Feed Me!

I've go the voice of Cookie Monster in my head but I'm thinking that it was the plant from Little Shop of Horrors that used to say "feed me!" Either way, it "food" that is on my mind tonight - not "food" in the normal sense of the word - spiritual "food".

If you've been in the "church" world very long then I'm sure you've heard people say that they left a church because they just weren't getting fed or maybe you've contemplated leaving a church because you felt that way. I know I have before.

Can it be a valid reason for leaving a church - sure - but I think it's an overused excuse for not wanting to have to work to get "fed."

At church we have been going through a series called "Go Time." Our pastor has been focusing on teaching us that the Christian life is about more than just minding our own business and never sharing with others the exciting & abundant adventure God provides for us when we follow Him. Our pastor said something this weekend that I thought was really good.

His "ideal" church would be one that was 1/3 unbelievers, 1/3 new believers, and 1/3 mature Christ-followers.

Why is this the ideal for a church?

It shows that the church is doing what it's supposed to - sharing Christ with those that don't know Him, discipling them and then sending them out to continue the cycle.

I've heard lots of "seasoned" Christians complain that services on Sunday morning just aren't as "in depth" as they'd like hence the "I'm not getting fed" excuse for leaving a church. (for those reading from my current church - I'm speaking in general, not specifically to our church).

If a church is doing what it's supposed to then you may not get as in-depth a study as you might like on Sunday morning. Sunday mornings should be about the non-believer and the new believers, not the mature Christian. While it should NOT compromise the integrity of God's word or water it down, a pastor needs to preach to those two groups - hey that should be 60% of your church - that's a lot of people. While ALL people should be able to learn something out of Sunday morning service, remember who it should be geared for. (EDITED TO QUALIFY THIS PARAGRAPH: I think our church does a great job of preaching on Sunday morning so that EVERYONE can take something from it and apply it to their lives. I don't feel that any "meat" is sacrificed or watered down. That said, you should always be going more in-depth when you go to a small group. That's why I like it when our church puts together material for the small groups that coincides with the sermon series - it's an opportunity to take it further)

If you don't feel like you're getting "fed" through the Sunday morning service, I challenge you to take a good, long look at yourself.

1. Are you not getting "fed" because you are choosing not to eat?

2. Are you reading your Bible, praying, fasting, etc? It's not the church's responsibility to be the sole source of "food" for you,- YOU are responsible for how much "food" you eat - you just have to choose to "eat" it.

3. Are you involved in other areas of the church? For a mature believer and a new believer needing to be discipled, it is KEY to be involved in a small group or sunday school class. It is in those places that you should be finding more of the "meat & potatoes" meal that we all need as Christ-followers.

4. Are you sharing your faith with others? Another KEY part to growing as a Christ-follower is to share about Jesus with others. Does this mean that you have to hit them over the head with the gospel? Absolutely NOT. That type of sharing does have it's place but most of the sharing you do will be through the relationships that you develop. Sometimes it's as simple as just living your life for Christ and someone watching that.

I guess I'll leave you with this question:

Are you "hungry"?