I think, at times, we can forget that there was a time we would have actually chocked had someone fed us meat. I think, at times, we try to force feed babes in Christ when they are not ready (or able) to chew, swallow and digest some of the deeper things of God. I think, at times, we say, "What is wrong with you - this is good for you - now eat it" when they truly are not ready. The result of such well meaning effort, is usually not what we had hoped for-- they either refuse to take a bite; or, taste it, chew on it, and then spit it out; or, chew on it, and swallow it only to get a stomach ache from it.
While pondering this, I received this quote in my morning email devotionals. Lord humble us and remind us that we are all in different stages of spiritual maturity. Give us all more patience with those "babes" regardless of how old they may be physically.
“Dr Lloyd-Jones certainly did not believe that discussion of the doctrines of grace should be carried on in an atmosphere of controversy. To present those doctrines in an argumentative way to evangelical Christians of a different understanding, or to make a direct attack on their beliefs and practices, is unlikely to be beneficial. He thought that A.W. Pink had made a mistake at this point and that in so doing he had lost an opportunity to influence numbers who were incapable of suddenly receiving meat in the place of milk. Reflecting on this in later years, he was to say:“If I had behaved like Pink did, I would have achieved nothing. Nothing at all. I could see that the only hope was to let the weight of the truth convince the people. So I had to be very patient and take a very long term look at things. Otherwise I would have been dismissed and the whole thing would have finished.”
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
While pondering this, I received this quote in my morning email devotionals. Lord humble us and remind us that we are all in different stages of spiritual maturity. Give us all more patience with those "babes" regardless of how old they may be physically.
“Dr Lloyd-Jones certainly did not believe that discussion of the doctrines of grace should be carried on in an atmosphere of controversy. To present those doctrines in an argumentative way to evangelical Christians of a different understanding, or to make a direct attack on their beliefs and practices, is unlikely to be beneficial. He thought that A.W. Pink had made a mistake at this point and that in so doing he had lost an opportunity to influence numbers who were incapable of suddenly receiving meat in the place of milk. Reflecting on this in later years, he was to say:“If I had behaved like Pink did, I would have achieved nothing. Nothing at all. I could see that the only hope was to let the weight of the truth convince the people. So I had to be very patient and take a very long term look at things. Otherwise I would have been dismissed and the whole thing would have finished.”
"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." 1 Corinthians 3:1-3
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