Spiritual Growth Part 2: From Bottles to Bread

Welcome to the Lone Star Church podcast.

Pastors CF and Nicole Rady are here to share the Word of God with you each week, helping you grasp the fullness of God's plan for your life.

We hope you'll be blessed by this week's message.

If you live in Northwest Missouri or Southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning.

For more information about us, visit our website at lonestarchurchorg or find us on Facebook, instagram or YouTube.

We started last week talking about growing up.

Right, and we need to grow up.

Look at your neighbor and say you need to grow up, praise the Lord.

We need to grow up.

Look at your neighbor and say you need to grow up, praise the Lord.

We need to grow up.

And so we started in Ephesians, chapter 4.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

And let's go back there today, ephesians 4, and we'll start in verse 11.

Just kind of go back over what we talked about.

Just kind of go back over what we talked about.

So Paul talking about Jesus, and he says he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.

So here in Ephesians 4.11, paul says, before Jesus left this earth, he gave certain gifts, and these gifts are ministry gifts.

Jesus left this earth, he gave certain gifts, and these gifts are ministry gifts.

Right, apostle sent one prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.

And so why did Jesus give those gifts before he left?

Well, number one if you look at those ministry gifts, did Jesus fulfill all five of those?

Did he set in all five of those ministry gifts?

Right, jesus was an apostle, jesus was a prophet, jesus was evangelist, a pastor and a teacher.

Amen.

And so when he left, he didn't just leave us without those things.

He said I'm going to leave those gifts right, meaning there are going to be people called to sit in those ministry offices of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher.

It's so interesting.

Nicole and I were actually talking the other day about this person.

I was talking to someone they're sharing about their child who's a young adult, and I didn't think about it until this morning.

I was sitting there and I was thinking about my own life.

When I graduated high school and went to college, I really struggled from 18 to 23, figuring out what I was supposed to do with my life.

Anyone else struggle trying to figure out what.

Maybe you're 53, trying to figure out what you're supposed to do with your life.

But I struggled.

I had one major and then another and go to school, not go to school, take a semester off, go back, do this.

Where am I?

Go to a different school, not go to school, take a semester off, go back, do this.

Where am I?

Go to a different school, go back to this school?

And I really wasn't sure what to do.

Well, nicole and I were talking about the fact that so many times people if that's the case with a young person.

Sometimes not every time, but sometimes there's a call of God on their life for ministry.

Well, there was on my life and I didn't recognize it until I got to be about 23 years old.

And so I didn't just decide.

I didn't just take some test at school that says, hey, I think you'd be a really good pastor.

I didn't just have people tell me, hey, I think you should be a pastor.

Oh, you know what you should do with your skill set.

You should be a pastor.

I didn't just look in want ads and look to be a pastor.

How did I become a pastor?

I had a call of God on my life.

Amen.

I know there's a call of God on your life.

Whether it's to sit in one of these five-fold ministry gifts or not, everyone has a call.

I look out at the people sitting in this church building and I look at what you do and things going on.

You are called to do that.

Everything you do can be a ministry, amen.

It doesn't have to be a full-time ministry, everything you do can be a ministry.

But these gifts were given.

Why did Jesus give these gifts?

Let's go to the next verse For the equipping of the saints.

So, saints, I'm talking about believers for the work of the ministry, right.

So we're supposed to equip saints to do the work of the ministry.

I know a church has to be more than just a pastor doing everything.

It's got to be you all reaching out to each other.

That's why we talk about connect a lot and reach a lot, and you all do a wonderful job of doing that.

Amen, right, because there's a call of ministry for the edifying or building up of the body of Christ.

So that's one of the reasons that we have those ministry gifts.

Let's keep reading here, verse 13.

Till we all come to the unity I mean.

You believe unity is important.

Unity is important, unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God To a perfect man other translations say a mature man to the measure of the stature, of the fullness of Christ.

So we're measuring ourselves to his stature.

Now look at verse 14.

We're going in here that we should no longer be children.

No longer be children.

So the Bible says we shouldn't be children any longer.

When you get born again, what happens?

Spiritually, you're a newborn baby in Christ Jesus.

That means if you get born again at seven, you're spiritually newborn baby.

If you get born again at seven, you're a spiritually newborn baby.

If you get born again at 27, you're a newborn baby.

If you get born again at 77, you're a newborn baby spiritually.

