“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” — Matthew 7:24
Doers of the Word
Could you imagine a coach teaching the fundamentals of a drill, or going through the playbook, reviewing the X’s and O’s, and then, day after day, sending everyone home without ever stepping on the field?
Or what about a coach who turns his players loose on the field, letting them run around, trying to figure stuff out on their own, whether it be fundamentals, alignments or strategies, without ever giving input, without ever implementing any sort of game plan — no teaching, no strategy, no scouting reports?
Obviously, both would be lacking. In one, you have all information and no execution. The other is all execution with no information. Of course, a good coach ensures that their team has both. The teaching and the plan give direction to the performance, and the performance helps to effectively practice and execute the plan in the way it was intended.
As Christians, and as churches, are we like this? We may know the “plan.” We know our doctrine, we can recite Scripture, and can even beautifully articulate passages on how we should treat others, but often don’t actually allow that information to transform our behavior or the way we actually treat others. We operate as hearers of the word, but not doers, falling right into the trap that James 1:22 warns us about.
Others are out “practicing” much of what God calls His people to do, yet are missing the crucial, foundational components that God’s Word gives us. We see individuals and even churches doing a great job of serving the poor and loving their neighbors (among other things), all while disregarding Biblical doctrine, often ignoring or minimizing the Good News of the Gospel and its implications.
As Christ-followers, we should always allow our doctrine, our information about who God is, who we are, and what He has called us to do, to fuel our actions. We should take the information that God gives us, and instead of just knowing it, go do it! As it says in Matthew 7:24, we hear the words of Jesus, and then we put them into action as the perfect foundation for all we do. It is then that we can be the people God has called us to be in the ways He has called us to be.
— Chris Kelty
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