What's the difference? How do they work together? Chris shares his thinking with us in this feature.

Chris Cole FRSA

Somebody once said that the difference between knowledge and wisdom is this.. Knowledge is the understanding that a tomato is a fruit..wisdom is the understanding that you don't put tomatoes' in fruit salads.

I'm a great believer in the historical, experiential and Biblical truth that God has our best interest at heart in all His dealings with us. Over the years that I've walked with God I've come to realise a few things about this relationship with Him. I realise that within our culture we have put an emphasis on the knowledge of God, but we've been very lax when it has come to the wise application of that knowledge through real wisdom. To really love requires courage.

Church attendance every week within all our Christian traditions is in serious decline, yet 71% of our nations' population have told, the government through a recent national census that they believe they're Christians. I find this a perplexing issue to tackle as Cross Rhythms strives to work out its' faithful mission under God of helping the Church to re-engage with popular culture. Globally, however, the Church is growing from strength to strength. In fact, the Church is growing when the love of God is truly expressed and not just spoken about.

Gideon's Heart this year is going to be a very exciting festival and behind the scenes God is putting some remarkable situations together. My hope is that the festival will reveal a strategy which will excite many of the festival goers. We will strive to empower folk with the revelation, that God wants people to understand knowledge, but have the wisdom and courage to apply that knowledge in such a way that builds real faith and intimacy within the Christian believer at the same time as producing much fruit. We have a tremendous opportunity to help recreate our Christian communities by encouraging each other that we can all become part of the solution and not the problem. It is time to mature so that real unity can be developed.

To produce this fruit however, we sometimes have to be pruned back in order to recognise that the gardener, our Father, has our best interests at heart in the process. Our festival this year will emphasise strategy and influence over numbers and outward appearance of success. This is the balance of knowledge and wisdom.

Let's encourage each other forwards so that our lives will make a difference in this life and the next.

We hope to see you at the festival this year.