One of the bright spots today is the way God's kingdom is growing in what's known as the Global South.
So, while faith is faltering in Europe and North America, it's thriving in places like Africa and Asia.
You may wonder how this could be.
Well those who study this kind of thing have found an apparent answer...
Here in the Global North we see knowledge as more important than obedience, whereas in the Global South there's a zeal to obey and apply God's Word in every way possible.
This tension between knowledge and obedience is nothing new.
It goes all the way back to the beginning when the devil used the promise of greater knowledge to lure Eve into disobedience.
And, of course, the promise of the Bible as a whole is that God blesses obedience -- not how smart we are.
As Deuteronomy 28:1-2 says:
Now it shall be if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God.
So what's this mean for us here today?
In a culture where we tend to think knowledge is the answer to everything, we need to recover a heart for obedience if we hope to see the influence of His kingdom.