“Whom shall he teach knowledge? And whom shall he make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts” (Isaiah 28:9).
Scripture is a treasure of information, yet most Christians don’t take the time to dig for that treasure. Too many times, the very people who should be driven to share this treasure simply pick and choose the noncontroversial Scriptures that make everybody feel good. In doing that, the integrity of God’s word is compromised. The preacher simply sorts through his own thoughts and talks about things that don’t upset the woke and politically correct agendas. In doing so, much of God’s word is compromised.
God’s word and expectations never change. His directions for our lives are best, and lusts of the flesh must be controlled.
In today’s world, it seems as if truth is optional. Much of the blame for this is directly caused by lack of sound Scriptural teaching within the Christian community. Pastors are more concerned about losing the tax-exempt status than losing souls to Hell.
There is still a remnant out there that holds God’s word as the authority. These Biblically sound men teach from Genesis through Revelation without trying to change what God meant when He said things like, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3), and compare it with Jesus’ words, “…I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me” (John 14:6b).
The congregations who sit under false teachers need to demand truth and hold them accountable. God will.
Isaiah said that those who are weaned from milk can understand doctrine, but milk seems to be all that’s fed to Christians. It’s possible that the pastors don’t have knowledge of the Scriptures and therefore can’t wean their congregations. On more than one occasion, I asked a pastor a fairly basic question and got the very disturbing answer of “I don’t know.” Fortunately, I was able to find the answers I needed from other sources.
Once, my husband was very upset that the pastor didn’t teach that Jesus was God incarnate and skipped verses regarding this truth. One day, Ron asked the assistant pastor point blank, “Is Jesus God?” and got the answer, “Well, there are a few ideas on that subject.” Oh my. It wasn’t long until we found another place to attend, but that pastor put more emphasis on “my favorite atheist” and quoting rock and roll singers rather than on God’s word, and prayer was an afterthought rather than a matter of importance.
Peter had denied Christ, but Jesus knew that he would be a good leader. Perhaps the Holy Spirit can see promise in the pastors who fall short. After the resurrection, when Jesus met with the disciples on the shores of Galilee, Jesus spoke with Peter and restored him into fellowship and gave Peter his marching orders. Three times Jesus asked, “… Simon son of Jonas lovest thou me?…” (John 21:15a, 16a, & 17a). Each time, Peter said yes. It would be good to do a word study on the word “love” used in this passage and see exactly what Jesus asked and what Peter replied.
The first time, Jesus told Peter, “Feed my lambs“ (John 21:15b). The second and third time, Jesus told Peter, “Feed my sheep” (John 16b & 17b). Lambs need milk but will die if they are only fed milk. The sheep need more than milk. Peter obeyed and later wrote, “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious” (1 Peter 2:1-3).
Newborn babes in Christ need a firm foundation but also need to grow into deeper understanding. Line upon line and precept upon precept.
Paul was very disappointed with the congregation in Corinth. They were proud of the sin infiltrating the congregation, and it had to stop. This group of believers was ‘woke’ and tolerant of sin, very carnal in their thoughts and actions.
“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 ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).
This wasn’t a compliment and could be written to many congregations today. We need to grow in our knowledge and understanding of God’s word. What a shame that Paul couldn’t talk to these brethren in grown-up terms. They had only been fed milk and weren’t able to deal with God’s greater knowledge. Because of this, sin permeated the congregation, and they tolerated things that they should have been appalled over.
What about your place of worship? Is sin accepted in order to keep the membership numbers up and the collection plate full? Teaching line upon line may offend some people, but it is the best way to teach.
I live in a small town that boasts of many churches, and the parking lots are full on Sunday mornings. What’s being fed to the flock? I’ve been very disturbed over the number of very heinous sexual assaults against children, and have wondered how these evil acts seem to be overlooked by the Christian population. My feeling is that Satan is getting a foothold here, and I’ve prayed.
A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon the answer to what’s happening. I had visitors from out of town, and they wanted to see various things around town. The clerk in the motel suggested a certain business…a mall…so off we went. I had never been there before, but there are many places in town I haven’t been to. When we got there, we found a very dirty (filthy) place with large tubs catching the rainwater running from the ceiling. The walls were mostly just old studs. I’m not sure why we went any further into the building, but we did. Finally, we saw a light coming from a shop in the back of the building, so we headed that way. I stopped immediately without entering. It was a Wiccan shop that had a sign saying, “Come in and sit for a spell.” We left immediately. This was the answer to the child abuse and other crimes happening in this little town with so many churches.
