Grow Up

“….brothers, I could not address you as a spiritual people, but……… as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready” 1 Corinthians 3:1-2(ESV)
My wife and I have just returned from a short visit home to attend the dedication of our youngest grandson. Harry is now 8 months old and is growing so quickly. He is so much more alert and inquisitive and conscious of everything around him. He is beginning to move around independently when you put him down on the floor. Turning from his back onto his tummy he holds his head up and tries to push forward with his legs. Not quite got the hang of it yet but it will not be long..The point is, little Harry is not the same today as he was when he was born 8 months ago. He has grown in size and in personality, in ability and character. He is doing and being what he is naturally supposed to do!!
The Christian life begins with the ‘new birth’ and that analogy with physical birth is one that the Apostle Paul refers to, especially in 1 Corinthians Chapter 3 when he expresses his frustration with believers  who have not grown as they should have! They are still only ‘infants’ feeding on milk, when they should have been ‘adults’ feeding on meat. The results were problems in the church caused by infantile behaviour! The greater problem however was that they seemed completely unaware of it and needed the Apostle to bring it to their attention. Ironically they thought themselves spiritually astute?
It is still so frustrating that centuries on there are still believers who are just like those at Corinth in the 1st Century. The saddest thing is that 20 centuries latter believers seem to have grown so accustomed to it they do not even try to change! Milk is fine, easy to digest and does not take long to get down? They are happy with their stunted growth?
So what is wrong and what do we do about it?
Can I suggest that, while it is the believers own responsibility to ‘work out their salvation with fear and trembling’ that there is a responsibility on us..the Church, the leaders and the Pastors too. After all as a parent if you saw this happening to your child would you not be moved to take action? We need to challenge the status quo, begin to faithfully, consistently and Biblically preach and teach the solid meat of the Scriptures and not what has become the common Sunday diet of nothing more than a milkshake and believers YOU need to GROW UP!