Pray for Your Church: Leaders (6)
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5.12-14
A steady and balanced diet
We recall that Paul said Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Church He is building. He gives shape and direction to His Body so that it grows in unity and maturity for increasing likeness to Himself (Eph. 4.13-16). The foundation on which the Church must be built—and every local church—is that of the apostles and prophets—the Word of God in Scripture. Only then will our building take the shape of the Cornerstone.
Just as the members of our bodies need a steady and balanced diet to remain strong and healthy, so the members of Christ’s Body need careful and regular feeding as well. In our text, the people who received this epistle were not growing. For as long as they had known the Lord, they should already have begun discipling others (v. 12); however, their growth was being stunted by a poor diet. They had stopped feeding on the Word and thus, in their fear of what others might think, they’d lost sight even of the “first principles of the oracles of God”. They needed to go back to the “milk” of Christian growth—those basics about faith and baptism and the promise of resurrection and eternal judgment. They must again be made certain and convinced of these foundation stones, so that they could build from there in their own lives and the life of their church.
Once the “milk” had done its job in establishing them on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, it would be time for the “solid food” of God’s Word. The disciples must go deeper. Delight more in God and His Word and Law. Feed day by day at their own table and assemble to feast together on banquets of sound doctrine. Disciples are called to make disciples of others, and for this to be so, these stunted believers would need to become strong in the Lord and the power of His might, to feed daily, individually, and together on solid food—what Paul described as the “whole counsel of God” in His Word (Acts 20.27).
The leaders of our church, like the writer of Hebrews, must demonstrate such a commitment to the Word of God. Then they will be able to encourage and equip us, by all the courses of our holy spiritual feast, so that we may feed on and grow in the Word as our discipleship requires.
But not merely as an intellectual exercise. A steady and balanced diet of God’s Word provides the spiritual energy disciples need for the work of the Lord.
The goal of equipping
Our writer mentions that feeding on the Word of God has consequences. It produces outcomes, not just head knowledge, but a soul shaped in the likeness of Jesus directing a body that refracts His indwelling Presence.
The readers of the book of Hebrews ought to have been so well fed that they were feeding and teaching others the milk and solid food of the Word of God, and that by their lives and their words. All disciples are called to make disciples (Matt. 28.18-20). Being a disciple is not a separate category from being a Christian. Put another way, discipleship is not an option. If we excuse ourselves from being disciples, we call into question the validity of our claim to be a Christian. Believing in Jesus brings forth evidence of true faith, as the writer of Hebrews explained (Heb. 11.1). All believers are disciples. The disciples to whom the book of Hebrews was addressed were failing in their discipleship and in danger of being exposed as not true believers at all (6.4-6).
Disciples make disciples, but to be capable of teaching others, they must constantly put into practice whatever they are learning from their time in the Word of God. It is by “constant practice” (ESV) that we strengthen the bones and muscles of our faith for good works, including the work of making disciples.
Preachers and teachers must always bear this in mind. Disciples don’t grow into Christlikeness in leaps and bounds, but incrementally, here a little and there a little. We must teach the glory and majesty and scope of the whole counsel of God, but we must teach the disciples how to discern what that requires for every next step in their lives.
The more we “use” (NKJV) what we’re learning, the more we build up our senses and strength for living as disciples and making disciples.
As they are going
And we must always be reminded that our discipleship and our call to make disciples is “as you are going”, that is, in the normal course and among the activities and responsibilities of our daily lives. Our Personal Mission Field. We must be taught, and we must study God’s Word such that we may be transformed into His likeness and live for Him, so that in every aspect of our lives, everything we do, we will be conscious of seeking to glorify God (1 Cor. 10.31).
And the more we “practice” and “use” what we’re learning, the more our own souls and body will be shaped for true discipleship and disciple-making. The shepherds of our churches must exemplify such a zeal for God’s Word, and they must equip us for works of disciple-making ministry so we will resort to God’s Word daily for strength and growth.
Pray for yourself and the leaders of your church:
Lord, as I read and study Your Word,
show me how I must obey You every day.
Let Your Word shine light on my daily path,
and help me fulfill my calling
to make disciples as I am going.
And help our leaders to do the same,
and to exemplify and remind
and equip and exhort us
all together to follow Jesus
according to His Word.
For reflection
1. Who are the people to whom God sends you each week with His disciple-making charge?
2. How do you prepare each day, so that you may be faithful and make progress in this calling?3. How does your church help in equipping you as a disciple who makes disciples?
Next steps—Preparation: Make it a point each to take away from your reading and study of God’s Word one specific act of obedience that you faithfully fulfill throughout the day.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Knowing Jesus
Being confident witnesses begins in our relationship with Jesus, in knowing Him. Two books can help you grow in Jesus. To Know Him is a brief and lively exposition of Philippians 3.7-11 and explains what Paul means by this. You can order your copy by clicking here. Be Thou My Vision offers 28 daily meditations on Jesus, drawing on Scripture and writings from the period of the Celtic Revival. Order your copy by clicking here.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
