Several years ago, a young man made an appointment to see me to, as he put it, “discuss the Christian worldview”. When we met, he told me that he needed to interview a pastor for a comparative religions class he was taking in college. This young man was not from our church, but he did grow up in the area and he was referred to me by some family friends. He was a very intelligent young man and he asked some great questions.
We had a very nice discussion, but I noticed that he repeatedly asked me about the Christian view by comparing it with some other religious philosophy or worldview. So, instead of asking, “what is the Christian view of life after death?”, he would ask something like, “isn’t it true that that Christianity, Judaism and Islam all teach similar things about life after death?” It was evident that he was evaluating Christianity as just one philosophy among the many others he was learning about.
Now I like a good theological and philosophical discussion as much as the next person (maybe too much sometimes), but I had this overwhelming sense that this young man was missing the whole essence of the Gospel.
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. - 1 Corinthians 4:20
There are many people, even people in the church, for whom Christianity is just a matter of talk. They may even know all the right things to say, they learned it all in Sunday School and they can talk the Christian talk, but they have not experienced its power.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. - Romans 1:16
Christianity certainly has deep theology and profound philosophy, but at its heart, it is not a theological or philosophical system, it is the power of God! You see, if we reduce the Christian message to a set of doctrines to believe or philosophies to adhere to, then it becomes something we try on our try out to see it it “fits” us...like we try on clothes. We want to see if this shirt or these pants, are comfortable, do they look and feel good on us, do they make us feel good about ourselves? We may even think that we can grow into or grow out of our faith the way we outgrow certain clothes. I know many people who approach Christianity this way, they want to try it out to see it it “fits”.
The truth is that you are not a Christian if you are one in word only. You are not a true Christ follower just because you know the lingo...What makes you a Christian is not talk, but an encounter with and a surrender to the transforming power of the Gospel!
So, when Jesus came preaching the good news of the Kingdom, He was not talking about another philosophy, He was talking about the ruling and reigning power of God! This is also the reason that Jesus talks about the Kingdom by telling stories (parables) rather than by listing doctrines or explaining philosophies. He says, “the kingdom of heaven is like...” and He goes on to describe, via story, the amazing power of God!
Oh Lord, help us to be people who do not just talk about your kingdom, but experience its power! Protect us from empty words and fill us with the power of your grace by your Holy Spirit - Amen.
Jeff Frazier
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