You may not look it outwardly, but inwardly you're a baby in Christ.

Well, we talked last week when we introduced this.

We see, just like naturally there are stages of life, the same thing is true spiritually.

You go from babyhood to childhood to maturity, but spiritually you never reach all the way out.

You're always growing.

You should always be learning, you should always be growing.

But he says don't be children, children tossed to and fro, carried about with every window.

You know what's amazing about children they will believe anything you tell them.

If you're a trusted person, they will believe anything you tell them.

Right, I could go up to Declan, right, he's my nephew and I could go to Declan.

I said, hey, declan.

I said, hey, declan, you know what?

When Uncle CF was younger, I invented the radio.

Really, yeah, invented the radio.

He doesn't know that Guglio Marconi invented the radio.

You may say I didn't know that either.

Well, now you do.

That's who invented the radio?

Right, but little kids will just believe whatever you say.

That's why you can say, hey, look, I'm going to take my thumb off.

You do that little trick and then you're like, oh, look at that, just took my thumb off.

Well, spiritually, the same thing is true as well.

If you're spiritually immature, you can be tossed about with everything, but we need to grow up.

Let's actually go to verse 15 real quick.

But speaking the truth in love may grow up in all things, in him, who is the head, christ.

So we're supposed to no longer be children.

What are we supposed to be doing, growing up?

And so we said last week you need to locate where you are on the spiritual growth chart.

Amen.

And here's the amazing thing.

You may say well, pastor, I've been born again for 40 years.

Well, can I tell you something?

Spiritually speaking, you could be a 40-year-old baby still.

Is that sad?

Yes, should it be so?

No, but if it's true, right, speaking the truth in love.

If it's true, let's just locate where we are and say okay, I'm a 40-year-old baby, I need to grow, because you can either cry about still being a baby, which is what babies do you can be offended that you are still a baby, you can be upset, you can be mad, you can be whatever you want.

But the thing is, until you start doing things to grow, you're going to remain a baby Because, unlike naturally, where you progress and grow naturally just kind of the way nature's course is, spiritually that is not true.

You will remain a baby spiritually as long as you allow yourself to remain a baby spiritually, meaning you're not feeding on the right things, you're not doing things to grow, you're not praying, you're not doing those things.

You're going to stay a baby.

And we're going to talk about babies today.

How many of you like babies?

I mean, right, you see babies like, oh, look at that baby, right?

1 Peter 2 and verse 2.

1 Peter 2.2.

Look at Peter, right in here he says as newborn babies.

Right, so he's talking about babies, talking about our spiritual growth, as newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby.

So, babies, what do we feed babies?

Not steaks, right?

We give babies milk.

The milk of what?

The milk of the Word.

Nicole has done some great teaching on Sunday evenings talking about those basic principles, elementary principles of the Word of God that God wants to grow.

Those are milk.

In fact, the Bible talks about different parts of the Word.

It calls the Word milk.

Here we see it called the Word, here we see it called the word bread, we see it called the word meat.

And then we see it also called the Bible, the word of God, strong meat.

So we have milk, bread, meat and strong meat.

Well, guess what?

You can't give a baby anything other than milk.

So new believers need milk, spiritual babies need milk.

But when you get that milk, what are you supposed to be doing with it?

Growing?

You're supposed to grow that way, amen.

And so we need to have an understanding.

It is the responsibility of the church to help babies grow.

So, just like you're born a baby, right, babies.

What can a baby do for themselves?

Nothing, right?

They can't do anything.

They need you to take care of them, and we're responsible for spiritual babies, amen.

And so one of the things that attracts you to a baby is its innocence.

Right, you never look at a baby like, well, that baby looks mean, I don't know about that, that baby, I think that baby's done some stuff.

No, you look at a baby like, oh, they're just sweet and innocent.

Why?

Because they've never done anything.

I was watching a video of the silly things you see on the internet, and there's this little girl and she was probably about three and she was holding her little baby brother and she starts to cry and her mom's like what's the matter?

She's like I don't want him to grow up.

She goes he's just so perfect and innocent and cute.

I don't want him to grow up, right?

It's that innocence that attracts us to babies.

And if you're a newborn baby in Christ, here's the thing.

Just like a baby has no past, when you get born again, spiritually you don't have a past anymore.

You don't have a past anymore.

People will be like hey, hey, don't you remember how you used to be?

That guy died.

That guy died at the cross.

