10/31/2017 0 Comments watch your language, CHRISTIANS!I know. You're just as excited as I am about this new series in which I write about the overuse and error of verbal cliches. You can stop screaming now. No, seriously, sit down, this isn't that epic. You may even be disappointed by the outcome. You're welcome in advance. Now for the standard introduction of what this post is going to be about for all the fans of predictability out there. If you're a "church kid", you've probably heard most of the typical words of advice said by fellow church-goers. And if you're like me, you're not sure why Christians say them, let alone what they mean. So, for the sake of non-believers and confused Jesus followers, here's the explanations to some of those statements and why we should stop using them.
1. "God showed up." "It was definitely a God thing." Again, I don't know why people say this even though it's so obvious that it's theologically incorrect. These are the things people usually say when they really liked the sermon or the preacher or they got really emotional because the worship band was killin' it that day or they've been given a great opportunity in their idea of perfect timing. But last time I checked, God is omnipresent. That means that He's been "showing up" to everything that's every happened to anyone and no one since the beginning of time. In fact, He orchestrated all of it to happen in the first place. So, CORRECTION: He's always the one waiting for you to show up, never the other way around. Every good AND bad circumstance, opportunity, and event in history, in the "now", and in the "later", is "definitely a God thing". 2. "God will never give you more than you can handle." Christian or non-Christian, we've all heard people give this piece of advice. Although the intentions behind the saying aren't evil, the false truth of the statement is. In times of trouble and worry, many Christians like to say this with the implication that everything will be okay, that you will survive whatever it is you're going through. But the dangerous thing about this advice is that it isn't biblical. There are verses-on-verses-on-verses (ex: Phil.4:13; Jer. 17:5-9; Neh. 8:10; 2 Cor. 12:9; Psa. 9:9; Psa. 37:39-40; Psa. 55:22; all of the other Psalms) about relying on God to be our strength instead of depending on our own. In case you haven't noticed, we're not strong enough to handle life. WE NEED HELP. The whole point of our existence is that we can't exist apart from Him. 3. "Christianity is not about a religion; it's about a relationship." I understand that the purpose of saying this is to reject legalism in regards to receiving salvation. But God gives us commandments in the Bible for a reason. They're meant to be obeyed, not suggested. The relationship only makes sense if there are boundaries and commitments of allegiance to the One in charge. When it comes down to it, Christianity is a religion. But unlike the others, it's based on a relationship. 4. "When God closes a door, He opens a window." Yes, it's true that God wants what's best for you. It's also true that if he says "no" to something, it's because he has another thing more suitable in mind. It may just not be aligned with what is more suitable in our minds. It may be something that seems so irrelevant, unexpected, or out of reach. In the words of Matt Smethurst, "But if God closes a door in your life, there's no guarantee He'll open a window. He may not open anything. He may want you to realize you have the wrong address." (yikes!) 5. "Ask Jesus into your heart." "Make Jesus your Lord and Savior." Picture this: You're sitting in a church pew. The pastor has finished preaching his sermon. A soft piano or guitar starts playing in the background. He tells everyone to close their eyes. He says that if you haven't made the decision to follow Jesus yet, then you should repeat the words of his prayer. And boom, you're saved. All because you "asked Jesus into your heart" and "made Him your Lord and Savior". Except nothing's changed. Shouldn't there be more to it than that? The answer: YES. Why? Because we're not casting a spell or wishing upon a star. We're accepting a full-time commitment to Jesus. It's going to require more than just words. It's going to require faith in His story and sacrifice + repentance. So if we're going to continue to use these phrases, then we need to support them with a full explanation of what that entails. Without it, it's just diluted grape juice. And we all know, God only uses the real stuff. 6. "God helps those who help themselves." Another anti-biblical expression that's gotta go. Once again, God's work has the greatest effect on weakness, (according to 2 Corinthians 12:9). I don't know about you, but my God helps those who are outcast, poor, powerless, homeless, sick, in need of refuge, impaired, discriminated, starving, the list goes on. The God I live for doesn't wait until people are equipped, able, and willing to seek him out, He always makes the first move. Praise the Lord for that, am I right? I'm not sure what you got from this. Whatever your thoughts were, I realized that I like offering unsolicited advice on the Internet. So there's a 90.3% chance that I'm going to keep doing it. You're welcome. Thanks to the ones who continue to keep up with this thing even though I'm consistently inconsistent and late to the date. You're the cooliest. the lamest of the the lame, plain-j
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