When Someone Hires a Chef, They Can Forget How to Cook
When someone hires a chef, they can forget how to cook.
That may sound like a luxury problem, but spiritually, it can become a church problem.
A good pastor is a gift. A faithful preacher is a gift. A well-prepared sermon is a gift. Week after week, the people of God gather to hear the Word opened, explained, proclaimed, and applied. That matters deeply.
But there is a danger hidden inside the gift.
If we are not careful, we can begin to treat the pastor like a professional chef whose job is to prepare our one spiritual meal for the week. We arrive hungry on Sunday, receive what has been prepared, enjoy it, evaluate it, and then leave—imagining, often without realizing it, that we can survive until the next Sunday on that one meal.
But no one lives well on one meal a week.
The Christian life was never meant to be sustained by Sunday alone. The sermon is not a replacement for daily nourishment. It is not meant to excuse us from opening Scripture, praying, reflecting, repenting, worshiping, and seeking the Lord throughout the week.
A chef may prepare a wonderful meal, but if we forget how to feed ourselves, something has gone wrong.
The same is true in the church.
Pastors are not called to create spiritual dependency. They are called to equip the saints. Teachers are not meant to become substitutes for personal devotion, but servants who help the people of God learn how to read, pray, discern, and obey.
The danger is subtle. We may still love sermons. We may still attend church. We may still admire biblical teaching. But admiration is not nourishment. Listening once a week is not the same as walking with God daily.
The Word of God is not a weekly event. It is daily bread.
Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not weekly bread. Not occasional bread. Daily bread.
The church needs gifted “chefs,” yes. We need pastors who labor in the Word. We need teachers who help us taste the richness of Scripture. But we also need ordinary believers who know how to come to the table themselves.
Open the Bible.
Pray slowly.
Read one verse.
Sit with it.
Ask what God is revealing.
Ask what needs to change.
Ask where Christ is being held before your eyes.
You do not need to prepare a sermon every morning. You do not need to become a scholar overnight. You simply need to eat.
A Sunday sermon can be a feast.
But daily Scripture is bread.
And no one should try to live on one meal a week.