth/ marketing conferences sell, but there’s definitely a declining emphasis on honest to goodness teaching in the Church today. There’s contextualization of scriptures within varying frameworks of emphasis.
If we want people to feed themselves there have to be more consistent examples. In my experiences there isn’t enough accountability in this area. I see Pastors surrounding themselves with like-minded people and the Body seperating into camps. Your comments go right along with it.
In the end, the Word has to be a lot more important than a whole lot of flesh that has been creeping in. This topic is a sensitive one, and I know Pete isn’t denying the importance of teaching the Word. It’s just the days we live in…. there needs to be strong teachin AND strong independant study. One influences the other, it’s reciprocal.
Nathan – AMEN! If you look at what most seminaries are teaching these days it isnt the Bible – but Marketing 101 and “Church Planting”. When I look and see the caliber of preachers these days I would rather call seminaries – “The School for the Deaf and the Blind”, what we need today are men like Leonard Ravenhill, AW Tozer, and Charles Finney to awaken the church from its drunken stupor of Easy-beleivism and “Make Me Feel Good” preaching. What we need are men who fear God rather than fear men! No offense Pete, but when I see the stuff your promoting “Crazy in Love” by using a Will Ferrell clip and a secular song, just who are you really trying to draw near or impress here – God or just increasing the number of “nickels and noses”? Is Cross Point one of these “Seeker Sensitive” churches?? What the world doesn’t need is more Sensitivity to Sinners sinfulness, but rather to awaken men from the moral darkness of their sinfulness.
@Artanis86, Why is it that you guys that seem to have it all figured out and have all these strong convictions about what you believe never use your name. That just cracks me up.
I’m sure Pete won’t take offense to your comment but I DO. You know nothing about Cross Point and it’s passion to teach God’s Word. You take a quick peak at a video and jump to all kinds of conclusions.
Thank God leaders like Pete don’t fold to your silly and uneducated cheap shots.
Thank God they listen to Jesus and not to YOU.
10For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” Luke 19:10
Keep up the great work Cross Point. Keep reaching people that are lost in your community!
WOW! Now I get it. Before Jesus took up the cross he didn’t ask us to go forth and be Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, 7th Day Adventists, Methodists, Presbyterians etc etc etc. There was just…..Love….. Now I understand how that happened.
@Richard — ROFLOL!! That was classic….
Wow. One fear I have with the message, “feed thyself” is that those who self feed will stop discerning when the message is polluted in their churches. If you’re not at least at the table any longer, you cannot smell the stuff in the food that is spoiled, bad, or added to poison.
Ever heard the brownie analogy? It only takes one little tiny bit of dog poop to ruin a whole batch of brownies. If the mature Christians come to a service for the immature Christians and haven’t been taking in any of the message, and expecting the message to teach them something too, then they may zone out and miss the poison in the pudding. How do the immature ones know something is wrong? Now, I agree, the mature believers need to study the Bible themselves, and need to be in prayer. However, church is NOT only for the immature. We are all called to not forsake meeting together. That means we are all in need of fellowship, and need to learn from one another. Even the mature in our crowds.
Sure, you can call people to feed themselves, but it sure is nice to edify everyone in the body, not just new baby Christians.
I have learned a great deal from your series sync. I know I should do more, but I dedicate at least one to two hours a week to a bible study. I picked up a book by Max Lucado and I use his questions to help reference in the bible. I also try to go through my days as if Jesus was sitting beside me watching me as I work through my days. My walk with God has gotten so much stronger through Crosspoint’s teachings and through my own methods to have God transformed into me.
hi
tkdhzn7xxuymdfbh
good luck
hi
tkdhzn7xxuymdfbh
good luck
Definitely concur with what you stated. Your explanation was certainly the easiest to understand. I tell you, I generally get irked when folks discuss issues which they plainly don’t know about. You managed to strike the nail correct on the head and explained out everything without having complication. Maybe, people can take a signal. Will likely be back again to get a lot more. Many thanks