One Sunday morning, a young minister preached what he thought was his best message ever. Afterwards, as he stood in the foyer shaking hands as people filed out the front door, a dear sister said to him, "That was the best sermon I've ever heard in my life." "Wouldn't be great if it were actually true." Even though that was probably just a slip of the toungue, she only echoed what many actually think about sermons. They are well crafted, thoughtful, and fulfill the need for church members to be 'fed.' However, unless they are received as being the word of God and not the words of men, they are perceived as a kind of spiritual placebo; something that is not a real answer to life's real problems.

We hear in these sermons incredible promises and truths from the scripture, such as "God is love," The Kingdom of God is within you,"You have been made the righteousness of God in Christ, and "You are more than a conqueror through Him who loves you." Even though few would say anything outloud, they share the same sentiments of the aforementioned sister as they leave the church house on the Lord's day to enter the real world on Monday. They're wondering inside, "Wouldn't it be great if it were actually true." Unless we digests truth and accept it as part of our everyday lives, we are only left with the aftermath of religeous entertainment, like going to a good movie and then going back to work. ]

The good news is the kingdom of God is actually true and everything that Jesus paid for is a free gift to be enjoyed by those who have ears to hear and mix what they hear with faith. The word of God works mighty in those who believe. As we deem spiritual things to be more valuable than even material things, we discover that they become our reality and truly are great.