February 24
GOING BACK TO THE BASICS “?”
-Have you ever heard someone tell you that they were “going back to the basics”? It is quite a common statement
among Christians. It sounds really holy, doesn’t it? It has a good ring to it, don’t you think? The question is
then, should we go back to the basics? NO!
-That has got to be the biggest "cop out" statement of all time!!! The words "cop out" mean to avoid a responsibility.
What is it that we are avoiding by going back to the basics in God? We are avoiding and refusing to GROW UP IN GOD.
-God never told us to go back to the basics. He did however tell us to BUILD UPON THE BASICS. We must have the basic (
elementary ) knowledge of the gospel written on our hearts, and then we are to GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD.
When people are challenged to learn something about God that is new to them, they throw up their hands and say, … I
am going back to the basics. What they are really saying is this: “I do not want to be moved out of my comfort zone.
I already have all my ducks in a row. Please do not trouble me with any other knowledge about God. I would rather camp out
and remain as a babe in Christ.” In essence, THEY ARE SCARED TO GROW UP IN GOD!
-You can assure yourself of this: TO GO BACK TO THE BASICS IN GOD IS TO GO BACKWARDS IN GOD! We must understand that God’s
revelation to man is a PROGRESSIVE REVELATION. We must always be ready to move in God, having our spiritual ear tuned in to
His voice. Listen to the apostle Paul’s frustration in dealing with people who wanted to stay as babes, or go back to
the basics. 1st Corinthians 3:1-3 states, … And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto you were not able
to bear it, neither yet now are you able. For you are yet carnal: … Hebrews 5:13 states, … For every one that
uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age,
…
-Please understand that the basics ( the milk of the word ) are very important. We should spend time drinking of the milk
of the word, for there is nothing wrong with being a babe in Christ. But there comes a day that every baby must GROW UP! As
we begin to grow in God, we are then able to take the solid foundation ( the basics ) of simple faith in Jesus Christ, and
begin to build on top of it. DO NOT continually go back to the basics. To go back to the basics in God would be the same as
a grown man continually seeking to lay in his mother’s arms and drink a bottle. The church is full of people who do
not want to grow up in God.
-We must go forward in God, not backward in fear and pride. It is time to graduate to the strong meat of the word, becoming
teachers, rather than having to be taught over and over again, while remaining as a bottle-fed babe in Christ.
-MAY WE GROW IN GRACE AND IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD!-
