The pastor tells you to turn to a certain book, a certain chapter, a certain verse as he reads the desired passage to the dutiful body of listeners. Then he closes the Bible and begins his interpretation for the next forty-five minutes as the listeners wrestle through another uninspiring sermon straight from the minds of uninspiring men. And after setting the spoon aside and wiping their mouths, the flock takes their leave and heads back out into the fields to graze another week as the shepherd dissapears inside his hut and closes the door.
Spoon-fed Christians will never grow into maturity, but will remain content, fat, lazy and indifferent to their increasing poverty. What are you learning when never being weaned keeps you in a state of comfortable ignorance? If a teacher kept their students spoon-fed, and never challenged them to take the initiative, not to think independently, not to study the subject matter, not to ascertain truth from heresay, just what do you supose would happen? A generation without understanding, unable to cope with reality, afraid of shadows, intolerant of differing views, demanding that their opinons be accepted, and always trying to force others into compliance. This is not just the case in societies today, but has sadly reared its ugly head within mainline denominations also. And so we have a generation of faithless and compromising believers whose faith has sandy foundations and a plethora of opinions and worldviews that do not line up with sound doctrine.
Were you aware that the first believers did not have the new testament in the hand? That they were all taught from the Torah, the Law and the prophets? And that the scriptures were not broken down into chapters and verses, thereby requiring a reading of the entire book? But today? Oh, how the modern believer would thrash about helplessly without a study Bible, commentaries, expositories, chapters and verses, a Strong’s Concordance, and all the other Bible helps as though the Word of God needs mans’ help to elucidate its meaning!
Stand up like a man and gird your loins with the truth! Stop whining about not being able to understand the word when your eyes are watching the newest Netxflix film or reading your favorite book on the table while the Word languishes in the corner! Strengthen the weak knees and feeble hands, and stop gazing at the clouds dreaming of a rapture that won’t come as you have been so foolishly led to believe. Far too many of you live in complete ignorance of what the scriptures teach, preferring instead to have your understanding spoon-fed just as your mothers did when you were babies. And most of you still are being spoon-fed today, by corrupt teachers, lazy shepherds, false teachers, lying prophets, entertainers cloaked in Christian themes, Christian writers penning lies, intellectual theologians kept captive in the citadels of their minds, and the list goes on. But to know the Word of God and to keep its precepts is something that the most of you are unwilling to do. It’s too hard to understand, you claim, but only because you have no interest in learning it. Be honest and stop lying to yourself, you just don’t want to study the Word. It’s much easier to call yourself a Christian, got to a church and be fed than it is to apply yourself to studying the word without the words of men to cloud your vision.
A young engineer dreams of working for JPL, but needs two more years of schooling. What is the dream worth? A young girl dreams of flying to the moon and it all begins with a flight school. What is her dream worth? A man tells his family that he wants to become a Christian, the family will disown him is the reply. Is he willing to pay the cost? And you say that you are a believer but refuse to read or study the word. Of what value has your faith? Be your own judges on the matter, and the Lord will judge you according to the words of your mouths and the works of your hands.
When you have time, and all of us do, then we often proritize it according to our wills, as you, who are reading this obviously do. And when there is no time to read your Bible, that simply means that is one of the lesser things that need your attention. And that is the wrong attitude because the written word will take you to the living word which will bring you to the heavenly Father, but are they of such minimal significance in your version of a Christian life? Or do you believe as many do, the Bible is simply a collection of mythological content such as the world offers through their countless tales of gods and goddesses? That over time the stories have been changed so that no one really knows facts from fiction, and the archaologists have the determing say? Of course, it needs to be mentioned that the ever-changing revisions and updates are adding more confusion and uncertainties as more Bibles are added to muddy the waters, thereby increasing the doubts of many believers. Are any of these some of the lame-duck excuses you use to justify the spirit of laziness in you? Come on in, said the hungry spider to the curious fly, or the curious bee as it approaches the Venus Fly trap, not knowing that it is a one way trip. And then the lazy soul that leans upon a shaky reed anchored in the sand as they recline on a drowsy Sunday morning, believing most foolishly that they are in good hands. Spare the rod, spoil the child, and modern-day Christians are very spoiled indeed.
Go out and buy a King James Version without chapters, verses, commentaries, notes, maps or anything that is from the minds of man. The Word is all you need and a desire to learn of the Lord and to drink fresh waters from His cistern. People, It isn’t that hard to do! Just wake up! Don’t take in what you hear, but prove what is being said through the Word. If the words you hear go against the words you read, then stand up and walk out that door, and let the dead bury their dead, but you follow the Lord.
Spoon-fed Christians are nothing more than zombies acting as they think a Christian should. Wouldn’t you rather know what it means to be a disciple of the Living Lord Jesus Christ? Stand up and cast away those chains of contentment, put aside the droning voices buzzing about without words of life. Don’t be as the sleeping virgins who were not keeping watch, or the unfaithful servants not doing their master’s will. But be very alert for your adversary goes about as a prowling lion seeking those whom to devour. And if you refuse wisdom, knowledge and instruction, then your slothfulness will become your undoing. Hence, away with the spoons!
I remain a brother to those in the faith of Jesus Christ.
Edward L Ordway.
