Adult Day Care Center

11When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 13And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13: 11 - 13 NKJV

There is a theory out there about the level of understanding of christians.  New christians, baby believers, many times will require what is basically being led in their new faith.  Some may see this as spoon feeding a believer in the infancy of their faith.  However, as a new christian grows in their faith, they will supposedly become less and less dependent on being spoon fed the gospel and will begin branching out on their own into their belief.  Like a young bird just learning to spread its wings to fly for the first time, it may take a few attempts before a believer advances to the next level of their belief.  The next level of christian maturity is young men.  The apostle John addresses the three levels of christian maturity in 1 John 2.  Naturally, as a infant christian matures, they will begin to advance in their faith and understanding of who they are in the Lord.  The third and final level of christian maturity is fathers.  These "fathers" of the faith are those who have matured to a personal knowledge of God through time spent walking in Christ Jesus.  This is the mature level of christianity.  So it is that we advance from little children to young men to fathers in our spiritual maturity.  This only seems logical, for as one advances in their knowledge of their life in Jesus, their maturity would increase as well.  It's no secret that those of us who have endured the storms of life in our own faith have walked away from it with a deeper maturity in our faith.  But wait, what about those who for one reason or another remain wedged in their "Little child" maturity level of christianity?  Believe me, they're out there among us.

12I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 13I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. 14I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.
1 John 2: 12 - 14 NKJV

Dennis and I have had more than a few discussions on spiritual maturity as of late.  Most of our discussion has been centered on those believers who for one reason or another refuse to budge from their infant level of christinity.  They are constantly in the mode of being spoon fed everything which they need to survive in their faith.  For this very reason, you will often see more than a few of these infant christians in our local churches.  For if the modern institutional church indeed serves a purpose it is to guide a infant believer into their next level of spiritual maturity.  There will indeed come a time when these spiritual infants will spread their wings and become young men and, eventually, spiritually mature fathers in the faith.  It's also no secret that as a believer advances in their spiritual maturity, that their reliance on the church as their sole means of being led and fed will decrease as well.  In a perfect world, this is how a believer matures in their faith.  However, as I mentioned, what of those infant beleivers who remain lodged in their infant level of maturity without maturing spiritually?  Well, it is in this very situation where the local church becomes more of an adult day care center for christians.   You have infant christians who have chosen to remain in the infant stage of spiritual maturity, choosing instead the safety of the church for their leading and feeding.  Instead of advaning into adulthod, they choose to remain in their infant maturity in the church to be led and fed.  I have to believe that at some point that these young believers will take it upon themselves to leave the safety of the nest and spread their spiritual wings to take flight on their own.  As the apostle Paul tells us 1 Corinthians 13, "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things."  Of course, if more new believers followed the natural path of spiritual maturity, then more adult day care centers would be out of business.

~Scott~