In a little devotional booklet titled Christmas: The Miracle of God With Us (J. Countryman), Billy Graham writes: "Christmas is not just a date on the calendar. It is not just an annual holiday. It is not a day to glorify selfishness and materialism. Christmas is the celebration of the event that set Heaven to singing, an event that gave the stars of the night sky a new brilliance.

"Christmas tells us that at a specific time and at a specific place a specific Person was born. That Person was (in the words of an ancient Christian creed) 'God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God' -- the Lord, Jesus Christ.

"From the lips of Him who came fell these words: 'The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost' (Luke 19:10). Like piercing trumpets, these words heralded the breaking in of the Divine to human history. They declare that Heaven has come to our rescue and that God has not left us to stumble alone on Earth's pathways. What a wonderful and glorious hope we have because of that first Christmas!"

And what a privilege we have: to be called to proclaim that Good News!

Telling others the meaning of Christmas ought not to be a hard thing for any of us to do. We ought to know by now the reason for the season. But for some, getting beyond the basics of what Christianity is all about is not something easily done.

The writer of Hebrews wrote to a group of believers and said, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food” (Heb. 5:12).

In 5:12-14, I see three principles concerning spiritual maturity.

First, mature Christians are self-taught (v. 12).

Notice that the writer said that they ought to be teachers by now. In other words, with all the time they had spent learning the bible, they ought to be able to – watch this – TEACH THEMSELVES the bible!

You see, all Christians are to teach others (cp. Col 3:16; 1 Pet. 3:15; Deut. 6:4-7; 2 Tim. 3:14-15). Which means that all Christians ought to come to the place in their lives in which they can also FEED THEMSELVES and not rely completely on anyone else to do so.

This is why in the very next phrase, right after he says that you ought to be teachers, he says, “YOU HAVE NEED AGAIN for someone to teach you. . .”

In other words, when will you get to the place in your Christian experience where you can TEACH YOURSELF?

It was said of the Bereans: “These people were more willing to listen than the people in Thessalonica. The Bereans were eager to hear what Paul and Silas said and studied the Scriptures every day to find out if these things were true” (Acts 17:11 NCV).

The Bereans did not wait for someone else’s commentary on whether or not Paul was giving to them the truth. They had reached the level of being self-taught. They studied the Word to see for themselves whether they were being taught the truth or not.

Here is how the writer of Psalm 119 puts it:

Verse 97: How I love your teachings! I think about them all day long.

Verse 100: I have more understanding than the older leaders, because I follow your orders.

Verse 148: I stay awake all night so I can think about your promises.

To be self-taught begins with a “love for the Word.” Then it filters into a commitment to “follow God’s orders.” Finally, there is a strong determination to stay awake ALL NIGHT in order to THINK ABOUT GOD’S PROMISES!

How often when we read the Word we fall asleep? We can talk all day and gab into the night with little to no effort. But as soon as we open the bible, the eyelids become heavy and we succumb to the temptation of falling asleep. No wonder we can be a Christian for years and still rely on getting only the milk of the Word.

Isaiah tells the people of his day to: Look at the LORD's scroll and read what is written there (Isa. 36:16 NCV).

This is not rocket science, but notice how we come together once a week on Sundays to feed on a message from the bible. Then the other six days of the week guess what? We have to feed ourselves. Do you think this is by coincidence?

Mature Christians become such because they do not rely solely on others to teach them the oracles of God. They have gotten to the place where they can “teach themselves.”

Second, mature Christians feed on solid foods (vv. 12-13).

The writer says that as a result of not being mature, “you have come to the need of milk and not solid food.”

What is milk? Simply put: Reading the scriptures and not applying it. What is solid food? Simply put: Reading AND applying the Scriptures. You say, “How do you know this?” Look at verse 14: “But solid food is for the mature, who because of PRACTICE have their senses trained. . .”

What distinguishes milk from solid food? PRACTICE! Application! Appropriation! Obedience! Call it what you want, it is all the same. No Christian ever reaches the level of maturity apart from reading the Word and OBEYING it!

We tend to think that the “meat” of the Word has to do with understanding certain doctrines of the bible, such as: Predestination, election, prophecy, the Trinity, etc. Not so. The whole bible is said to be – watch this – “MILK.”

“Like newborn babes, longing for the PURE MILK of the Word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).

Peter is simply telling us that we need to have the kind of appetite for God’s Word that new born babies have for milk. But the point here is that Peter calls the Scriptures milk. You see, it only becomes solid food when we apply it to our lives.

Paul said the same thing but in a different way.

(1) My friends, you are acting like the people of this world. That's why I could not speak to you as spiritual people. You are like babies as far as your faith in Christ is concerned. (2) So I had to treat you like babies and feed you milk. You could not take solid food, and you still cannot, (3) because you are not yet spiritual. You are jealous and argue with each other. This proves that you are not spiritual and that you are acting like the people of this world (1 Cor. 3:1-3 CEV).

Why could these Christians only feed on milk? Verse 3 – Because they were living fleshly lives which means that they were not applying the Word to their circumstances.

You see, don’t think of milk and meat as various doctrines of the bible that some come to understand more than others. Christians drink the milk of the Word and then once they begin to apply it, the milk becomes solid food in their hearts. The difference has to do with application, not by knowing and understanding a deeper level of theology.

Third, mature Christians are discerning (v. 14).

The writer says, “because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (v. 14).

How do you know when someone is teaching you the Word, or that what is being said is right or wrong? Some say, “Because of the Holy Spirit.” Partly true, but the Holy Spirit is only one part of the equation. Read the verse again: “Because of practice have their senses trained. . .”

To know the difference between biblical teaching and false teaching comes by PRACTICE! What does this entail? Some times you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong. But in the end, because you continue to practice reading the Scriptures and applying it in your life, you eventually come to the point where you get it more right than wrong.

Some people set out on a hunt for the “perfect” bible teacher. Then they put that person on a pedestal and cling to him as the only person they can trust to deliver the true teaching of the Word.

But this is not what God had in mind. Yes, God did give to the church gifted people (Eph. 4:11) to equip us to do ministry (v. 12), and to enable us to go onto maturity (v. 13). But a truly gifted teacher will be the first to tell people that the one and only person who is truly capable of being his or her spiritual instructor is Jesus Himself.

But to get to know Jesus and understand His Word and Ways will take discernment. This can only occur and develop through experience – reading and adjusting your beliefs to the bible.

I can tell you that there are scores of times that I have had to rethink some of the things I use to believe and teach in the past. As God allowed me more additional light on a subject or verse, and as He showed me a better interpretation over time, I had to revise some of my views. My point is this: Don’t wait to take a stand on something unless you think you understand it completely, because you won’t. Take a stand on an issue from the bible and believe it with passion. God is all for you. If you are a little off or misguided, He will certainly bring you around in due course. This is how we get our “senses trained to discern good and evil.” It takes experience, practice and a better understanding of the Word. Therefore, maturity takes time.

Don’t think for one moment that maturity is something that will merely fall upon you as you get older. If you are not moving into the direction of being self-taught, applying what you read and know from God’s Word, and training your senses to discern good and evil by repeated experiences, then spiritual maturity will pass you by.

The greatest threat to spiritual maturity is to be “dull of hearing” (Heb. 5:11). This primarily means a failure to apply the Word to the necessary areas of your life.

Remember, most people want to soar without first being seasoned. God has given to each of us a “gift” to use in building up of the body of Christ. But “fruit” is something that comes with maturity and this takes time and practice on our part.