Jesus – Supersize Me!
Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn't talk to you as I would to mature Christians. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. I had to feed you with milk and not with solid food, because you couldn't handle anything stronger. And you still aren't ready. (I Corinthians 3:1-2)
I recently read an article about how the incidence of heart disease in Japan has risen sharply over the past decade. For hundreds of years, Japan has had a relatively small percentage of its population plagued by arterial plaque, yet in the span of a few short years, the populace is suddenly threatened with a real health problem.
This sounds like all the makings of a conspiracy theory. Is there a secret government plot to keep the population down? Or perhaps those strange contrails in the sky are made up of airborne cholesterol that raises our levels every time we breathe?
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Or perhaps the cause behind the corpulency is pretty easy to spot (no pun intended). It’s as plain as a national icon, say like a pair of golden arches. That’s right, fast food is turning Japanese - I really think so!
With the introduction of good old greasy American by-products into their food market, heart disease came lagging right behind. The traditional Japanese diet was incredibly healthy, which is one reason why bad heart health was not formerly a problem. But not any more! Tradition has been replaced by convenience, and the consequences are severe.
Don’t get me wrong, I am definitely one of the ‘6 billion served’ or whatever it is up to now. I’m the first to divert to the drive-through instead of making a meal. The point is that taking dietary short cuts can, in the long run, put you on the short road to bad health.
How eerily similar this is to the state of spiritual health in American Christians. Traditional diets of intense prayer and soul searching meditation have been replaced by the convenience of what I would call “supersize spirituality.” Most Christians are fast-food eaters, and that’s a bad thing. Eventually this diet will catch up with you and you’ll find yourself completely out of shape when the attacks come. So allow me to list a few of the spiritual fast food restaurants in your area to see if you’ve been dining there too much lately.
McBibles-
You can’t miss this place; it’s the one with the golden lettering on the front. Most people flip it open and shove down a quick verse or two, burp out an application, and hit the road. The sad part is that the ingredients are there for an incredible meal, but it’s a lot easier to live by the motto: A verse a day keeps the devil away!
The Bible wasn’t meant to be a quick meal; it was designed to provide a three course meal at every setting. The appetizer is called observation. This is where you read the text several times, do background and authorship studies, and look for key themes.
The main course is called interpretation. Dig in to the sumptuous Scriptural truths made from the Bread of Life!
And now for dessert. This is called application. This is where the sweetness of God’s word penetrates your life and makes you more like Christ.
Now on to the second fast food fiend:
Church Bell-
Many believers make a weekly run for the spiritual border. Sure, the truth is pastorally processed and religiously refried, but 30 minutes of preacher pontification seems to fill you up for six days. Maybe this is why so many believers are Sunday saints and six day sinners. Don’t get me wrong, you need to be in church - but you also need to be in a small group or study that allows you to dig deeper.
Keep going down the street and you may find:
Media King-
I mean, why break open your Bible or go to church when you can be fed right in the comfort of your own car or living room? There’s plenty of spiritual fast food floating through the airwaves, so why not dine on some delicious doctrinal delivery?
Because of something God has commanded:
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
The church of the airwaves is ok once in a while, but it is definitely no substitute for meeting with a local body. There are critical elements to the spiritual life that can only be accomplished in a church. You can’t worship with other believers, join your brothers and sisters for the Lord’s Supper, fellowship with other Christians, or join them in the Throne Room of God while sitting in your bathrobe at home!
The bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with getting spiritually fed once in a while at these restaurants, but if they become the primary sources of your spiritual diet, you are headed for spiritual heart disease.
Charles H. Spurgeon once said:
“A true Christian would rather go without a meal than without a sermon. He would sooner miss a meal than lose his daily portion of Scripture or his daily resort to the house of prayer.”
This week, take some time to savor the solid food from the living word of God. Read, recite, memorize, and share with Jesus and others what you have learned. Join a small group and get involved in your church. You may be surprised how incredible a real spiritual meal tastes.
Bon Appetit!
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Lane Palmer is the Youth Ministries Specialist for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., where he works with youth leaders and students, equipping them to be effective in sharing the gospel. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Find out how Dare 2 Share Ministries and Focus on the Family® are working together to capture the hearts of this generation of teenagers, visit www.capturetheirhearts.com Send feedback to lane@dare2share.org.
