Follow Me

  • Friday, November 18, 2011


  •  "The Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power." 1 Cor. 4:20

    "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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