Old things have passed away.

Behold, all things become new, amen.

Well, just like a baby doesn't have past, you don't have a past anymore.

You could have been as mean as the devil, the worst person that's ever walked this earth, but when you get born again, you become a new person in Christ Jesus.

God looks at you as an innocent baby.

I just quoted 2 Corinthians, 5.17.

We don't have to turn there, but it says if any man be in Christ, he's a new creature.

Old things are passed away.

Behold, all things become new.

And so innocence belongs to this babyhood stage of Christianity.

Belongs to this babyhood stage of Christianity and while it's something we equate with babies, it's honestly.

The innocence is part of what.

We should never outgrow the innocent part.

Even when we mature spiritually, we should always go back to who we are, in Christ Jesus.

Amen that we're innocent, that old things have passed away.

There's no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord.

Another thing that babies are is ignorant.

Babies aren't smart.

One thing we know about babies you know what you know about babies Once they get to a certain age, they'll put anything in their mouth.

That's why you've to baby proof your house right.

You got to put locks on your cupboard doors.

You got to put stuff up.

You got to put stuff in where the electrical plugs are.

You can't leaveraps out or Tide Pods.

Because here's the sad truth Babies will put anything in their mouth and babies have died because they put stuff in their mouth.

They shouldn't Sometimes something that chokes them, sometimes even poison those Tide Pods.

They had a big trouble.

Kids would eat those because they look good.

Babies stick their hand in their mouth as soon as they can.

Anything they grab they put in their mouth and they've died that way.

Well, the same thing is true spiritually.

We've got to be careful what goes into our mouth, amen.

We need to be careful about what we read, what we're listening to podcasts and everything.

We've got to be careful what we're ingesting.

Why?

Because it can be dangerous.

Just as much as you watch what you eat, naturally, you need to watch what you eat spiritually, amen.

Why?

Because sometimes you could take some poison and it can ruin your testimony, it can stunt your growth, it can kill you spiritually.

And the amazing thing is right, people will listen to stuff they're like well, you know, there's some Scripture in it.

Well, of course there's some Scripture in it.

Right, because if there wasn't a little bit of Scripture in what you're listening to, you wouldn't take it.

What you're listening to, you wouldn't take it.

It's just like you know you think about, you're trying to give, right, you're trying to give like poison for mice and stuff.

They make that where it tastes good to the mice.

Why?

Because if it tasted sour and like it'd kill you, they wouldn't eat it.

You ever put out one of those blocks of poison for a mouse man?

They'll just eat and eat and eat.

You come back.

You look at that block boy, it's all ate up.

Well, it's not.

Because one mouse went home and said, oh, that's tough, that'll kill you, don't eat that.

No, he went home and said Well, that's the way we ingest poison sometimes, right, it seems like it tastes good and we're just taking it.

Well, first thing you have to realize is right, if God is in it, there's going to be unity in it.

We just read that right in Ephesians 4.13, until we all come in the unity of the faith.

I know God is not a divider of Christians.

13, until we all come in the unity of the faith.

I know God is not a divider of Christians.

He's not a divider of Christians.

There's going to be unity and if you'll spend time praying in the Holy Spirit, you'll get a check in your spirit sometimes about certain things.

You're not supposed to read every Christian book that was printed.

You're not supposed to listen to every minister that has a podcast or a radio show or a TV show.

Can I tell you something?

It doesn't mean necessarily that they're off or wrong.

You've got to be careful of what you're ingesting and the voices that you have in your life.

Why?

Because if you get 10 voices.

Just imagine this and I've seen this before.

I did this with the youth back when I was doing youth ministry at church, right, so we would come in here and we'd have a big group and we'd have like two teams or three teams and one of their teammates would be blindfolded in the back of this room and then they'd have someone at the front that was supposed to be giving them directions to get to a certain item somewhere in the church.

Well, if you just have one voice saying okay, you're going to turn to your right, take three steps.

Now you're in the aisle.

Now turn to your left.

Now take five steps.

Now you're going to go down this aisle.

How many of you know you can follow those directions and even if you're blindfolded, you can listen to it and get where you need to go.

But what if 10 people were yelling at you to do 10 different things?

You're not going to go anywhere, you're going to be confused.

A lot of Christians have got that way because they're not careful of what they ingest, of what's going in their mouth, amen, and sometimes you can ingest.

