Maturing As a Christian Is Your Responsibility, Not the Pastor's

Ez 34:16 (NIV) - "I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak ... I will shepherd the flock with justice."

In school you didn't endlessly repeat 5th grade. You progressed to a new grade each year. But endlessly repeating the basics is what most Christians do. Once they reach a level where they feel comfortable, they remain there. They mistakenly think that they have "arrived" because they have become familiar with the basic "Christianity 101" that is preached Sunday after Sunday from the pulpit. The main job of the Church is not to take you on to maturity. The main purpose of the Churth is to reach the lost and help those in difficult times (Ez 34:16). That is a full time job that never changes. Since reaching the lost begins with the basics, Sunday morning church mostly sticks to the basics. If you want to mature beyond "Christianity 101" (and indeed you should), you will have to do it on your own - or better yet with a small group of like-minded people. But don't get so stuck on pursuing your own "maturity" that you become a Pharisee. The main thing is to live a life of love. And living a life of love is about the basics: search for the lost, bring back the strays, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak