"All
hat and no cattle." This is a spot-on description of
the big-talking troublemakers of First Church of Corinth.
I love some of the synonym
expressions as well:
- All bark and no bite…
- All crown and no filling…
- All ham and no omelet…
- All hammer and no nail…
- All icing and no cake…
- All shot and no powder…
- All sizzle and no steak…
- All wick and no candle…
- All talk and no action…
- All show and no go…
Full of promise and short on
execution--Paul's accurate appraisal of the troublemakers of Corinth.
"We are still in the world, yet we are to be called out,
distinct and not 'of the world.' We are to live according to the ethics of the
kingdom of God, and those ethics are in almost every way a radical departure
from the norms and values of the world. The 'Upside-Down Kingdom.' It is the
kingdom where the first will be last, where the humble will exalted, and the
mighty will be laid low. It is the kingdom where to be the greatest you must
become the least, to lead you must serve, to gain your life you must lose it. It
is the kingdom where to be filled up we must empty ourselves, where richness is
found in poverty and where the meek will inherit the earth. It is a kingdom
that calls us to turn the other cheek, to walk the extra mile, to give the
cloak as well as the coat. In this kingdom we are called to love our enemies
and hate our sin in the midst of a world that loves its sin and hates it
enemies. It is a kingdom whose central symbol is a mark of humiliation and
defeat, and whose ethics seem to be utter foolishness. It means placing
His kingdom at the very center of our lives…" -Stewards in the Kingdom by R. Scott Rodin
But it was not so in Corinth, so
the burdened Apostle challenged them in this way, "The Kingdom of God does
not consist in words but in power." 1 Cor. 4:20
"All
hat and no cattle." This is an idiomatic expression
describing those individuals who are full of big talk but deficient in action or
substance. Regrettably, it is an accurate assessment of the floundering
fellowship.
The point is this: A message that
has punch and power must be more than windy speaking and fancy words. It must
have within it the radically transforming dynamite of the gospel. The only
message to pack such a power is the proclamation of the Cross of Christ. For
this reason Jesus beckons, "Follow Me!"
See you Sunday, Church!
Pastor Tom
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