Talk Is Cheap. Power Isn’t. | 1 Corinthians 4:18-20

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 4:18-20.

Some in Corinth were puffed up—loud, confident, full of opinions. They acted as if Paul would never return, and even if he did, they imagined they could stand toe-to-toe with him. Paul answers with calm clarity:

Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power. — 1 Corinthians 4:18–20

Paul is done with the noise. He’s not coming to evaluate their words—he’s coming to see their lives. Big talk is cheap. Real power isn’t.

We live in a world drowning in words—content, opinions, debates, arguments, and theological posturing. The Corinthians did too. But Paul reminds them that the kingdom of God doesn’t advance through intellect that merely informs or through language that elevates the ego. It advances through power—the kind that transforms.

God isn’t impressed by vocabulary, clever arguments, or spiritual branding. Those things often feed pride more than faith. What He looks for is the unmistakable evidence of the Spirit—a power that softens hard hearts, produces repentance, crucifies ego, heals broken places, strengthens the weary, and transforms character from the inside out.

You can imitate style, tone, or theological vocabulary. But you cannot imitate the power of God flowing through a surrendered life.

What we’re after isn’t the allure of power—it’s the ability to see real power when we encounter it. You recognize it in people who spend time with God, who carry peace you can’t manufacture, who walk in humility that confronts pride, who speak with quiet authority born from obedience, and who display fruit that only the Spirit can produce. You can sense it. You can’t always explain it. But you know: this person walks with God in a way I need.

That’s what Paul is after. That’s what the Corinthians were missing.

You don’t measure a life by what it says, but by what it carries.

Talk says, “Look at me.” Power says, “Look at Christ.” Talk elevates self. Power reveals the Spirit. Talk feeds ego. Power grows humility.

Paul isn’t coming to hear speeches. He’s coming to see surrender. That’s what God desires from us, too.

Let your life carry more weight than your words.

DO THIS:

Take five quiet minutes to ask God, “Where is talk overshadowing true spiritual power in my life?” Let Him highlight one place where surrender needs to deepen.

ASK THIS:

1. What talk have I trusted more than transformation?
2. Do people experience Christ’s power or just my opinions?
3. Who in my life carries real spiritual power—and what can I learn from them?

PRAY THIS:

Father, free me from empty talk and spiritual performance. Fill me with Your power—the kind that transforms my character and carries Your presence into the world. Make me a vessel you can use. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

“Holy Spirit”