By Mike Riley
The story is told of a thrifty man who one day decided to save money on donkey feed. Every day, he would add increasing amounts of sawdust into the donkey’s feed. Because the process was gradual, the donkey did not notice any difference as he cleaned up his manger. The man’s plan was working well, until the donkey suddenly died because of living on 100% sawdust.
Similarly, spiritual food that contains the pure Word of God, once mixed with worldly sawdust [watered-down or social gospel], will eventually lead to spiritual death (2 Peter 2). It is indeed sad to see some members of the church act as though they cannot understand why so many spiritually malnourished Christians die [abandon the Lord’s church] even after being members of the church for many years.
The Psalmist tells us that God’s word is “lamp” to the feet and a “light” to one’s pathway (Psalm 119:105; cf. Proverbs 6:23). However, how can members of the Lord’s body make application of that “light” in their everyday living, if they remain ignorant of that light? (Hebrews 5:12-14). What is the use of chiding weak Christians about their little faith, if spiritually strong Christians do not teach them enough of the pure Word for them to be able to develop strong faith? (Psalm 51:12-13; Romans 10:17; 2 Timothy 2:1-2).
All of the church pep-rallies, sermons, and lectures about Christian duty, won’t do much good for weak-in-the-faith Christians, until they are taught the pure word of God (Proverbs 30:5; Psalm 19:7-8).
Brethren, if there is any sawdust in our spiritual diet, we need to get rid of it, and start feeding our spiritually weak brethren, the pure “milk” of the Word (1 Peter 2:2), gradually bringing them up to the “strong meat” of the Word Hebrews 5:14;(14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil.), so they might grow into spiritually mature workers for the Lord and His church 1 Peter 2:1-3; Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, 2 and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, 3 if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.; Ephesians 4:11-16; 11 And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Also see (2 Peter 3:18; Colossians 1:3-10).