Theology Is Needed!!!

It has been said that one can be, "so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." Many people have, unwittingly, embraced such thinking as if it were biblical thinking. However, such thinking is far from biblical. Since the Church has been raised with Christ in baptism, the Apostle Paul calls the Church to, "seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col. 3:1-5). The only way for the believer and the Church to be any EARTHLY GOOD is to be HEAVENLY MINDED!!!! If we are not heavenly minded we will fall into the pattern and ways of the world. We will think like the world, act like the world, and be no different than the world. Indeed, we would be worse than the world, for we know, or should know better than the world. The LORD warns His people through the prophet, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee" (Hosea 4:6). It matters how we think, for how we think will impact how we live. For God's people to know how to think in order to live their lives in a godly manner, they must be taught. Theology matters. Doctrine matters. Theology and doctrine are not like options on a car, they are essential to the life of the Christian. Now don't get me wrong, I am not saying every Christian needs to be a highly skilled theologian. I recognize some of us love theology in what can be called a hobby-like manner, yet, God forbid if theology ever becomes a "hobby" or a play thing for us to debate as one debates sports. But the faithful need to have a desire and interest in things spiritual and they need to be informed as to what is spiritual, in the true, biblical and orthodox sense of the word. In order for the Church to know the will of God in their daily lives, the faithful must be engaged in "mind renewal" as the Apostle states, "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Rom.12:2). Many ask, "what is God's will for my life?" Yet, how many say, "I need to learn more about God."? It hardly ever occurs to us that the practice of renewing our minds, which comes about through actions like prayer, Scripture study, holy conversation and fellowship, is needed to know God's will for our lives. Paul does tell us, "this is the will of God, your sanctification" (1st Thess. 4:3), which should cause us to reflect on what our sanctification should look like in our daily lives. For the Church not only to speak properly about God but to live properly before God, theology needs to be given its proper attention in the LOCAL CHURCH, that is, the Parish. Oh, happy day when the people of God and those who lead the people of God remember the actions of our brothers and sisters in the ancient Church when, "they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42).