Focus: Stop Kidding! (Pt.3)

Text: 1Cor.13:11

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things."

Spiritual infancy is characterized by ignorance and selfishness. A spiritual infant feeds mainly on milk - the milk of the gospel. What he wants is what he wants; he knows no other wants but his own. He takes and takes and takes. Everything must be done for him or everyone is in trouble. He is full of noise and insists on what he wants. A spiritual infant is a lot of work. You do all the giving while he is constantly on the receiving end. Can you imagine what it means being like this for the rest of your life? No growing up? No sharing of family responsibilities? No sense of maturity? Imagine that an arrested development has occurred and the result is a state of permanent infancy! The church has children that have yet to grow up to see the big picture and participate in what God is doing.

Let us look at a Biblical example that will help us to understand the need to grow up. The Scripture says, "And the CHILD did MINISTER unto the LORD before Eli the priest." Again we read, "But Samuel MINISTERED before the LORD, being a CHILD, girded with a linen ephod" (1Sam.2:11,18). Here we see Samuel as a child, ministering to the Lord. Today we have a lot of spiritual infants in ministry. Again, the Scripture says, "And the CHILD Samuel GREW before the LORD… And the CHILD Samuel GREW on..." (1Sam.2:21b,26). Did you get that? Samuel was growing up before the Lord, and again, Samuel 'grew on.' God delights in the spiritual development of His children. 

What joy will a parent have in a child who is not growing up? Samuel grew and grew on. He kept growing up. God loves to seeing us grow and become responsible and accountable members of his great family. We need to keep growing because we can get to a place in our spiritual walk with God where maturity comes to an end - a place where growth is needless.

Now the next Scripture says, "And the CHILD Samuel MINISTERED unto the LORD before Eli… Now Samuel DID NOT YET KNOW the LORD, NEITHER was the word of the LORD yet REVEALED unto him" (1Sam.3:1,7). Here is the problem of spiritual infancy. Samuel was ministering before the Lord as a child, but lacked the knowledge of who God was. Simply put, that is serving God in ignorance. That is doing the work of the Lord without knowing Him. 

The Lord Jesus Christ says to the Samaritan lady, "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship…" (Jh.4:22). In serving and worshiping God, knowledge of God is critical and vital. Jesus says, "We know what we worship." Paul says to the Athenians, "For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye IGNORANTLY worship, him declare I unto you" (Act.17:23). 

In our spiritual infancy we find ourselves worshipping and serving ignorantly. We operate by a zeal that is devoid of knowledge. Paul says concerning his brethren in the flesh, "For I bear them record that they have a ZEAL OF GOD, BUT NOT according to KNOWLEDGE" (Rom.10:2). This is frightening - having the zeal of God, but lacking the knowledge of God. Zeal without knowledge can be very dangerous. 

Samuel found himself in a situation where he served as a child, but he had no idea of who God was. No doctrine of God in his soul. The word of the Lord had not been revealed to him. Even when the Lord decided to give him something, he was unable to identify God's voice or who it was that was speaking to him. Twice he assumed or presumed that Eli was calling him. By the second time, Eli understood what was going on with him, and guided him on what to say if the voice returned for the third time. He needed guidance and teaching to understand and grow in knowledge.

Immaturity is a big problem in the church today. There is so much noise on the pulpits. The people are in need of a distinct sound, no noice and confusion. How can spiritual infants grow where pop psychology is being dished out by the ordained preachers and teachers. Personal opinions, personal interpretations and personal views dominate the pulpits. No word from God. No 'this says the Lord.' No power. No anointing. No revelation by the Spirit. No spiritual insight. O Lord, help us! 

Samuel ministered to God in ignorance. The Athenians worshipped in ignorance. The Samaritans worshipped what they knew nothing about. The Jews operated in a zeal without knowledge. Ignorance is very expensive. Hosea declares, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children" (Hos.4:6). Isaiah says, "Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it" (Isa.5:13-14). Jeremiah says, "For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge" (Jer.4:22). Jesus says to His disciples, "Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of" (Lk.9:55). That is how expensive and dangerous ignorance is. 

God wants His children to grow in knowledge, faithfulness and fruitfulness. God says through the mouth of Jeremiah, "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding" (Jer.3:15). And Peter admonishes us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2Pet.3:18). Let us grow up and be usable and useful to our God and one another! Let's grow, know and do! Amen.

Part four next.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter