Get Up, Get Moving!

Most of us are familiar with the phrase: "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" Growing up, I heard that phrase at just about every youth retreat and MYF (Mennonite Youth Fellowship) conference I ever attended throughout my teens.

The problem with it, though, was that it often left me feeling... short. Not in stature, but more that I didn't always measure up the expectation behind the phrase. One speaker at a youth event handed out cartoon tracts that preached "salvation or hell" -- which is entirely Biblical, but is often ineffective on strangers or people with whom you haven't built a relationship. "Hand these out to everyone you meet," he said. "You can talk the talk, but will you walk the walk?"

And so, pressured into a false sense of guilt, I canvassed my neighborhood with these tracts, sliding them into the tight wedge between mailbox and its attached flag (since opening a mailbox not your own is a felony). 

Years later, as missionaries in Ireland, my husband and I had a semi-tense conversation with our mission director regarding the ministry of "the doors" -- that is, approaching houses, knocking on doors, breaking through an icy wall of presumption (we were always without fail presumed to be Jehovah's Witnesses), and talking about Jesus. I have no idea if that type of ministry has ever been effective; I would assume it was at one time, because otherwise, why did it ever begin? In our case, however, it was not, and further, continuing on with these methods put up walls between us and the people of the community -- a very real concern. 

The mission director acknowledged our hesitation, but pressed forward: "But what else can we do?" And he summed up 1 Corinthians 9:22-23: "I have become all things to all men, so that by all possible means, I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings."  So, he summed up, this is "one more thing" we can do for the sake of the gospel.

He didn't spell it out for us, but the message was there, hovering in the air between us: "You can talk the talk, but will you walk the walk?" Will you talk about how much you want to spread the good news of the gospel, but not actually do it if it makes you uncomfortable?

I understood the heart of what he was saying, but I still didn't necessarily agree with the means. Water under the bridge.

On to Paul's letter. Glance with me at 1 Corinthians 4:20: "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power."

Paul spends most of this chapter using a little bit of snark to make a point (I love snark, particularly when I find it in the pages of the Bible). The Corinthian church apparently has a problem with pride, which is one of the biggest root causes of division -- and this is why Paul spends so much time in the last few chapters discussing church divisions and Paul, Apollos, and Cephas (I feel like this should be a musical group's name, a la Peter Paul and Mary -- two of the three are already represented). 

So Paul chides the church with some rich sarcasm: "Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have become kings -- and that without us!" Kings are heads of kingdoms, but what kind of kingdom was the Corinthian church building? Paul doesn't seem to think it's the kingdom of God. See, the people in the church have been bragging on themselves a bit without much thought for the apostles who had originally shown them Christ or for what those apostles had taught them. Paul is reminding them -- without Christ, you would not exist. Without your Cornerstone -- that is, Christ -- you are "a leaning wall, a tottering fence" (Psalm 62:3). 

And then Paul vents his feelings a little more: "For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena (this is around the time when Christians and/or prisoners were martyred in arena games, by lions or gladiatorial fights or other means). We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men. We are fools for Christ, but you are so wise in Christ (more snark)! We are weak, but you are strong (he's really piling it on)! You are honored, we are dishonored! To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world" (1 Corinthians 4:9-13).

If anyone is walking the walk according to every definition of the phrase, the apostles are. Which is why Paul calls out the Corinthian church's false pride so strongly. He tells the church in 4:16: "Therefore, I urge you to imitate me." Stop talking so much hot air. Stop displaying your "honor badges" to the world.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power" (1 Corinthians 4:20).

Two quick stories: Acts 8:9-25 gives us the story of Simon the Sorcerer, a man who lived in Samaria and who did magic tricks. His tricks were so good that the people revered him: "This man is the divine power known as the Great Power," they said (Acts 8:10). But then the apostle Philip showed up and began preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, and many believed Philip's message and were baptized -- even Simon the Sorcerer. Meanwhile, at the apostles' headquarters in Jerusalem, they heard about the spiritual awakening happening in Samaria, so they sent Peter and John to help. So Peter and John started laying their hands on people and praying that they receive the Holy Spirit, and when this happened, words were the last thing on anyone's mind; now there were actions. There was a visible change.

