1 Corinthians 4:20<\/p>\n
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of\u00a0talk but of power.<\/em><\/p>\n It is one thing to talk about being spiritual and it is another to actually be spiritually mature. There are a lot of people who think they are strong Christians because they have outward signs such as going to church or using theological jargon. But if a person followed them around, it would not take long to see some discrepancies. A person’s true nature comes out after a while. We are all human and have our weak moments, but generally, we can see patterns over time. The Corinthians sounded tough, but they were really acting just like little kids. Real power comes from God the Holy Spirit working in and through us. The primary evidence of this will be love, which will then influence every other aspect of our existence. Paul came to the Corinthians with love and Christlikeness. When he wrote this letter, this church was acting like people of the flesh, prideful, boasting, and nearsighted (seeing only their own agenda). This type of situation can only be remedied by the work of the Holy Spirit upon hearts that have been consecrated to God. Anything other than this will fall short. We too much look deep without ourselves and determine from where we are getting our “power” and reason for existence. Does what we say and how we act convince those around us that we are seeking to be like Christ and allowing the Spirit to transform us into His likeness?<\/p>\n