Revival of Doctrine, Truth, Soundness of Mind and Sanity.
Words I'd Like To Outlaw
Sometimes I wish I could outlaw the use of certain words in the Church. These words are the ones that you can tell by the way people use them, the people either do not know the meaning of the word, or they chose to give the word a meaning totally opposite its original definition. By the misuse of these words, the words either come to mean nothing, or they are twisted into a perversion of what they once where.
This change is not always deliberate. Most of the time it happens because people don't know the original meaning, or they don't think about the meaning when they use the word.
The two words I would most like to outlaw are "gospel" and "ministry."
You may be thinking the Gospel is the very core of the Christian message, so why would I want to outlaw it? I don't want to outlaw the Gospel itself, just the way I hear people use the word "gospel."
Remember, the word "gospel" comes from two Old English words that mean "good news." The Christian message of salvation from sin, guilt, condemnation, poverty, sickness, and death through Jesus Christ is indeed good news!
But how many times do you hear a "gospel" preacher proclaim a message you would call good news? Some spend their time focused on negative things and condemning people for their shortcomings and failures. When they do finally say something positive, they add on so many preconditions and requirements their message becomes one of bondage.
Too many think their message is gospel just because it sounds spiritual. You can often tell these people by their uptight expressions and voices. They don't say the word "gospel" like it is something positive and exciting. They often pronounce it as "Gaaawss-pullll." You can hear the religion dripping from their voices as they speak.
Because of this, I am training myself to use the words "Good News" when I speak of the Gospel. Doing this will help remind me of what the Gospel really is, and how to recognize a fake one when one comes along.
This change is not always deliberate. Most of the time it happens because people don't know the original meaning, or they don't think about the meaning when they use the word.
The two words I would most like to outlaw are "gospel" and "ministry."
You may be thinking the Gospel is the very core of the Christian message, so why would I want to outlaw it? I don't want to outlaw the Gospel itself, just the way I hear people use the word "gospel."
Remember, the word "gospel" comes from two Old English words that mean "good news." The Christian message of salvation from sin, guilt, condemnation, poverty, sickness, and death through Jesus Christ is indeed good news!
But how many times do you hear a "gospel" preacher proclaim a message you would call good news? Some spend their time focused on negative things and condemning people for their shortcomings and failures. When they do finally say something positive, they add on so many preconditions and requirements their message becomes one of bondage.
Too many think their message is gospel just because it sounds spiritual. You can often tell these people by their uptight expressions and voices. They don't say the word "gospel" like it is something positive and exciting. They often pronounce it as "Gaaawss-pullll." You can hear the religion dripping from their voices as they speak.
Because of this, I am training myself to use the words "Good News" when I speak of the Gospel. Doing this will help remind me of what the Gospel really is, and how to recognize a fake one when one comes along.
Tags: definitions, gospel, meaning, religion, words
Comment
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Comment by Doug Lee on January 5, 2010 at 12:06am -
Something I forgot to say in my original post:
The misuse of the word "gospel" comes because people either aren't aware of the meaning, or they forget it. Through constant use in this manner, the Gospel is seen as a religious message, so it becomes easy to label any message as a "gospel" whether or not it contains any good news.
To help me remember that "gospel" means "good news," I like to think of it as the news of God's goodness!
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Comment by Charles Atkinson on December 22, 2009 at 6:51pm -
The word I've had the biggest beef with is the word crazy. I realize that words become popular and "everybody" starts using them without realizing any impact they have through the use of the word. Since words have meaning and word have power, then we - especially those who are seeking to have dominion on the earth for revival - might be aware of the impact we will have if we use words carelessly.
The actual word crazy is not necessarily found in the scripture, but it can be found in its cousin - confusion. And James 3:16 is clear that confusion is akin to every evil work. The wisdom that is not from above is "earthly, sensual, devilish."
So from my point of view, because people do not put a guard or watch on their lips, they are releasing/opening doors to the enemy to bring confusion and crazy as they thoughlessly speak. Seems to me that the people's economy was negatively impacted in Jesus' day when he dealt with the "crazy" that they tolerated and the pigs went wildly over the cliff into the sea.
We are the ones on the earth that have been given the dominion. Since "life and death are in the power of the tongue" you might understand better now why I disdain the use of that word.
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