Sunday Voice

“A person’s character is shown through their actions in life not where they sit on Sunday.” (Navonne Johns)

Every different culture has its own unique clichés. The different religions of the world have their own communication phrases that the churched use and understand every Sunday morning. Here are some of my favorites. Which ones do you recognize?

1.  When God closes a door, He opens a window: Scripture is filled with examples of the Spirit closing doors, windows, and any other conceivable entrance to keep one from heading in the wrong direction (Proverbs 16:9; 19:21; Acts 16:6–7). But what if God has something else for you entirely? He may want you to reevaluate your confirmed giftings.

 

2.  You’re never more safe than when you’re in God’s will: Jesus seems to disagree: “You will be handed over by your parents and your brothers and your family and your friends. They will kill some of you. All men will hate you because of Me. Yet not one hair of your head will be lost” (Luke 21:16-18, NLV)

God has promised us many wonderful things. Physical safety is not one of them. Brutal life circumstances are normal in a fallen world.

3.  Let go and let God: This phrase highlights the value of surrender so lay down your excuses. It typically refers to the process of sanctification, which is anything but passive.

The Christian life is grueling. Images of soldiers, athletes, farmers, running tracks, and boxing rings are used in scripture. (2 Timothy 2:3–6, 1 Corinthians 9:24–27)

4.  God will not give you more than you can handle:        1 Corinthians 10:13 is referring to temptation, not trials. This cliché is a disservice to those experiencing tough times. God will give you more than you can handle. He’ll do it to make you lean on Him. He’ll do it because he loves you. The good news is not that God won’t give us more than He can handle.

5.  God helps those who help themselves: This quote originates from Benjamin Franklin’s (not God’s Word) Farmers’ Almanac in 1757. If God only helps those who help themselves, we’re all sunk. But he didn’t come for moral standouts; He came for moral failures (Matthew 9:12–13; Luke 19:10). He came for us.

As Charles Spurgeon said, “God helps those who cannot help themselves.” He helps those who humble themselves, who repent and rely on Jesus alone.

“We must remember that the test of our religious principles lies not just in what we say, not only in our prayers, not even in living blameless lives, but in what we do for others.” (Harry Truman)

6.  Overusing God the Father in prayer: Don’t make the subtle mistake of saying the same words over and over until you think of something new to say. Instead, just pause and gather your thoughts so your words have meaning.

 

7.  You can’t outgive God: This Christian cliché is almost always said in the context of some call for monetary donations to a building project, a ministry opportunity, or some other fundraising campaign. While it is true that God is generous, it’s not true that if we give lots of money, God will give us even more money. Don’t expect that by giving, God will give you greater financial wealth. He probably won’t. 

 

8.  A Bible that’s falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t: I have also seen Bibles that were falling apart because they were severely abused by their owners. A Bible doesn’t fare well in those situations. When Bibles are falling apart because their owner truly does read and study it all the time, many of them are some of the proudest, self-righteous, judgmental Christians around. Being a Bible expert does not guarantee Christ-like behavior.

 

9.  This is a ch--ch. What’s missing? U R This Christian cliché always reminds of that sign you see at swimming pools: “Welcome to our -ool. Notice there is no P in the pool. We’d like to keep it that way.” The ironic thing about this church sign is that sitting in a building on Sunday morning doesn’t make you part of the church.

In fact, someone can be a fully-devoted follower of Jesus Christ, loving and serving others on a daily basis, but not ever “attend church” yet still is a member of the body of Christ. Nothing magical happens by sitting in a pew on Sunday morning to sing a few songs and listen to a sermon.

10.      If you died today, do you know where you’d spend  eternity?: No, I don’t, and neither do you. So stop asking such a presumptuous question as this that implies you have some insider knowledge that the rest of us don’t. If your faith is entirely founded upon the notion of a burning hell, you’re not sharing the good news, but fear.

“Christians are hard to tolerate; I don’t know how Jesus does it.” (Bono)

11.      You should come to church with me on Sunday It’s not that we shouldn’t invite people to church, but often it’s the first thing we ask when we encounter someone new. Listen to their stories. Get to know their passions, their longings, and share the same about yourself. Then try suggesting something not related to church to help you connect on a spiritual level. If you come across as an opinionated, opportunistic Christian, why should they honor your request with a visit to the church that taught you how to act that way in the first place?

 

12.      Will our visitors please stand? If someone finally is brave enough to walk through the doors of your church, the last thing they need is to be singled out. They probably don’t know the worship songs you’re singing. The scripture may not make sense, and they probably have no idea where the bathrooms are. Calling someone a visitor implies they are passing through, and not part of things. Instead of the words visitor (or guest), try using the term newcomer. Walk up to them, introduce yourself, and learn their name.

 

13.      God needed another angel in heaven, so He called them home: A well-meaning (but insensitive) thing to say. This makes assumptions about the person you’re speaking to. It also ignores the grief they’re going through. The person who died is gone. Focus on the needs of the living.[i]

 

My favorite female Christian comedian has some closing thoughts for us:

“In fact, He’s the Master Puzzler, and He’s been working the same puzzle since time began. Think about it. We are all pieces of an intricate landscape that was formed in His heart and mind and placed in a box on his dinner table. Slowly over time He has been putting us together, piece by interlocking piece. Colossians 1:17 (GW) says, “He existed before everything and holds everything together.” If that’s not proof that God’s a great puzzler, I don’t know what is.”  (Chonda Pierce, author of Laughing in the Dark)

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[i] Sources Used:

·       “Top 10 Christian Clichés We Should Probably Stop Using–Unless We Really Mean” faithit.com

·       “5 Christian Clichés that Need to Die” by Matt Smethurst

·       “3 Untrue Christian Clichés You’ve Probably Used (but shouldn’t)” by Jonathan Merritt

·       “Nine (Final) Christian Clichés to Avoid” by Christian Piatt

·       “10 Christian Clichés to Avoid Like the Plague” by Jeremy Myers

·       “40 Clichés Christians Should Never Use” by Greg the Explorer  and Christian Piatt

·       “10 Emergent Christian Clichés to Avoid”  signposts02.wordpress.com