If you Google the word disciple, it simply says: “A personal follower of Jesus during his life.” But there is a distinction many often miss: a disciple is not a mere student who studies a philosopher, teacher, or guru; a disciple is a follower who models their life after a Master.

When I first started weight training in 2012, I was 14 years old and weighed only 110 pounds. I had a desire to lift weights and get in shape. I would borrow my dad’s 150cc motorcycle, which I could actually balance with my body weight at the time, wake up at 5:00 AM, drink a couple of raw eggs, and head to a gym two kilometers away. On the first day, I paid a full month’s fee. I went for exactly two days and never returned. I told myself I lost interest because the trainer wasn’t in great shape himself; I fixated on his physical appearance rather than his expertise. But the truth was deeper. I had a desire, but I didn't have a need.

Fast forward to 2015. I was 17, and my dad asked me, "You’re now going to college and for your commute, I’ll buy you a motorcycle. Is there anything specific you want?" I said, "Yes, get me a Royal Enfield 350cc motorcycle." I had fancy dreams as a teenager and I wanted that motorcycle, even though it was significantly heavier than I was. Suddenly, the "need" was established. In life, if there is no perceived need, we rarely pursue things, even if they are beneficial to us. I told myself, "Kranthi, you have no choice now. You have to be strong enough to handle this bike."

I went back to a different trainer this time who, again, wasn't in peak physical condition, but this time, my need motivated me. I started with baby weights and eventually reached a point where I was constantly challenging my own personal records.

This is exactly how faith works. When we fail to establish or understand our desperate need for Jesus, it is incredibly difficult to keep that desire going... that desire to be a true follower, a disciple who reads Scripture daily, who prays without ceasing, and models Jesus in every word and deed. The writer of Hebrews addresses this without hesitation, warning his audience that every follower of Jesus must eventually move toward maturity.

To understand the weight of this warning, we must look at the context: the author was writing to Jewish Christians who were drifting toward apostasy, which is the danger of walking away from the faith entirely. To anchor them, the writer contends for the supremacy of Christ by weaving together four massive pillars:

• Christology: His deity.
• Soteriology: Salvation through His sacrifice.
• Redemptive History: His fulfillment of Israel’s story.
• Ecclesiology: The necessity of communal worship.

The point is clear: you cannot survive the weight of the world on a diet of milk. If you want to handle the "heavy lifting" of life without drifting away, you must move from being a student of the basics to a mature disciple by constant training and practicing.

The writer of Hebrews talks about how Christ is greater than angels, Moses, Aaronic priests, the Covenant, the sanctuary, the sacrifices, the promised land, and Sinai. In the process of contending for Christ in this section, the writer was trying to tell them how Christ is greater than Melchizedek, the high priest of God and a king whom we see in Genesis 14 where he interacts with Abraham. But then, he stops mid-argument. He realizes his readers might not be ready for the "heavy lifting" of this theology, and he issues this stinging challenge:

This passage draws a line between knowing about Jesus and actually being His disciple, a follower who moves past the basics to model their life after the Master.

Sharpening the Hearing

Most of you have heard the famous hymn “Amazing Grace.” There is a line that always hits home: “How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.” I was born into a Christian home, but when I truly became a born-again believer, that grace became incredibly precious to me. I was super excited about my newfound faith; I couldn't stop myself from telling everyone about it.

But then, I hit a plateau. I found myself asking, “Now what?” I finally understood the Gospel, but I didn't know how to move. It’s like the gym, I finally understood how to lift weights with good posture, but knowing the "posture" isn't the same as doing the "work." That initial excitement won't move you any further if you don’t keep up with it. If you don’t practice it every day, you stall.

This is exactly where the first-century Jewish Christians - the Hebrews, found themselves. They had learned about Jesus, but they hadn't "exercised." The writer tells them, essentially: "Hey, you guys were saved a long, long time ago. By now, you all should be teachers, but instead, you’re still students. Or even worse, you have become dull of hearing."

In verse 11, the writer says: “About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.” The Greek word for "dull" here is nothros. It doesn’t mean they were deaf; it means they became "sluggish" or "lazy." That Greek word describes a person who has become slow and numbed because they stopped pushing themselves.

