1 Corinthians 4:20

For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power (KJV)

Then: Paul's phrase here parallells the English idiom "All talk and no action." Christians deeply committed and connected to Christ have the knowledge, skill, and ability to witness Christ crucified in their communities. In addition they are embued with the Lord's power. Change occurs and the church grows. Thiselton (p. 377) touches on the various approaches to figuring out "power." It's not a matter of miracles or outside control, but one of concrete results. The goal of teaching the gospel and baptizing the nations can be realized through the faithful work of empowered Christians. Do the Corinthians keep at the job or do they hand that work over to others?

Now: Many of us have lived in a culture of Christianity for such a long time that the hard work of bringing an understanding of Christ -- the one and only son of God, the one pathway to heaven, the one who has power to forgive -- is never part of what we do. We live in the kingdom helping one another with spiritual growth, but do not work with the initial entry. We lack the power because we have never asked Christ to make us agents of change. We need to accept Paul's standards, evaluate needs of the kingdom and seek God's desire for our service.

Extra source: The First Epistle to the Corinthians: a commentary on the Greek text by Anthony C. Thiselton (Authentic Media, c2000) online at http://books.google.com/books?id=IHG_DNLpmroC&dq=1st+Corinthian+commentaries&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=W9fQSpC1GILplAfHiumoCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11&ved=0CB8Q6AEwCg#v=onepage&q=&f=false