Bottles and Spoons

Living in today's world, we are used to living life like a competition. We have to have the better house, the better car, go to the most expensive schools, wear the biggest name brands. It's a lifestyle of "reaching the top", of climbing up the social ladder, and messing up a couple people on the way.

Although this is a way of life in the 21st century, it seems to have become a way of life for many pastors/ministers/teachers. They want to get the latest revelation, a reason to be quoted, a reason to write a book that will "impact" many others. They treat the bible as a way for God to make THEM greater, instead of using it to make the name of God great. I see this on facebook, twitter, and blogs:

God is love, love is God.
- (insert name here)

And their groupies are quick to quote them, quick to like their status, or quick to comment. I think it's an issue when the people cannot see for themselves that these "revelations" are simple scriptures God gave to EVERYONE, so that we can learn to fend for our own salvation. Yet many pastors feel like they are the chosen ones, the only ones God can speak to. Don't misunderstand my blog, because obviously God has placed pastors, apostles, teachers, and other ministers to be able to minister to us. I have these people in my life, whom I look up to and respect as men and women of God that have been placed to feed me spiritually. My problem is with men/women who put themselves on a pedastal, abusing the authority God has given them.

These men/women make others feel like God can't speak to them. THEY alone can enter the holy of holies, and no other can be on their level. They are, for better lack of words, untouchable. They pray 10 hours a day. Fast 30 days out of the month. Seclude themselves from the world.

I think they might be just as holy as Jesus.

YES! I am being sarcastic. Sometimes I want to reply "duh!". But this is my only cry: that people read their bible. We have so many baby christians in the churches because they refuse to practice how to "hold their bottle, and grab their spoons". Have you ever seen babies try to feed themselves? at first they create the biggest mess in the world! but with practice and time they eventually get it right and then the job of the parents becomes simple: present them with the food, and they can feed themselves.

Paul says it best in 1 Corinthians 1:17

For Christ didn't send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News--and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Many pastors put in their extra 12 points into the promises of God that make it more difficult, and sometimes impossible to walk a life of holiness because we don't measure up to their "requirements". But how much easier would it be to live a life of holiness if we all knew to just open our bible, read it, and ask the holy spirit to help us understand the words, the revelations, at hand?

Those in authority in our lives have just one job: to preach the good news. What we do with that information is entirely up to us. Don't be so dependant on your pastors and leaders because at the end of the day its just you and God. These "amazing revelations" are all in your bible! True leaders will push you to feed yourselves, and never make you feel like you cant do it on your own. Could you imagine if parents scolded their children for trying to learn how to feed themselves?

Revelations in the word of God are beautiful when they come, but they aren't only made for those who claim that God has chosen them only. They are for everyone, who would just take their time to read their sword. The power to understand it is in you already, and it only gets easier with the holy spirit. Learn to depend on HIM. Learn to feed yourself.