The Faith In Action

Is Your Faith Just in Your Head?

There's a version of Christianity that fits neatly inside your mind. You can read the right books, listen to the right sermons, agree with the right theology — and never let any of it change how you actually live. Chris Sherwood Mayall walks us through Acts 19 and asks the question that Paul asked the disciples in Ephesus: did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart?

The difference, it turns out, changes everything.

Mind and Heart Together

When Paul arrives in Ephesus, the first thing he asks the disciples there is whether they've received the Holy Spirit. Not whether they've understood the theology. Not whether they can recite the right answers. He wants to know if something has actually happened inside them.

Chris puts it simply. Christianity is not a nice philosophy. It's not interesting theory. It's something that gets inside you — something that changes what you do, how you behave, and who you become.

John the Baptist preached about radical life change to get people ready for Jesus. And that readiness isn't just intellectual agreement. It's a heart that says yes, take all of me.

The Holy Spirit Changes Scared People

Before the Holy Spirit came, the disciples were hiding in an upper room, terrified. After the Holy Spirit came, they changed the world.

That's not an exaggeration — it's the story of Acts. The same Spirit that transformed those frightened followers of Jesus is the one we receive today. And Chris reminds us that this Spirit doesn't stay in the church building when we leave on Sunday night.

The Holy Spirit comes with us to work on Monday morning. To the pub. To the football. To the family gathering that always ends in an argument. We are filled with the Spirit whether it feels convenient or not — and that presence is what makes the difference between a belief system and a lived faith.

Actions First, Words Second

Here's where it gets practical. Chris points to a pattern in Acts 19 that most of us would rather skip over.

Verse 18 tells us that curiosity about Paul "developed into reverence for the master." People became curious about Paul first — and then that curiosity pointed them to Jesus.

The question is: how does that happen? How does someone looking at your life end up looking at Jesus?

Chris argues it happens in two stages, and the order matters.

First, your actions. Friends, colleagues, neighbours — they're all watching. Are you honest? Do you gossip? Do you do what you say you'll do? Do you genuinely care about people? Do you show grace when someone fails?

Paul's words had power because his actions had already laid the foundation. Without that foundation, Chris says bluntly, we simply will not be heard.

Second, your words. Once your behaviour has opened the door, you can share. The joy, the hardships, the uncertainties, even the pain of faith — all of it becomes a conversation people actually want to have. But only if your life has earned that right.

As 1 John 3:18 puts it: "Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."

The Quietly Extraordinary

One of the most striking things Chris says is about what counts as "extraordinary" in God's economy.

Acts 19:11 tells us "God did powerful things through Paul, quite out of the ordinary." And yes, that included healing the sick and miraculous signs. But Chris broadens the definition in a way that feels more accessible and more challenging at the same time.

Showing grace to a colleague when they fail — that's out of the ordinary.

Forgiving a family member who keeps messing up — quite out of the ordinary.

Demonstrating love with no expectation of anything in return — almost unheard of in the world most of us live in.

These things look mundane. But in a culture built on keeping score, protecting yourself, and only giving when you get something back, they are genuinely extraordinary. And people notice.

When Faith Costs Something

Chris doesn't leave us in the warm and fluffy. Acts 19 ends with a riot.

Demetrius the silversmith had a thriving business making idols of Artemis. Paul's preaching was cutting into his profits. So Demetrius stirred up the whole city against the Christians — not because he cared about Artemis, but because he cared about his bottom line.

Chris draws a sharp parallel with today. Living out your faith honestly — calling out injustice, refusing to cut corners, being truthful when it's inconvenient — will not be welcomed by everyone. Those who benefit from the status quo don't tend to go quietly.

He even compares the Ephesus riot to a modern Twitter storm: "Most of them had no idea what was going on or why they were there." The echo chamber in full swing.

Doing the right thing is the right thing. But it will sometimes cost you. Many people around you will be grateful for your integrity. Some will not.

It's Not Either/Or — It's Both

Chris finishes with a framework that ties the whole talk together. Faith isn't this or that. It's this and that.

• Not just your mind or your heart — both together
• Not just actions or words — actions as the foundation, then words built on top
• Not just being nice and forgiving everyone, or calling out injustice — both, powered by God's Holy Spirit

That's what faith in action actually looks like. Not a comfortable philosophy you keep in your head, but a lived reality that changes how you treat the person sitting next to you at work tomorrow.

Something to Try This Week

• Do the honesty check. Is your faith mostly in your head, or is it shaping your actual behaviour? Pick one area where belief and action don't match up, and close the gap this week.

• Let your actions go first. Before you share your faith with words, demonstrate it. Show grace, be reliable, genuinely care. Let people become curious before you explain why.

• Take the Spirit with you. On Monday morning, consciously acknowledge that the Holy Spirit isn't staying behind at church. He's coming with you to work, to the school run, to the difficult conversation. Act accordingly.

• Be willing to pay a cost. If doing the right thing at work or in your family creates friction, don't automatically assume you've got it wrong. Sometimes faithfulness and comfort don't coexist.

A Question to Sit With

If someone watched how you lived for a month — without you ever saying a word about your faith — would they be curious about why you're different?