(It’s WrestleWeek on POP GOD! In celebration of Wrestlemania XXX this Sunday we’ll be looking at the intersection of faith and wrestling. You don’t have to be a wrestling fan to hop in the ring on this journey. Read on and see how this fake sport provides rich lessons for anyone who’s grappling with God.)

There have been a lot of great talkers in the history of wrestling. It’s hard to pick out the best of all time.

You have to consider “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes:

Hulk Hogan and Randy “Macho Man” Savage must be near the top of the list:

But to be the man, you have to beat the man. And the man nobody could beat at promos was Ric Flair:

The promo is the pivotal piece of the professional wrestling puzzle. Sure the action inside the squared circle is exciting. But just watching a bunch of sweaty dudes grapple isn’t all that fun.

The best professional wrestlers are the ones who are able to sell the crowd on a match before it even happens. No one in the history of the business could do that like Ric Flair.

His boastful bragging about being the best in the world captivated audiences who couldn’t wait to see him get his comeuppance for 30 years. You loved to hate him because you knew he was right. He was the man.

If you can’t talk the talk then you’re pretty much just a jabroni. That being said, the talk must lead to action.

Ric Flair wasn’t just “the man” at cutting promos. The Nature Boy brought it in the ring night after night as well.

As Flair defended his title across the country he would wrestle night after night for upwards of an hour, barely escaping the likes of Ricky Steamboat and Ron Garvin with his championship intact.

(Yes – the outcome was predetermined. But to put on that type of physical show every night takes some incredible skill.)

What’s true in wrestling is true in reality as well. Our words must back up our actions.

There are a lot of Christians out there who can cut great promos telling you how awesome God is or what their beliefs are.

And no doubt, this is an important and valuable skill. The Gospel demands to be preached loudly.

But boasting about our beliefs is pointless if we don’t have actions to back them up.

We may be justified through our faith and not our works, but our faith is false if good works in our lives are not born from it.

Love does not just talk. In the words of Bob Goff, Love Does.

If we want to be the man (or the woman) God wants us to be, we need more than great promos. The way we perform when we step into the ring of life should back up our words as we embody God’s love in every action. 

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18).