We often say at our church, “No one cares how much we know until they know how much we care.” We have to live what we believe if we are ever going to see the Gospel reach the hearts of the people around us. Seriously, think about it… If we claim to be free, forgiven, made new, and to be given life and the power and presence of God, why do we so often act no different than we would outside of Christ?
There is nothing that gets me more frustrated that religious hypocrisy. People who are suppose to know better but don’t live a changed life are as lost in their religion as the Pharisees of Jesus’ day. And this problem exists in nearly every church, and is indiscriminate of your church model, values, denomination, or style of worship. The reason? Because people are still people and deal with the same sin issues. And to be perfectly honest, I hate it the most, when I see it in myself. I still battle with the same selfish tendencies as all of the people in my church… and your church.
But we are suppose to be different. We are suppose to have a new life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
If we want to see the Gospel change the lives of the people around us, it must first change our lives. Just because you believed in Him does not mean you are living for Him. And just because you go to church does not mean you are discipled. Some of the most godly people I know are baby Christ-followers with a passion for Jesus that humbles me. Already, they consistently make difficult choices that show a stark distinction between who they were and who they are now in Christ. Conversely, some of the most un-discipled people I have known (myself included at times) are those who could explain the significance of the hyper-static union of Christ in regards to dispensational versus covenant theology. They can quote entire chapters of God’s word from memory, but they won’t speak life into the people around them. None of that information we know matters at all, if we do not live it. The power of the Gospel is such that it is not satisfied to save us from the penalty our sin one day when we stand before God, but to save us from the power of our sin today. Right here, right now. And the evidence of it working is in how we love others, and how we obey.
The power of the Gospel is in obedience not knowledge.
I’m blogging later this week on “signs that you don’t get it.” Keep an open heart. I’m guilty of several of these. Chances are, you can relate.
Blessings,
John
