FREQUENT FEASTING

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

How often do you eat? If you’re a “normal” individual you probably eat three meals a day? You also probably sneak in a few snacks here and there as well. What if you knew someone who ate only one meal a week? Would you think that they were peculiar? Possibly you would consider them insane to eat so infrequently? Your main concern about such a person would be that they would be endangering their health through malnourishment.

 

Eating on a regular basis is both wise and necessary. Our bodies require food to provide us with nourishment in order for us to survive and function. Without regular meals we would waste away to nothing. Lack of food causes numerous physiological problems. Our internal organs shut down and the communication amongst our nerves and muscles is compromised. Ultimately, without proper meals, we eventually starve to death.

 

In many ways our spiritual life is very similar. If we don’ eat spiritual food on a regular basis we can suffer spiritually. Spiritual food comes in many forms. It is served to us on Sundays in the form of a sermon. We receive nourishment when we praise God with our songs and music. Spiritual sustenance is provided when we participate in a small group Bible study. We are also fed spiritually whenever we fellowship with other believers. Mid-week services provide a much-needed spiritual boost to get through the week. Daily quiet times and prayer will sustain us through the difficult days we face. Partaking of spiritual food on a regular basis is necessary if we are to reach maturity in our faith.

 

Neglecting our spiritual needs will produce the opposite results as well. If we think we can sustain our spiritual life on only the sermon served us on Sunday mornings we are greatly misled. Fellowshipping with other believers only once or twice a month can lead to spiritual starvation. Failing to seek our Lord in prayer or to study His word on a regular basis can send us down the road of spiritual starvation.

 

1 Corinthians 3:1 4 gives us an example of what can happen when Christians fail to eat regularly and seek to grow in Christ. It says, “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” Here Paul is telling the Corinthians that they are still babies in Christ. They have not grown spiritually because they have not regularly eaten of God’s word and sustained themselves on prayer and fellowship. Paul desires to feed them solid spiritual meat but they are unable to digest it because they are content to lie around drinking milk. He makes an observation that they are failing to grow in Christ and mature spiritually. Worldliness still manifests itself in their lives and progress is not being made.  

 

We should take note here that the responsibility of the servant of Christ is to seek to grow in Him. Failure to grow means we can become believers who are 10, 20, 30, years old in the faith but are still babies spiritually. If our spiritual maturity were reflected outwardly, how many of our churches would be filled with adults walking around in diapers? We should be glad that our spiritual maturity is not reflected by our outward appearance, though it is often observed in our outward actions. Spiritual babies act just as regular babies do. They tend towards selfishness with an inadequate knowledge or understanding of what is going on around them. They are open for attacks from the evil one since they lack mature faith to withstand his onslaughts. We are all in a process of growth in our Christian walk. Making a commitment to feed ourselves on God’s Word, fellowship, prayer and worship will go a long way in helping us grow in Christ.

 

Hebrews 5:11 14 gives us another example of spiritual feeding. Here the writer of Hebrews says, “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.” Here again we are given an example of New Testament Christians who have failed to eat regular spiritual meals. This has hindered their development and when they should be teaching others about the gospel they are still spiritual babies unable to comprehend anything other than the more simplistic aspects of faith. We need to start with the milk of the word in the beginning of our Christian life but progress to solid food which builds maturity and understanding of what is good and evil. If we never grow up spiritually we will continue to suck on the bottle of spiritual milk. This can prevent us from being able to handle the solid, meatier aspects of the Christian life that require spiritual maturity to digest.

 

1 Peter 2:2 3 states, “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.” We are encouraged here to desire and seek pure spiritual milk, but we are also encouraged to grow up in our salvation. When we are born again as new creatures in Christ, that is only the beginning. Our Heavenly Father expects us to continue to grow to maturity. He expects us to add muscle and bone to our faith. He desires for us to grow strong in our commitment to Him. He commands us to become holy, as He is holy. Holiness comes from partaking of good quality and substantial spiritual food on a regular basis.

 

How have you been eating spiritually? Have you sought out Christian fellowship regularly? Do you pray and study God’s Word often. Do you worship and honor your Lord with your lifestyle? Consider this next week how you’ve been eating spiritually and see if you can make progress in your choices of spiritual food so you can grow in the grace and knowledge of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

 

But remember – spiritual feasting requires spiritual exercise to be healthy and productive in serving the Lord. We are to feast on spiritual truth so that we can apply it to our daily lives, serve others in love, share the Gospel of salvation and worship our Heavenly Father.

 

Ephesians 4:11 16

“It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”