Scott’s Blog

Several folks are wondering why we’re emphasizing introducing people to Jesus over helping Christ followers grow. That is a great question and there are at least two main reasons for it.

First, we believe that time is short. Jesus is coming soon. I recently heard Dr. David Jeremiah, who, as close as I can figure, is approaching his 70th birthday, say that he believes that Jesus will come back before he dies. New Christ followers go to heaven right along with those that are already in the growth process. If I was on the Titanic when it started to go down I would concentrate on helping people that couldn’t float learn to float before I’d help those that could float learn to swim.

Second, in order to really develop as a follower of Christ one must develop his or her heart for the world. Theology and doctrine must be understood in the context of God’s heart for the world or it becomes little more than theological indoctrination. When Christ followers develop God’s heart for the world their spiritual formation or discipleship happens in the context of real life spiritual warfare, which is the only way it can really happen.

Ask yourself a question: Why does God want you to grow in him? It is simply so you can grow, is it for you alone or is there perhaps a larger agenda at work? The answer is obvious, God wants us to grow so we can glorify him and participate in building his kingdom. Our personal growth is not about us, it is about God’s glory and Kingdom building. Growth, apart from participation in Kingdom building is counterfeit growth.

In addition, the task of discipleship or spiritual formation in the church is struggling. One of the main problems with Christian education, whether in the church, at school, or at home is that we teach the what, and sometimes even the why, without teaching the how. If knowledge, especially spiritual knowledge, is not given context and practical application it becomes heartless indoctrination that is not related to life. This is part of what has happened to the current generation of Christian adults, they’ve been indoctrinated without being discipled. We’ve given information apart from transformation.

We are going to work hard at helping people grow in Christ, we’re working on a whole new way to help people learn and grow. It’s important, very important. But for the reasons stated above, among others, the primary task is introducing people to God. Then, helping them grow.

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I still think about it from time to time. It makes me smile. If you’re a parent you either have or will have these memories too. Each of our boys walked through the same process. They’re sitting in the hi-chair wearing a diaper and one of those one piece tee shirt things. Bib is on, of course, but it is pretty useless too. There is food everywhere. It’s spread on the tray, all over the face and there is a big smiling, happy boy! Sometimes he happily bangs on the tray with his spoon, other times he spills the contents of the spoon while he’s trying to get it to his mouth. Other times the spoon makes it all the way up without spilling only to miss his mouth and end up on his face. Funny, messy, necessary stuff.

Funny because, well I don’t know, it’s funny to see a kid trying to learn to feed himself. Messy because he’s really bad at feeding himself at this stage. Necessary because everybody has to learn to feed himself.

I remember feeling a bit out of the loop when our guys first came home from the hospital. Bren had this special relationship by virtue of being together with them for nine months. Then the nursing began and every need the little guy had was filled by his mom. Sure, I could change diapers, but that was no fun. He didn’t cry for me, he just didn’t need me very much. I’m thankful for a partner that did all she could to facilitate the process of including me in the relationship.

After a few months of nursing and bottle feeding we began to very slowly introduce soft foods. Mushed up Lima beans and fruit and stuff like that. The food didn’t look very good to me, but they loved it. We made such a big production out of feeding them. Like you we would take great care in what was given to them, then, also like you, we’d pretend the spoon was a big truck or a boat or a plane. He’d laugh and clap and bang on the tray all while learning a very important skill; eating.

Through the years and through the stages our boys had to learn how to feed themselves. From those very early years through adolescence when Bren would send them to the store with some cash, and a shopping list prepared from a menu they’d put together. They learned how to select foods and manage a limited amount of cash and then come home to prepare a meal for the family.

The transformation is amazing! From helpless nursing baby to self feeding adult. They’ve even learned some manners along the way.

Food is not the only place where our health is dependent upon becoming a self feeder. Our spiritual life is the same way. During those stages before we surrender our life to Christ we are completely dependent on being fed by others. Sermons and lessons and conversations with those further along are our only means of nourishment. But as we move toward Christ it is vital that we learn to begin to feed ourselves. Finding appropriate materials to read and learning to ingest God’s Word and apply it to our lives leads to more growth. Eventually we not only feed ourselves but participate in the process of feeding others as well.

One of the places the church in the United States has fallen down is in helping people move from being dependent upon being fed by others to becoming a self feeder. It amazes me when I hear a person that’s been walking with God for many years say they’re leaving a church because they aren’t being fed. I wonder what any preacher would be able to tell them that they didn’t already know. I wonder why they aren’t consumed by preparing meals for themselves and others.

One of the main mountains we’ve got to climb at EBC is learning how to develop those entrusted to our care into self feeders. 

It’s a messy, gradual process that is fraught with land mines. But it is necessary. We are enduring a culture of protracted infancy in the church in America because we’ve created an unnecessary dependency on the church and haven’t matured individuals to become self feeders. The church is always necessary, walking with God has a definite community element and we grow together in community. But if you’re dependent on the church for your growth you’ll only grow so far. Then you’ll stop, get self focused and cynical, and lose your spiritual vitality.

At EBC we want to embrace the messiness of emerging self feeders.  We want to figure out how to mentor people through that process and celebrate their emergence as a self feeder. Then we want to welcome them back as a nurturer of newer followers of Christ. And , we want to do it all to the glory of God while we relentlessly focus on introducing people to God… for life.

What an exciting time! You in?

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