拒绝成长
希伯来书五章11至14节
11论到麦基洗德，我们有好些话，并且难以解明，因为你们听不进去。
12看你们学习的工夫，本该作师傅，谁知还得有人将神圣言小学的开端另教导你们，并且成了那必须吃奶，不能吃干粮的人。
13凡只能吃奶的都不熟练仁义的道理，因为他是婴孩；
14惟独长大成人的才能吃干粮；他们的心窍习练得通达，就能分辨好歹了。
信息分享
希伯来书有几段严词警告读者的经文，今天我们将读到其中一段。它不单警告昔日的收信者，对我们今天也同样有提醒作用。
我们成了基督徒之后，很容易会疏懒下来，停留在最初的阶段，不再花时间去读经、祈祷，以致灵命停滞不前。但如此一来，我们便无法成长，无法明白神的话语。
经文提到两种食物：奶和肉。奶是代表简单的福音真理，是我们最初认识基督时所明白的。当我们决志信靠祂，我们就在基督里经历重生；一个初生的信徒便需要不断成长，以致能明白神对我们的旨意。随着信徒逐渐成长，他便进到「吃肉」的阶段。来到这个阶段，并不表示我们要追问难解的问题，或没完没了的讨论。我们还是相信同一个福音，并没有改变。信徒只是在这个阶段更多认识神在基督里所赐给我们的真理，直至我们懂得自行探求真理。
这段经文对所有信徒发出提醒和挑战。我们今天需要反省的问题包括：我的基督徒生命是否停滞不前？对比于我最初认识基督的那一刻，我现是否更深的认识祂？我用了多少时间来研读神的话语，以致在信仰上成长？
只有基督才能满足我们的需要。神的旨意是要我们不断在灵里成长。我们怎样才能进入神为我们预备的完全境地呢？
经文反思：腓立比书三章10至12节
REFUSING TO GROW UP
Hebrews 5:11-14
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Message
This is one of several passages in the book of Hebrews which were strong warnings to the readers of that day and still have a great deal to say to us.
It is so easy not to go on as a Christian. It is so easy to stand still. It is so easy not to spend time in prayer and study. But if we stand still, then obviously we are not growing so we cannot begin to understand what God is saying to us in his Book.
There are two kinds of food mentioned here. One is milk, the other is meat. Milk stands for the simple truths of the gospel which we learned when we first came to Christ. As we put our faith in them and in Christ we are born again and we begin to grow. But we need to learn more of what God has planned for us. This is called 'eating meat'. It is still the same gospel. It is not difficult questions and endless discussions. It is not negative teaching. It is the further knowledge of all that God has provided in Christ, then entering into those truths for ourselves.
That is the challenge of these verses. The questions for us today are these: How far have I come in my Christian life? How much more of Christ do I know today than I did when I was first converted? How much time do I give to the study of God's Word?
No-one else but Christ can meet our needs. Spiritual growth is God's plan for us all. What can we do to enter more fully into that plan?
SOME VERSES FOR TODAY:
Philippians 3:10-12