“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 5:12
Are you satisfied with the depth of your Christian life? Too many are content with a dab of Christianity on Sunday mornings. They are uncomfortable around zealous believers. They want to compartmentalize everything, including God.
Most believers aren't concerned with spiritual depth. They figure since they got their “ticket punched” for heaven, that is all that is required of them. Devotion, service and self-sacrifice may be required of pastors, evangelists and missionaries, but not them.
It is true that there are more demands on our time than ever before. There is overt pressure to conform to the world's expectations. The fact is that we still only have 24 hours in a day. How we utilize that time says a great deal about our priorities.
In this age of entertainment, the worship of God has been reduced to highly programmed church services. In fact, most American Christians are attracted to “exciting” church services with a groovy band, choreographed events and a brief “life lecture.”
What if all the entertainment was stripped away, is that enough to keep you actively involved in your church? If all your church had to offer is Jesus, would that be enough to keep you engaged?
Sadly, we talk about the sufficiency of Christ when it comes to salvation, but for some reason, He isn't sufficient for our daily lives. This says more about us than it does Him.
In persecuted countries, Christians often have to meet in secret. There are no high-profile stage lights, a popular choir or jazzy entertainment. All they is the Word, the Spirit and each other. That is more than enough for them.
The reason that isn't enough for us is because we are shallow. We lack spiritual perspective and correct priorities. We are spiritually a mile wide but an inch deep. We have style but no substance. We specialize on the superficial to the neglect of the supernatural. Rather than impacting our world with the Gospel, the world is impacting our lives with its propaganda. Sadly, church members know more about the TV schedule than their Bibles. We're more concerned about the next election than Judgment Day.
Spiritual depth does not increase because the pastor tells jokes or the choir sings a new song. Instead, we grow deeper as we take God seriously, depending on Him and obeying His Word in spite of hostile circumstances. Although we try to avoid trials, they often make believers stronger. We don't need to live in fantasy-land, being saturated with entertainment in an effort to avoid responsibility or problems.
Such things as prayer meetings and Bible Study classes are avoided by most church members. These meetings are not flashy events. But how can we grow deeper if we refuse to have communion with God?
As our culture continues its decline into ungodliness, we can expect persecution to increase. If such a scenario plays out, we will need more than Sunday glitter and religious entertainment. We'll need to be deeply grounded in God's Word, anchored in truth and fervent in prayer.
Are you willing to go deeper?
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