I am witnessing a phenomenon that has taken me off guard. On one hand, I see undernourished Believers struggling to exhibit Biblical truths, and on the other hand, I see Christians full of Biblical knowledge with no actions. Sadly, there are many Believers who do not open their Bibles on a daily basis. It is not difficult to identify who they are for their actions do not compliment the Word. Then there are those that display “Biblical gluttony.” They know the Scriptures inside out. They can recite the books of the Bible. They know Biblical addresses. The problem is they are so engulfed in the Word that they don’t take time to live what they read. Knowing what the Word says and not exhibiting its content has a direct correlation to the lack of evangelistic conversions. I have always promoted the phrase, READ THE WORD, but that is only part of the ingredient to being a Christian. LIVE THE WORD is what puts the Believer out into the world with the Gospel message. Why is it that Christians act like Christians when they are around Christians, but fail to act like a Christian when around those who do not believe? What good is it to know Scriptures if one fails to show the Scripture through one’s life?

People knew the Apostle Paul and what kind of man he was. He told the Thessalonians that they knew “What manner of men we were among you for your sakes.” (I Thessalonians 1:5) Paul lettered Timothy and reminded him that he knew his “doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity… ” (II Timothy 3:9. 10) It seems today that the world has a hard time distinguishing Christians from the general populace. The only definable difference would be that the Believers have a tendency to point out the sins of their counter parts instead of the righteousness of Jesus. When Christians center on the sinfulness of man and not on the “sinlessness” of Jesus, we have lost the vision.

When Believers are more interested in their “salvational” status than the spiritual condition of the lost, we have lost our way. They know what the Scripture says and they have accepted the “ticket to Heaven,” so there is no need to read the Bible because they are all set. Other Believers are so full of the Word that they are hindered from “mobility.” I have a leaf blower that is hard to start. It is full of the right gas mixture, but some days I can pull and pull and it just won’t start. A neighbor told me that I probably flooded the carburetor. When you over prime the blower, it will not start. It is the same way with the Christian. You can flood your mind with the Word to such a degree that you are unable to motivate yourself to action. The Word is to be used, not stored. Of course, the Word is to be held within each Believer, so when the situation arises we will be able to recall what we have “hidden” within the recesses of our heart and minds, but the Word is to be displayed through our actions. When we fail to work the Word, it becomes a history book.

A sinner does not know he is a sinner until he is convicted by the Holy Spirit through the representation of the Word of God. If Believers use the Word as a hammer to present the Truth, they are misguided. Instead of Christians pointing out the world’s sins, they need to point to a loving Jesus that is willing to say to the sinner, as He did to the adulteress woman, “Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.” (John 8:11) READ THE WORD, LIVE THE WORD!