In fact, in this book, brother Hagin talked about a guy in ministry who had read some things and the guy said boy, I wish I'd never read that he goes.

In fact, I still feel sick to my stomach when I think about that.

I read that Be careful what you're ingesting.

Amen, right, even if it has some.

How many know?

The devil quoted scripture to Jesus and the devil used some good scripture to get you to eat something, but he's going to put a little poison on it, amen.

So be careful, babies.

That's why baby Christians need help in those areas, need help in those areas.

Why?

Because they just think, man, I'm born again.

People get born again, they get excited.

I'm going to go to the bookstore.

I'm going to go to the bookstore.

I'm going to go to a Christian bookstore, I'm going to buy a bunch of stuff.

That's why we preview and curate everything that we offer in here.

We've read them, some of the authors we know personally, just like, one time years ago, someone came in and talked to me and they found a stack, this big of stuff about Brother Hagen that they'd found on the Internet.

They came in and said you know, you went to Ramah and Brother Hagen.

You say he's like your spiritual father, yep, yep, yep.

Well, here's all this stuff we found about him.

I said okay, and I looked at just a couple things.

I said, well, who wrote that?

They said, well, we found this online.

I said, well, you find a lot of things.

How many know you can find anything online?

Alien autopsies, right, you can find anything online.

They're like well, it says he this, he that he this.

I said okay.

I said well, let me tell you something.

I said I sat under that ministry for three years, two years in school.

One year Nicole was in school and we were just there at Rhema.

I said I've read every published book he's put out.

I said I've listened to him personally numerous times.

I said I believe I feel like I know Kenneth E Hagin Not personally, but I know his ministry.

I know what he's done over the years.

He proved himself over decades of ministry.

I don't know anything about this guy.

All this guy's trying to do is bring division.

So what's that tell you?

You better know what you're taking in.

You ever go to a potluck.

You go sometimes to the school potluck.

They'll have a potluck for a banquet or something.

We were at a potluck and you're going down.

We're talking to people across the aisle and you're going down.

You're like, well, I don't know.

I don't know who made that.

I don't know, nicole, what did you bring?

I know, I at least know what's in that, because you don't know, they could have roaches and bug stuff.

They could be stirring with their hand and licking it.

I think that's good, just like on vacation, she, she, stirring the kool-aid with her hand.

Then Christmas vacation right, the old aunt had cat food in the jello man.

You don't know you better know what you're eating right.

So you're there.

You're like who, I'm with you.

I'm like, did any of you I'm talking to that, I know did you make any of these items?

Because if you did, I will take something.

We got down to like the desserts, because we were sitting with it was actually Lisa Cannon, her two daughters.

They'll be here second service graduating.

I go, lisa, what did you bring?

She goes, I brought that.

I go, okay, I'll get that.

And she goes.

And she mentioned someone else.

And she goes and she brought that.

I'm like, okay, I'll get that.

And someone heard, I told Nicole.

I said, oh, she made my mom's barbecue beans, baked beans, right.

And someone heard Nicole made it.

They go, okay, nicole made that.

I'll put that on my plate.

Well, what is that?

You've got to know what you're eating.

Well, spiritually, it's true.

It amazes me that the it is so clear that it likens natural growth to spiritual growth.

Right, john, chapter 3,.

John 3 · chapter mention

Nicodemus would come to Jesus at night.

Jesus would teach him and Nicodemus asked the question how do I get to heaven?

How do you get to heaven?

How do you get to God?

Jesus says you must be born again.

Nicodemus says well, how can a man, once he's grown, enter into his mother's womb a second time.

Jesus then tells him no, it's a spiritual rebirth.

But we see, right there, we see natural birth and spiritual birth and natural growth and spiritual birth.

What do babies partake?

Milk.

What did Peter say?

Spiritual babies need to take the sincere milk of the Word, Amen.

So babies can be ignorant.

So be careful.

What you eat.

I know you ever heard this.

True, you are what you eat.

You eat Twinkies all day.

You're going to look like a Twinkie.

You eat Big Macs all the time.

You're going to be Big Mac.

You are what you eat.

Well, the same is true spiritually.

You are what you read, or what you ingest, what you're taking in.

Another thing that babies are is irritable.

You ever notice babies are easily irritated.

Babies easily spoil.

Right, parents, grandparents, always holding them.

They get spoiled, they get irritable.

I always think of.

I always think of.

We were going.

Where were we going?