How do we know? "When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of hands..." this power-hungry magician offered money to Peter. What Simon saw must have been really impressive, because he wanted that power. He said: "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Peter answered, in typical fiery-Peter style: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God." And he tells Simon to repent. To walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

One other story: Matthew 17:14-23 goes back to the life and ministry of Jesus. A man had a son who suffered from demonic seizures (note: not all seizures are demonic; these happened to be). He brought his son to the disciples for healing... but the disciples couldn't heal him. They spoke the words... but didn't have the power.

Not one to give up, "the man approached Jesus and knelt before him. 'Lord, have mercy on my son,' he said. 'He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.'

"'Oh unbelieving and perverse generation,' Jesus replied, 'how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.' Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.

"Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, 'Why couldn't we drive it out?'

"He replied, 'Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.'"

Connecting the dots: The disciples couldn't heal, because they lacked the faith to do so. They knew all the proper words (they'd followed Jesus for a while by this point), but their hearts weren't in a place where they actually believed what they were preaching and teaching. They weren't... walking the walk.

Simon couldn't lay hands on people and pray for them to receive the Holy Spirit, because his faith reduced God to a saleable item. For $10.99, I get to pray Holy Spirit fire over five people. For only an additional $5.99, I can do more magic than what I've been doing. Make you cringe? Sure does me. He saw the Lord's work, could talk his way toward what he saw happening, but as far as stepping outside of the words and living the faith, walking the walk? He fell short.

Back to Paul and the Corinthian church: Paul is kingdom building -- he's laying foundations for churches throughout his missionary travels. He's preaching Christ and Him crucified everywhere he goes, and he's spending a good deal of time writing letters to teach and encourage... and sometimes, to rebuke, as he does for a good portion of this first Corinthian letter.  

Through his ministry, the kingdom of God is advancing throughout the world. And it's important that the Corinthians understand that all the fine words and proud boasting in the world... is not going to make that kingdom any shinier than what it is. If anything, proud boasting dulls that kingdom, sets up divisions, makes a mockery of the church. 

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power."

Jesus Himself describes it as unworldly: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

Jesus blew past all verbiage, all words, and brought His kingdom to people through the power of His blood shed on the cross and through the empty tomb.

Everything else... is words alone. 

And would you look at that, we're right back to 1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the message of the cross (the action that Jesus carried out, not just His words to Pilate) is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God."

So, application: For me personally, this has meant setting aside time I didn't think I had -- to spend with Jesus. It has meant being a little uncomfortable as the Lord leads me into new and wonderful gifts of the Holy Spirit... but in which I feel woefully inadequate, so stepping out in faith, saying to this mountain 'Move,' and believing it will be done, has been a challenge.

Romans 12:6 has been an interesting standard for me over the last year: "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith." In other words -- in this walking of the walk, we can take baby steps or we can take large lunges. The essential thing, though, is that we keep... walking or running, inching, skipping, jumping... moving.

Not getting hung up and stalled out on pride and hot air and too much talk without the baseline actions to undergird our words.

Do I walk the walk? I think so -- but I wonder if I didn't so much before this past year. I knew all the right words, but actually wrapping myself up in the actions -- is debatable. 

Here's a crystal clear, razor's edge difference, and I'll close with this: "You believe there is one God. Good! Even demons believe that, and shudder" (James 2:19). 

Contrast that "faith" with Job's statement of faith: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end, He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see Him with my own eyes -- I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" (Job 19:25-27) And this from Jesus Himself: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me" (Luke 9:23). Move!

One talks, the other walks. Let's challenge ourselves: Step out of the rhetoric and into the taking up of our crosses and following Him. Then we get to experience the kingdom of God -- which is not a matter of talk... but of power.