As a Pastor I often find myself in the odd position of carefully considering words when trying to explain passages in Scripture. Sometimes I will avoid words because they have been stripped of meaning by the modern consumer driven church. You see, when a passage presents a wonderful truth I look for ways to explain and describe them using similar words to illustrate a thought or concept. I find this list of no-go words is growing by the day and my frustration grows along with that list.
Doesn’t sound like a huge problem does it? Well at least for me it is, as clarity is no small matter, because I know my enemy is famous for twisting words. Maybe I am too sensitive, or am I?
Anyone remember Genesis 3?
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had
made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not
eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will
not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
You see Satan is a master in creating confusion and giving alternate views of reality. With this in mind, I will seek to explain this point over the coming weeks on this blog. He is cunning, as Genesis records, and he sows confusion as his vocation.
Words are used in the consumer (Seeker Sensitive, Emergent, New Spirituality) driven church and these words have now been given alternative meanings. By co-opting the language, people who take a different view of Scripture have introduced teaching that Scripture either doesn’t support, or warns against entirely. Gimmicks and catchy bumper sticker slogans are used so frequently, and books carry the same meaningless, powerless slogans, that words are robbed entirely of their meaning, simply to promote some program or new thought.
We will take these words one by one and explain the correct meaning, as the Bible uses them, and contrast them with how churches muddy the water, and create confusion with those words. We have to be on guard as never before, as we see the decline of Truth Seekers, in favor of Program Driven movements, and Seeker Driven churches.
One last thing, for those who think I am picking on other ministries, or causing dissent, think again. I seek to sound the alarm and I ask you to look at the information presented and decide for yourselves.
