Does not the ear test words as the tongue tastes food? ~ Job
12:11
The other day, I was passing through the
kitchen on the way to my office, and I heard a few snatches of a news program
that caught my attention. The pundit was doing a short piece called Banned Phrases. The segment consisted of
some rather amusing, tongue-in-cheek commentary on why he felt a popular catchphrase
should be banned from the American vocabulary.
To be honest with you, I cannot remember
for the life of me what phrase he wanted to ban. I can tell you that I found
the concept of banning phrases to be incredibly intriguing.
Please understand that I am not opposed to
free speech. I’m actually a huge fan. That said, all rights come with
responsibilities and I am deeply troubled by the sweeping epidemic I see of
speaking without thinking. There is a lot of stuff that gets said and resaid
that really makes no sense whatsoever when it is closely examined.
Take the phrase YOLO as an example. YOLO
is an acronym for “you only live once.” While it is true that humans only live
once (Hebrews 9:27), this expression would make a lot more sense if it were
shouted out as the speaker did something helpful for humanity like visiting
shut-ins, feeding orphans in Haiti, or teaching children the Bible. Instead,
it’s become the sad war cry of a generation gleefully wasting their one and
only life on pointless folly.
It’s not just the secular world that falls
into the trap of speaking without thinking. There are a few catchphrases that
have come into fashion in the church world that Christians say routinely
without examining the meaning behind the phrases. This drives me nuts. When
something drives me nuts I feel compelled to write about it.
So today I will share with you my own
version of Banned Phrases. The first of three phrases I would sincerely
love to ban from the vocabularies of my fellow Christians is …
God doesn’t care if you go to church~ Matthew
16:18, Hebrews 10:25
Really? Then what’s the point?
I
am convinced that this is one of those things we Christians say to appear cool
and accepting. Like most of the things we say to appear cool and accepting, it
isn’t really grounded in solid theology. It’s true that God does not take attendance.
If you miss a Sunday every once in a while nothing bad will happen to you. Nor
does God profit in some way from you being in church on Sunday mornings. He
does not. God wants you in church because you will get something out of it, not
because He enjoys seeing you in the pews.
The benefits of church are countless and
multi-faceted. Church provides Christians with a source of community; and it
gives us the privilege of belonging to something bigger than ourselves. Church
is where we learn and grow on a spiritual level; it is the place where we have
our views challenged and it is where we become accountable for our actions and
attitudes. Most importantly, it is where we discover how to be less selfish as
we learn to love people who are not like us. I am convinced that God does not
care what kind of church you attend. It can big or small, loud or quiet, mega
or home as long as it is Bible-believing and Christ-honoring.
Perception is reality~ Psalm 25:5, John
8:32, Zechariah 8:16-17
No, my friend, reality is reality.
I hate this phrase for countless reasons,
the least of which is it sounds like something a crazy person would babble
right before he or she is force-fed their medication. It is true that people
respond to what they believe to be true rather than what is true at times. But
this expression makes it sound as if we should all kowtow to whatever reality
people are choosing on a given day. The job of Christians is to act as the
presenters and guardians of reality and truth as God sees it, not as a
delusional society wishes to see it. It’s vital that we present truth in the
most compassionate and caring way possible, but reality and truth must be
presented if we are to be obedient to our calling.
I’m not getting fed~ Hebrews 5:11-14
Pick up a fork.
This is a phrase that I was once fond of
uttering, until I said it to the wrong (or maybe the right) person. I was brought
up short when this woman pointed out to me that if I knew I was hungry, I was
probably more than capable of feeding myself. She went on to point out that babies
are incapable of articulating their own hunger. Once babies have figured out
why they feel uncomfortable, they are capable of self-feeding. The painful
take-away I gleaned from that encounter is that if you sense you need more food,
it’s time to pick up a fork and dig into God’s word. A longing for something
more spiritually is a sign that we are ready to serve on a higher level or
share what we know with others.
All right, I’ve shared three phrases that
I would love to ban, and I hope I haven’t offended any of you with my
cheekiness. Now, I would love to hear from you. Let me know some of the phrases
you would love to ban and why.
Like newborn babies, crave
pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that
the Lord is good~ 1st Peter 2:2-3
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