Prioritising Between Doing and Teaching

“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up ….” – Acts 1.1

It is time as Christians we began to understand the reality of our calling, that the Christian faith is not evidenced by the abundance of words we speak and in the concepts we generate but in our life actions. Possibly, one of the reasons why spiritual formation is on a downward trend today is because we have not extolled the virtue of right living.

Luke, in his account (Acts 1.1) succinctly and declaratively acquainted us with the life of Christ. He asserted that Christ was first a doer and then a teacher. This shows us the reason for his great exploits in influencing people for God. He demonstrated by the life he lived the things he taught.

For example, it took his exemplary prayer life for his disciples to demand of him to teach them to pray (Luk. 11.1). So if a man that is not prayerful is teaching prayer to the people, he will go as far as giving them academic knowledge.

Christ was able to turn the hearts of men to God, simply because of the way he, himself, was committed to the father.

I remember a denominational preacher I once knew about. He was reputed to have always told the congregation he pastored to do what he was saying and not what he was doing. He did that to prevent many of them from becoming cultists like him, but you see, he could not be effective in establishing the realities of our spiritual walk with God in their lives.

Our Christian witnessing would soon move to another level when we understand that God expects us to live the new life than to generate concepts. We must be the ones to first experience the things we know according to Paul: “The hardworking farmer must be first to partake of the crops”

Peter also made us to know that the Lord should be honoured in our hearts always: “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness of fear, having a good conscience ….” The place of the heart, from where flow the forces of life, comes before explanations.

Our light shall shine and our good works would be seen by men, from our Jerusalem to the extremity of the world, when we focus much more on living the new life than talking about it.

Both are important, but there is a priority.

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