a whole lot of air

For the Kingdom of God is not just fancy talk; it is living by God’s power. (1 Corinthians 4:20). This spring I have had the opportunity to participate in several gatherings of church leaders where the discussion centered on new things God was doing in the church today. I found it to be rather fascinating to hear leaders discuss various aspects of God's "new thing". Invariably as the conversation progressed, it became evident that the "experts" had much to talk about but little to share from experiential expertise.

I must say that the conversations always started well but when it turned to the practical application of the theory, any substance disintegrated quickly into emptiness. We are experts in theory but we have no life experiences from which to base our theory. In other words, our theory has not been tested. (Read Paul's words to the church at Corinth again).

If we are going to transform our world, we as leaders must quit talking about things which we have not experienced. The rule of God (the kingdom of God) is not about being able to say the correct words, the kingdom of God is about practically ordering our lives according to work of God in the world today.

One of the repeated requests Bev and I get from people (and especially young people) is - "show us how to live". They never ask us to TELL them how to live. We have incredible authority to bring transformation to people as "the word becomes flesh" in us. On the other hand, empty experience-less conversation leaves an emptiness in the spirit of those who hear.

I am convinced that what I experienced at the various leaders meetings had little to do with the kingdom of God, it had more to do with empty air.