Struggling with you ABC's?Okay – no gloating allowed. So you know all the alphabet letters in their proper order. Which consonant doesn’t have a real vowel or another consonant after it? Sorry - maybe that was a little on the tough side. If an argument erupted in a Toy store over the number of alphabet letters, would you be able to put your hands on your hips and say authoritatively: “Look you two scrappers – I’ll settle this once for all. The exact number is 27! We learned that in kindergarten!”
The writer to the Hebrew believers was bursting to teach them about the Melchizedekan Priesthood of the Lord Jesus but he pauses: “They won’t have a clue what I am talking about because they are even forgetting the ABC’s of their Christian faith.” He digressed from the teaching on Christ being a Priest after the order of Melchizedek to focus on their deteriorating spiritual condition. The Christians needed a thorough assessment by both an audiologist and nutritionist. They were failing the basic hearing tests and had reverted to baby food and breast milk again.
I wonder how they reacted when they heard the letter read! Were they indignant? “The next time that teacher stops by to give us some ministry, I’ll give him a piece of my mind. The problem’s not with us – it’s him. He’s just not a teacher!” Let’s face it – there was no beating around the bush or pussy-footing the issue. The writer had just mentioned Melchizedec and then he says this:
Of whom we have many things to say
and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing.
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers,
ye have need that one teach you again
which be the first principles of the oracles of God;
and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
(Hebrews 5:11-12)
The ‘hearing’ issue may have gone undetected by an audiologist. The problem wasn’t in their ear drums. They had become lazy Christians who tuned-out when the teaching got a little deep. They were no longer digging for themselves in the Word of God. They had shut down their mining operations despite the fact they were sitting on the rich ore deposits of Scripture. They were even forgetting the ABC’s of the Bible – the first principles of the oracles of God. Perhaps they weren’t sure how many letters were in their alphabet either. By the way don’t bother writing to tell me there are 26 letters.
We are living in a fast food society. Drive-thru windows are great. Grab a bite on the run. No time for peeling potatoes, slicing carrots, or cooking a roast? Why bother when you can get pre-cooked stuff already, zap it in the microwave, stir and eat. No time to sit down? Hey – buy one of those nourishment-for-a-day milkshake combos. Suck it up in a straw and it’s the equivalent of a meal!
I can’t grow spiritually if I’m NOT taking the time to dig into my Bible and if I’m not responding to and obeying the Scriptures. When have you last had three fingers inside your Bible separating the pages as you compared one verse with another somewhere else? When did you last underline a verse? When did you fill up a page with your notes from what you were studying in your Bible?
If the only spiritual nourishment I’m getting is when I go to an assembly meeting or to a Bible conference or a verse from a calendar or an email a couple of times a week…. if I’m relying solely on bottled milk and spoon fed food then it’s time to conduct a deep spiritual progress assessment. I’ve got problems.
“Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11
Be sure to enjoy the Lord today.
Warmly in Christ,
Peter Ramsay
Barbara Walters - Will She Make It To Heaven? Read the latest story on: www.heaven4sure.com |
