I have many quirks, characteristics, and oddities. One of them is that I am a Professional Research Disciple.

If I decide I want to get healthier, I’ll spend hours researching gyms, diet recommendations, shoes, and workout plans. I’ll read reviews and articles, watch YouTube videos, and stalk fitness influencers on Instagram. I may even buy some new workout clothes while I’m at it. The problem? Three months later, I still haven’t gone running or visited the gym I’m paying for, yet I can tell you all the latest fitness trends.

I’ve done the same thing with cooking. I’ve bought healthy groceries, found great recipes, and stocked my fridge with good intentions, only to throw away vegetables a week later because I never cooked them.

Is anyone else a fellow Professional Research Disciple? I wonder whether we sometimes do the same thing in our walk with God. We listen to sermons, read books, watch Christian videos, join Bible studies, and ask theological questions. None of these things are bad. In fact, they’re often very good. But eventually, Jesus asks a different question: “What are you doing with what you already know?”

As a disciple and teacher, verse 20 is deeply convicting. Jesus says, “Teach them to obey everything I have commanded you.” But I wonder whether I’m more focused on teaching information—Bible studies and “Christianese” words and phrases that help people fit in and signal alignment with Christian culture. Yet that is not our commission.

We must not mistake information for formation.

We may be tempted to measure spiritual depth by how much we know, but Jesus seems to link spiritual maturity to what we obey. The goal isn’t to sound spiritual. The goal is to become like Christ. I’ve often said, “You can only go as deep as you’re willing to obey.” At some point, growth requires more than learning. It requires action. It requires faith. It requires trusting God enough to take Him at His Word, even when it’s uncomfortable or costly. Perhaps the next step in your spiritual growth isn’t learning something new. Perhaps it’s faithfully living out what you already know.

Reflection Questions:

• What is something God has already shown me that I need to obey?
• Am I pursuing information, or am I pursuing transformation?
• What is one step of obedience I can take today?