Paul talks about something similar in 1 Corinthians 2:14: “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” As a musician, I know that "dull hearing" is a real danger. If I don’t practice music often, I lose my "ear." I lose the ability to hear the nuances and the pitch. The same thing happens to our faith if we don’t practice every day. To practice this faith, we can't rely on our own strength; we need Him. We have to invite the Holy Spirit to help us in practicing our faith so that we don't become nothros, spiritually sluggish and unable to hear the Master's voice.

Again, the goal of the Christian walk is not just to be a believer, but to be a mature believer. So, before we look at what 'solid food' actually is, we have to ask ourselves: Have we become nothros? Living in a consumeristic society, we become numb to many things. People these days watch sports on TV while scrolling on their phones. Is the Gospel starting to sound like something that's running in the background? If so, the cure isn't just 'trying harder', it's returning to the practice of listening to the Spirit.

That brings us to our second point: how do we practice it?

Building the Rhythms

The writer of Hebrews says that not everyone is ready to eat solid food; many of you need milk, since you are unskilled and like children. But the one who eats solid food matures. For babies, when they hit 6 or 8 months and the parents first start to feed them solid food, they do not start with a steak!! They still give the babies milk, but they also feed them some real food, maybe some crushed fruits or minced vegetables and meat.

That is exactly how the practice happens. To walk side-by-side with the Holy Spirit and to become mature is to start slow. You cannot start walking 10,000 steps a day if you don’t have a habit; you have to intentionally start building rhythms, such as parking your car further than usual when you go to the stores or wherever you walk, just a little more than usual. Then, on a weekend, you should go for a walk in the morning or evening. In a few weeks, before you know it, those little habits will help you walk 10,000 steps a day. If you continue to increase the intensity, one day you will run a marathon, but it all starts with parking the car further than usual, or any small habit like that.

This ties into verse 11, where the writer says you are of "dull hearing." Maybe you are in a place where you cannot hear the Spirit properly, but it starts with small steps like a devotional, prayer, being connected to a local body, scrolling less, and being intentional about making time for God.

Now, after all the baby steps, we talked about sharpening our hearing and inviting the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit isn’t a "magic button" that makes us mature overnight. He is a Trainer. We invite Him into the gym, but then we still have to pick up the weights. This is what the writer of Hebrews calls “constant practice” (v. 14).

Think back to my 350cc motorcycle. I couldn't just "wish" myself stronger; I had to build a rhythm. I had to show up at the gym every single day. Spiritual maturity works the same way. In my introduction, I mentioned that a disciple is someone who reads Scripture daily, prays without ceasing, and models Jesus in word and deed. These aren't just supposed to be "religious chores", they are the rhythms that keep us from drifting.

I remember when I first tried to build a rhythm of reading the Bible. I treated it like a textbook. I’d read a chapter, check a box, and move on. But because I didn't have a "rhythm," I wasn't actually "eating." I was just looking at the menu. It wasn't until I started treating my time with God like my time at the gym, as a non-negotiable need for my survival, that changed things.

If you want to move from "milk" to "solid food," you have to stop waiting for "inspiration" to strike and start building "rhythms." You don't wait to be "inspired" to brush your teeth, go to work, or study; you do it because you need to. We need to pray, read, and model Jesus because without those rhythms, our hearing becomes nothros (sluggish).

How to Eat "Solid Food" (The SOAP Method)

I don’t want to take a whole lot of time talking about how to read and pray, but I just want to share a model that I personally like when it comes to reading the Bible. A very specific "exercise plan". It’s called the SOAP model.

This is how I train my discernment every morning:

• S – Scripture: I don’t just skim. I write down a specific verse or passage that stands out. This is the "weight" I’m lifting for the day.
• O – Observation: What is happening in this text? What is the context? I ask the Holy Spirit to show me what the author was actually saying to the original audience.
• A – Application: This is where the "heavy lifting" happens. How does this truth change my Monday morning? If I'm reading about forgiveness, who do I need to forgive today? If I am reading about grace, how can I be graceful today?
• P – Prayer: I turn the scripture into a conversation. I ask God for the strength to handle the "weight" of the day using the truth I just read.

The writer of Hebrews says the mature have their "powers of discernment trained by constant practice." The SOAP method is that constant practice for me. It’s how I train my ears to distinguish between the Truth and the noise of the world. But I want to be clear: this is just what works for me. The goal is for you to find the methods that will help you build your own rhythms. If you are looking for more encouragement on this, here is a powerful clip from Pastor Jonathan's sermon.