How Would You Describe "MEAT" Preaching?

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Originally Posted by Abiding Now

Ok. What would you say were some "shallow truths basic to Christianity"?

Right here...

Hebrews 6:1-2 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

Principles are the milk, that Hebrews told people they should leave and go onto perfection -- maturity, which is the same as meat for those mature noted in chapter 5.

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Hebrews 5:12-6:2 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. (13) For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. (14) But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (6:1) Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, (2) Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.

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Since perfection/maturity is labeled MEAT by the writer of Hebrews, whom I think is Paul, meat is then anything that deals with strength and building up with more than just foundational teachings. Some folks never leave foundational teachings. They remain infantile, really.

And Peter commented on how Paul wrote things hard to be understood. So the writings of Paul show evidence of "meat" in dealing with righteousness.

2 Peter 3:15-16 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; (16) As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

I consider Romans 5-8 to be meat, for example. Ask young believers about Romans 5-8 and their heads will spin. lol

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Since milk is foundational (root, grounding, etc.), then the meat is the walls and ceiling and roof elements.

When Paul spoke of height and depth, etc., it was like speaking of the construction on top of the foundation and not just foundation. So, meat is involved in these words.... notice LOVE.

Ephesians 3:17-20 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, (18) May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; (19) And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (20) Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Get grounded first, then go to the height and depth after.

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Originally Posted by Abiding Now

Read several post lately and folks talk about "real meat" preaching/teaching, so how would you describe "meat" preaching/teaching?

Acts Chapter 10 verses 9-15

9 On the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop to pray about the sixth hour:

10 And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

11 And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

12 Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

13 And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

14 But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

15 And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

[Abiding Now]

To me, a well rounded Bible study should include some "milk" because in a normal church service there would be every level of maturity present. I have attended church services where new folks and the unlearned, that had zero Bible knowledge, were forced fed "meat". In an ideal service, the more mature should rejoice over hearing the fundamentals again and the "milk" folks would still go home fed.

[shazeep]

amen. in this case tho, where does one look for the meat?

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Originally Posted by Abiding Now

To me, a well rounded Bible study should include some "milk" because in a normal church service there would be every level of maturity present. I have attended church services where new folks and the unlearned, that had zero Bible knowledge, were forced fed "meat". In an ideal service, the more mature should rejoice over hearing the fundamentals again and the "milk" folks would still go home fed.

Amen. Totally agree.

[JonathanM]

I've heard 3 preachers in the last 10 years that I found very impressive. With all of them, I looked over at my wife in the first 5 or 10 minutes of preaching and said something like, 'This guy is not always quoting scripture but so much of his phraseology has scripture incorporated in it... He's full of the word!'

To me, that is meaty preaching. And each time I've made it a point to tell them afterward, 'That was tremendous preaching; very rarely have I heard so much scripture incorporated into a message'.

A young man (24 years old, maybe?) once preached at a pretty large church and was held over for more preaching. I think, after counting, he'd quoted close to 40 verses of scripture in his message; verse from all over the Bible but they fit his topic, the blood of Christ. That, I think, was meaty.

Granted, there are deep thoughts in the Word of God. Some of these thoughts have been handled in less than thorough ways; so one can have a meaty topic that is handled in a milky way. I heard a guy preach on Melchizedek once... Meaty topic, milky message. Do you know what I mean? Very little scripture that barely addressed a heavy, potentially meaty, topic.

So to me, at least, a message can be meaty even if the topic is simple - if it's handled in a thoroughly scriptural manner. Always, 'Where the word of a King is there is power...' So I feel that most any message, or messenger, that is really into the word can be meaty. And yes - I like meat.

One last thought (for now, at least). I've heard people talk about their most favorite messages (one was on balloons). When asked what text was used I'm amazed how many people can't recall the text used to preach from. Sometimes they can't recall any scripture used in the entire message. That probably ISN'T a meaty message - even if it did tickle someone's ear.

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A message may not be meaty even if it's got lots of Word. If the points are all principles listed in Hebrews 6, you can preach a lot of scripture and it still all be milk. But meat seems to be the things that Hebrews says were issues that young christians cannot even follow. Too much depth. Meat is solid word, but deep word.

1 Corinthians 2:10-15 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. (12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. (13) Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (14) But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. (2) 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.

Paul wrote the whole book of 1 Corinthians and it was solid word. An entire book of the bible! But it was all MILK.

Think of what 1 Cor is about:

Fighting among believers.
People favouring one preacher over another.
People suing each other
Fornication
Families breaking up and divorce
How long hair should be.
Proper use of Gifts of the Spirit
Need to love each other and not overfocusing on gifts
Resurrection of the body
Etc.

All OUTWARD things.
Milk

How much preaching is spent on those types of things?


Hebrews 5:13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.