The kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Cor 4: 20

I know, I know, I talk a lot. About a lot of things. But I have learned in life that some things do not submit to pretty words, no matter how many they may be. I was blessed to come to faith before I could talk my way over or through things. And I was nurtured in the faith by people who knew, or at least believed in, the power of God. It seems, reading 1 Corinthians, that there have always been two kinds of religious people, those who talk about God and those who know, or at least believe in, the power of God. I am blessed to be one of the latter.

I am hoping that our Kingdom Assignment will result in a few more of us. On the one hand, if a few dozen of us go out into the world and donate to worthy causes, we will make a difference, perhaps attract some attention, but not increase in faith or welcome anyone into faith. On the other hand, if we first pray, and some of us receive direction from God through prayer, if we join with others to pray and to carry out our Assignment, if we do God’s will according to God’s power in someone’s life, we will surely increase in faith and surely someone else will come to faith. Reading through the New Testament, particularly the book of Acts, we see how often the early Church attracted attention because God’s power was evident in our ministry. I fear that the safe, institutional, professional Church of our day has become more a Church of talk than of power. So, I’m going to shut up. (How long do you think that will last?)

As we prepare to tell the story of what we’ve done for our Assignment, let’s not talk about what we’ve done, where the money went, what it paid for, and let’s talk about what God did: answers to prayer, direction to the right person at the right time, calls beyond our comfort zone, and power, the power that changes lives and brings people to faith. Let’s make our Kingdom Assignment not a matter of talk, but of power.

See you in church!

Pastor Jim