I sometimes get the impression that some zealous Christians today are so concerned about guarding the Word that they forget to obey it. They think they are serving God by their “holy crusades” of accusation and attack, crusades that are not always based on truth or motivated by love. I recall with a sad heart a young man who used to stand at the steps of our church building and pass out literature that condemned certain schools and preachers. I asked him why he didn’t pass out gospel tracts to lost sinners. When we asked him to go away from the church building, or else to come in to worship, he shouted: “I’m a fighting Fundamentalist and I don’t care who knows it! You people are not preaching the truth!” I appreciate any believer who wants to defend the faith, but his belligerent attitude made a mockery of the faith. The best way to defend the Bible is to practice it.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1988). Prayer : Basic training. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.

Many have differing opinions, and I would love to hear yours. I find myself agreeing completely with Wiersbe here. I think we spend too much time in study and never put anything into practice. Look at all the people who call themselves Christians but are known by the evangelical community as “Sunday Christians.” Look at all those evangelicals who focus of the love of God over his wrath and whom the fundamentals call “watered-down gospel teachers.” Look at all the fundamentalists with their walled-garden churches and signs proclaiming the facts that they are KJV, pre-trib, pre-millenial, etc. Everyone is so focused on doctrine that we have our own versions of Pharisees and Sadducees—people who think they have it but have completely missed Christ in their midst.

Now, I like to think of myself as an equal opportunity offender. I tried to pick on everyone above, but if you are upset that I missed you, please comment, and I’ll throw your group into the mix. Seriously, though, I’ve noticed that when you work through serving together with someone who may not see things eye-to-eye with you, a lot of the academic details fall away and you find yourself not so far away from agreeing with your once-nemesis. It’s the label (e.g. denomination, political party, doctrine name) that divides more than it is the truth.

So let’s begin to get back to the practice of the gospel and take a holiday from arguing our fine doctrinal points. Certainly, continue to study and to learn the truth of God. Never cease from that precious duty, but don’t let it alone define your faith.

Jesus told a parable regarding how we should always pray and not lose heart. He ended by asking if the Son of Man would find faith on earth when He returned.

This makes me wonder: what does faith really look like? Obviously we must trust and believe in and on Jesus Christ, but this can’t be a statement only; it must be lived. How do we live out our faith each day? Do we go out in power believing and trusting the Lord’s will be done? Or do we go out hoping maybe today we will finally live up to our own expectations of what a “Christian” should be?

Unless we exercise the former, I don’t think we live in faith. We must move past our foolish notions of a morality, rules-based Christianity and walk humbly in the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, whom we have from God our Father (1 Corinthians 6:19). This is faith. This is that to which we must preserve to the end.