I heard about a group of folks who meet weekly to make candles. The group has existed for over a hundred years, passing down chandlery techniques from generation to generation. When circumstances call for candles the congregation appoints a committee to select a reputable manufacturer from which to buy them.

There is a good reason for these candle makers to get candles from someone else. The candles that they make themselves, for various reasons, don’t light.

Most of the time this isn’t a problem since the candles are merely decorative. They sit amid flowers on shelves or atop bookcases. Only when the candle makers need candles that function as light sources do they need to import someone else’s product.

And that IS a problem.

A group declaring themselves to be ‘candle makers’ that only produces ornaments incapable of shedding light is either delusional or deceptive. Whichever the case, the label is untrue. A ‘candle’ that can’t be lit is not actually a candle.

Were I a member of this group, I would suggest a decision be made about the purpose of their existence in order to state that purpose clearly to avoid confusion. Fellowship is an acceptable reason for meeting together. Making candles is also a good reason for meeting but it’s altogether different from fellowship. Be honest about which one you’re doing.

(Hebrews 5:12) In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.