My husband and I rarely go to buffet restaurants. There was a time that was not the case! We would go to buffets that seemed to offer miles and miles of food. Thankfully, food was grouped together, so we could scurry to the “good” stuff. I would pass the broccoli, salad, and cabbage. It was much more appealing to head to the steak, fried chicken, fried vegetables, and dessert – I mean desserts. Buffets are à la carte eating at its finest. Buffets offer the opportunity for one to go into a food coma and become useless for the next several hours.
Buffets are marvelous because one can feast on only what a person wants and leave the rest.
It seems that we are in a time of buffet Christianity where we take the Word of God and make à la carte selections. Choose the parts you like and avoid the other parts. Let me give a couple of examples.
Jesus had a lot to say about a real hell, and He made sure to teach that it is not somewhere one wants to end up when their eternity begins. Jesus had a lot to say about hell at the end of Matthew 25 and the end of Mark 9. These are the actual teachings of Jesus. Talking about hell from a pulpit might not fill the building, yet it is something that needs to be taught. Hell is a broccoli kind of subject – let’s head to the dessert bar instead!
Let me give one more example. I have been shocked at the number of Christians, even pastors, who think all roads lead to the same God. That is not what the Bible teaches. We are in a time when the true Gospel message is offensive to those who want to hang out at the dessert bar.
I recently heard a clip that went something like this, “Jesus said he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can approach the Father except through faith in Jesus (John 14:6). You cannot approach God through good works. You cannot come to God by meditating on your inner self. We can only approach the Father through faith in the sinless Savior of the world. Don’t like that part of the Bible? Take it up with Jesus.”
Now to some, the above message is broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage all in one bowl!
Do you like buffets? Well, I can offer you a great one! Go to the one offered in the Bible. I challenge all of us to go to the whole counsel of God. Eat from all parts. Read whole books of the Bible and taste of the broccoli, the fried food, the steak, and the desserts.
Read the Bible à la carte on occasion, but don’t eat that way all the time. Don’t be a picky eater. We need to eat of all that God’s Word offers. Come to the table, taste and see that the Lord is good. Eat bountifully from all that He has to offer.