Was it Wichita or Topeka, with Ken and Shauna, over to my sister's, and Abby was just a baby.

Little Abby was just a baby.

It was like a two-and-a-half-hour trip and she cried.

She cried top of her lungs the whole time and Nicole and I didn't have babies at the time.

Once you have babies, you're a little more patient with other people, and I wasn't have babies at the time.

Once you have babies, you're a little more patient with other people and I wasn't mad or anything.

But I'm just like, oh my God, does she do this all the time?

Is this how it works?

I mean just, ah, bloody murder for two and a half hours.

I'm like, oh my gosh, I don't know, but babies are irritable.

You're like, oh, do you want this and do you want that?

Right?

My mom was always one of those trying to distract babies.

Oh, let's look at the birdies.

And oh, here's your pacifier and here's some milk, right, and here's some things.

That's right.

But babies are irritable and they want what they want.

But there comes a time they've got to be weaned.

Let's go over to Psalm 131 and verse 2.

Thank you, lord.

Psalm 131, 2.

Listen to what David says here.

He says Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with his mother.

Like a weaned child is my soul within me.

So what's David saying?

Look, there's got to be a time, spiritually, that you have to learn how to quiet yourself.

I always remember, right when our kids were little and they'd cry.

And there came a time you had to let them learn how to calm themselves.

But too many parents, right, we run and pick them up and they'd cry.

And there came a time you had to let them learn how to calm themselves.

But too many parents, right, we run and pick them up and they never get to the point where they know how to calm themselves.

David says no, I have calmed my own soul, just like a weaned child with his mother.

What did he say?

He goes.

I weaned my soul.

I weaned myself spiritually.

What did he say?

He goes, I weaned my soul, I weaned myself spiritually.

The Bible talks about Isaac in Genesis 21.8.

Let's look at it real quick Genesis 21.8.

I like this.

This is interesting.

Boy, we could pick this up those of you who have babies, or those of you who will have babies at some point again, because we won't but those of you will look at what it says here.

This is a good idea.

So the child grew, talking about Isaac, and was weaned.

And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac.

He goes.

Let's just celebrate that.

That baby is weaned, he's maturing, he's growing, amen.

Well, that should be a great day.

I know it should be a great day spiritually when you grow enough to get off the bottle.

But the thing is it should be a feast day but for many Christians, brother Hagin said it's a cry day.

I'm going to read what he said here.

He said it's no wonder to me at all that we're not doing more in some of our churches than we are If we do get a newborn baby and we don't have a bottle for it, because every bottle's in use and the older babies are not going to give up their bottle.

Every bed in the spiritual nursery is taken and the older babies don't want to get up and give up their beds.

Do you see the problem?

Older babies don't want to get up and give up their beds.

Do you see the problem?

If we don't learn to grow spiritually, then we can never add new babies.

Why?

Because the old babies don't want to give up their body.

You ever be out and trust me, you have.

You ever be out and you see like a five-year-old with a pacifier.

I've even seen videos of kids four or five years old breastfeeding.

People are like.

It's like what is wrong with that?

That kid could stand and go to school.

If he can say he wants milk, then he can get a jug right out of the fridge.

But no, what happens?

We spoil them and they never grow.

Then, all of a sudden, you can't.

People are like, well, you know we'd have another baby, but this one's still drinking a bottle, this one's still nursing, this one's still in diapers, this one's still this.

Well, no, it's because you've never got them to a point where they could grow and mature, never got them to a point where they could grow and mature.

Well, the same is true spiritually.

And think about this you control your spiritual growth, meaning you control whether you're in church sitting under one of those ministry gifts as a pastor.

You control whether you're taking in the milk.

We as a church, we should be giving it, we should be doing things to help you grow.

But you control whether you're taking in the milk.

We as a church right, we should be giving it, we should be doing things to help you grow, but you control whether you're doing that or not.

And if you stay a baby, if you stay a baby 5, 10, 20, 30 years after you got born again, then really what you're doing.

Not only are you a spoiled little baby, but you're making it harder for the church to bring in new babies.

Why?

Because you're taking up all this time.

If your kids took 10 years to get out of the infant stage, you'd probably only have one kid, Because you'd be like we can't do this, I can't do this for 10 years again.

No, they should be grown, they should be mature.

And if a child is weaned properly, right.

Here's what's amazing If a child is really weaned properly, when the time comes, they'll actually turn their face from the bottle, They'll turn away from it, they won't want it anymore.