I’m not advocating that the owners should be burned at the stake, or tarred and feathered, but where are the prayer warriors? I’ve been praying daily against this evil spirit and that the owners will meet Jesus.
A large problem with Christian teaching is denial of the evil that Satan promotes. It’s OK to know that God is a supernatural being…God is love and all is sugar and spice, but it’s wrong to even mention the evil supernatural that’s waiting to pounce on weak lambs who have only been fed milk.
If Scripture is taught line upon line and precept upon precept, we’ll learn about the enemy, the evil supernatural enemy. Eve chatted with him in the Garden of Eden, and Adam just stupidly went along in disobedience to God. They lost Paradise for all of us. Outside of the Garden, there were struggles and hardships, but the population grew. Eventually, the fallen angels had sexual relations with human women, and God was forced to destroy all of creation by the Flood.
“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose“ (Genesis 6:1-2).
If you’ve been taught that this was Cain’s daughters marrying Seth’s sons, you’ve been fed milk. Except for Noah, his family (who were genetically pure), and a few animals, the whole world met with God’s wrath.
Scripture is never lax in speaking of evil and how important it is to trust God, so why do pastors avoid teaching the truth? Is it because they haven’t been weaned from milk themselves? It’s time for meat to be served.
Scripture doesn’t avoid the issue of evil supernatural; God loved the Israelites enough to warn them about the spiritual evils to avoid. “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations” (Deuteronomy 18:9).
Today, we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by confronting sin.
A line-by-line study through Scripture reveals how important it is to trust and obey God. “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
What does it mean to pass your children through the fire? That’s offering your children to a demon god through murder. Today, we “tolerate” abortion of our sons and daughters. This is nothing less than offering a human sacrifice to a demon god.
God doesn’t wink at sin, nor does He accept it. How many pastors just keep on following the Rick Warren and Joel Osteen type of teaching that is skim milk? This has to stop, and we need pastors who aren’t afraid to stand firm on Scripture.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou has forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children” (Hosea 4:6).
Hosea was a prophet and warned Israel to turn back to God. I’m not a prophet, but I am warning Christians to turn back to God and humbly accept and obey His authority.
God doesn’t want anybody to fight this spiritual battle unarmed. Nor does He want us to fight in a weakened state because we’ve only been fed milk. We need to be a well-fed army. Study Scripture. Study all of Scripture. The Old Testament is mostly the history of Israel, but the truth and prophecy it holds are definitely for us today. The New Testament is about the fulfillment of the Old Testament and the precious love of Jesus.
Jesus knew the spiritual battle is real, and He cast out demons. He didn’t make a circus of it by sprinkling “holy water” or using useless rituals. He just told them to leave. Use Jesus as your example and take authority in His name.
The Apostle Paul was on the frontline of the fight and knew very well that he had to be skilled in the use of battle armor. “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:10-11).
Don’t pick your favorite piece of armor. Put it all on and don’t take it off. In the same way that all the armor is important, so is the line-upon-line study of Scripture. You can’t be armed for battle if you don’t know how to use the battle tools.
Why do we need the armor? “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12). These are all demonic spiritual enemies. This is the same evil that is spewing from a small shop hidden in a rundown building where I live. We have to fight.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Ephesians 6:13-18).
Study all of Scripture and you’ll learn to recognize the enemy and also become skilled in using the weapons of battle. Study line upon line.
I’m just a woman who is getting up in years. My health isn’t such that I can be boots on the ground in battle, but I can be a watchman and sound the alarm. “But I the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand” (Ezekiel 33:6).
I’ve just scratched the surface of why it’s important to study Scripture line upon line. I do mean study, not just read. The spiritual battle is real, and Scripture will teach you to recognize the enemy and will provide the weapons for battle. We sing songs like “Onward Christian Soldiers,” but if the soldiers are only sent into battle with a canteen of milk, the battle will go to the enemy. Shame on those given the responsibility of feeding the sheep but are only feeding lambs.
As we draw closer to the Rapture, this battle will become more aggressive. Don’t wait for your pastor to feed you meat. Study for yourself line upon line and precept upon precept.
Always remember that Jesus loves you and gave His life for your salvation. The Holy Spirit lives in every Christian, and we need to trust Him now in the spiritual fight.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
Recommended prophecy sites:
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).