But if the child's not weaned properly, right, you're going to have a crier on your hand.

No, the Bible says right, we read it there in Peter 2.

Peter desire the sincere milk of the word.

Why?

That you may grow thereby.

That you may grow thereby.

I'm going to read one last quote and then I'll close.

Brother Hagin said this.

He was talking to a pastor and the pastor said now, Brother Hagin, I know my congregation.

Right, he was going to speak to his congregation, have a meeting.

He goes, I know my congregation should be better than they are, but you have to be careful.

He said all they can take is a little milk.

All I ever feed them is a little milk.

Brother Hagin said no, you haven't given them milk.

You've been pastor here for 30 years and if they'd been getting milk they would have grown.

Peter said right that we grow thereby.

He said they didn't grow so they weren't even getting milk.

He said and this will date obviously.

Brother Hagin said they were just getting blue john.

And this will date obviously, Brother Hagin.

He said they were just getting blue john.

Well, blue john is milk with the cream taken out.

You're taking out the good stuff, the nutrients.

He said they weren't getting what they needed to grow.

That's why it's important for Nicole and I as pastors that we're praying and seeking and doing things that we're giving you, the things that are going to help you grow and grow in the right way.

Nicole and I, even as parents, we look and we go through.

We were at the grocery store the other day together and we were looking at stuff and there's foods we no longer bring into our house.

Why?

Because it's not going to help our children grow the right way.

We've learned some things.

We've progressed some ways.

No, babies right Easily frustrated, easily distracted, easily hurt, easily, right, I know babies, doesn't take much to set them off.

I know that shouldn't be that way.

If we're adults, Be careful.

You don't want to set them off.

I know babies, right, you ever put a baby down and you do one of these, Right?

Why?

Because people come to your house, you put a sign, you put a post-it on the outside do not knock, do not ring the doorbell, Text me my phone's on silent, I'll come, come on in the baby's sleeping.

Right, you don't vacuum, you don't do anything.

Why?

Because they're easily aggravated, easily frustrated, right, you ever try to feed a baby and if you don't do it, right, right, they get frustrated and they're throwing little fits.

Try to put their socks on, try to put their clothes on, try to say right, and they're having a spiritual.

Babies are also easily frustrated, easily offended, easily aggravated.

So you say, pastor, why are we talking about this?

Because, again, we need to do what Locate ourselves.

So if that's where we are, spiritually, what do we need to do?

I need to spend time growing, taking in the sincere milk of the word, setting in church, setting under a pastor, learning, getting the right supplements, the right things in my body so that I can get to the place where I'm growing, where I'm no longer just a child, where I can move from milk to bread Amen.

And then I can move from bread to meat, Then I can move from meat to strong meat Right, and just think about this.

Then I can move from meat to strong meat.

Just think about this when babies are going, they get to a point of growth you can tell they need more substance than this milk gives them.

Say, they had a little rice to their meal or something.

Then you start to give them pureed vegetables and stuff.

And then you get to the place right, stage one, two, three, those little jars of babe food and then, right, they have little chunks of food or something in them and then they get to where they're eating table food.

And then, right, they just keep moving up and up and up.

I know that's where we should be.

You should not be in the same place spiritually today that you were a year ago.

You should not be in the same place spiritually today that you were a year ago.

You should not be in the same place spiritually today that you were 10 years ago.

We should be maturing and if we're still in the same place, that we still need our handheld, we still need to be burped after we eat, we still need all those things.

Then there's a problem, and again we can get offended when we hear that.

Can I tell you, as I've been studying this out and this is the second time I've read this book just in the last couple of months, there have been times I've read it and it's like I need to grow up in that area a little more.

I need to mature in this area because I allow these things to happen.

So when I say this to you, I'm not trying to say, hey, let's all point out each other's faults and issues and where we need to grow.

No, we've got to self-examine ourselves.

And if we're not true to ourselves and are honest with ourselves, then you know what?

Then, when we ask ourselves we're good, I know, if you're always good, you're probably not good.

No, it's okay to be honest and say I need to grow up Doesn't mean you have to broadcast to everyone, Go home and post about it on Facebook.

Hey, everyone, I'm a spiritual baby, big baby me.

Wah, wah, wah, I need to grow up.

No, but we recognize and say you, wah, I need to grow up?

No, but we recognize and say you know what, I need to grow up in that area.

And just because you need to grow up in one area doesn't mean that you're not mature in other areas.

I think that's where we also miss it.

We think, well, I'm mature, or we get to.

You know children?

Children think they know how to do everything.

I can do it.

No, you can't.

You don't know what you're doing, I can do it right.

We've got to let them try and make mistakes and then teach them In the same way.

It's true spiritually, but if you ever get to the point where you think you know everything, you'll stop growing.

I know all there is.

Oh, a pastor's preaching on faith.

I know all about faith.

I've read all those books.

Oh, he's preaching on this.

I know I don't need to listen to that.

No, you'll stop growing, Amen, and we don't ever want to stop growing.

Next week, we're going to talk about childhood, which would be perfect to talk about childhood on Mother's Day.

Amen, Praise the Lord.

We're going to celebrate mothers.

Make sure to check out all our socials and if you have questions about any of the things coming up, we always try to get our announcements, not only on these screens but also put them out on our social media so you know about what's coming up.

Praise the Lord.

We're so glad you're with us today.

Again, thank you to everyone who served yesterday at the track meet and man.

Get in the Word and make sure you're checking what you're taking in and celebrate the fact that we're growing.

Amen.

How many know when we all grow as individual believers in this church, it allows us to get to the point where we can start to bring it.

I truly believe a lot of churches have capped themselves with growth because they have too many babies in the church.

You can't grow beyond that.

Just think about this.

You'd just be running putting bottles in mouths all the time.

You'd just be running changing diapers all the time.

No, we're going to grow, Amen.

And there are some things we're continuing to pray about that we'll be talking to some of y'all about, with discipleship and growth.

I know we as a church we've done things, we've taken steps, but I know we can get better.

How many of you believe we can get better?

We can get better on what we do Sunday mornings.

We can get better on what we do Sunday nights.

We can get better on what we do throughout the week.

We can get better on what we put out online and podcasts and all those things.

We can get better and we will get better, because you know what the enemy wants to do.

He wants to tell you oh, the enemy always wants to point out the problems the problems with your spouse, the problems with your kids, the problems with your boss, the problems with your school, the problem with your kids, the problems with your boss, the problems with your school, the problem with your teacher, the problem with your church.

The problem with the enemy always wants to point out the problems.

You go to a restaurant and everything can be good and one little thing could be wrong and the enemy wants to point that out.

I'd never go back to that restaurant again.

Why?

Everything was great, yeah, but the girl in which we're leaving was rude, didn't even hold the door open.

But wasn't everything else great?

There was gum on the sidewalk outside.

That's just ridiculous.

You see how the enemy's always looking for the negative.

He does the same thing when you're sitting in church.

You know so-and-so didn't talk to you today, Did you hear a pastor?

He basically called you a baby today, Said you're a big baby.

I wouldn't listen to that guy.

Who does he think he is?

Can I tell you who I think I am?

I think I am someone who is still growing spiritually.

So what does that mean?

While Jesus sat in all five of those offices and Jesus fulfilled all five of those offices perfectly, he's called me as a man, as a pastor, and can I tell you something?

I am not Jesus, I am not perfect.

What's that mean?

That means sometimes pastor will fail you.

Sometimes pastor will do something that offends you.

Sometimes pastor will miss something.

Do I hope I get better and I believe I will get better?

Yes, but are all those things true that I will miss it sometimes, Absolutely?

Why?

Because we all do Amen, but there is mercy and there is grace and there is growth.

I'm going to tell you right now how many years has it been?

22, 23 years this coming Father's Day We've been pastoring here.

I'm going to tell you right now I'm a better pastor than I was 20-some years ago.

And give me another 10,.

I'll be even better at another 10.

But that should be it.

There should be progress.

You should be able to look at your spiritual progress and track it, just like you do your physical progress.

You should be able to look at your spiritual progress and track it, Just like you do your physical progress.

You should look and say, man, a year ago, when this happened in my life, I would have fell apart.

I would have been a little baby crying and throwing a fit.

But you know what, I handled that thing better this time.

Thank you for tuning in to the Lone Star Church podcast.

We hope this week's message strengthened your faith in God's Word.

Remember, if you live in Northwest Missouri or Southern Iowa, we invite you to join us in person on a Sunday morning.

For more information about us, visit our website at lonestarchurchorg or follow us on Facebook, instagram or YouTube.