Biblical Phrases?

As Christians, we know we are to study the Word and obey it. But does the Bible always say what we think it says? The truth is, there are several phrases out there that sound like they come from the Bible, but actually don't. So with some research, I found the truth behind some of these phrases. Here are some of the most common ones:

"God helps those who help themselves."

The earliest recording of this saying is actually from Aesop's fable "Hercules and the Waggoner." A man's wagon got stuck in a muddy road, and he prayed for Hercules to help. Hercules appeared and said, "Get up and put your shoulder to the wheel." The moral given was "The gods help them that help themselves." Aesop was a Greek writer who lived from 620 to 564 BC, but obviously did not contribute to the Bible. As a biblical truth, the proverb has mixed results. We can do nothing to help when it comes to salvation; salvation is through Christ alone. In the work of sanctification—becoming more spiritually mature—we are to join in the work. 1 Peter 1:14-15 says, "As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior."

"Cleanliness is next to godliness."

Despite the strict rules given to the Israelites about uncleanness as a metaphor for sinfulness, this phrase is not in the Bible. It originated as an ancient Babylonian and Hebrew proverb, but became very popular during the Victorian era after being revived by Sir Francis Bacon and John Wesley. Is the proverb true beyond the metaphor? A new study shows that people are generally fairer and more generous when in a clean-smelling environment. But Jesus also urges us to worry more about the sin in our hearts than the dirt on our hands (Matthew 7:18-23).

"Money is the root of all evil."

This is a common misconception with an easy fix. 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says, "For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil…" Money is not good or bad, and being wealthy is not a sin; Job was wealthy and described as a man who was "blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil" (Job 1:1). Loving money, which in the Greek is "avarice" and infers an emotional affection, is the root of all sorts of evil as the desire to accumulate wealth is placed above God and others.

"Hate the sin, love the sinner."

Although this is a biblical-sounding admonition, it is not directly from the Bible. It's a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. As a guideline, it's valid. We are to hate sin—even our own. And we are to show love to all others. Gandhi's quote is coming under fire in the world as more and more people define themselves by their sin and resent the guidelines God has given us in His Word.

There you have it.

Truth At All Costs

Many people out there will always tell you what you want to hear. People that will never rain on your parade. People that will get you clapping. That will get you jumping. That will make you dizzy. That will present a Christian faith to you that will make your church look like a Six Flags over Jesus and that will keep you so entertained that you are never addressed with some very important issues. I could tell you a story that would make you laugh or a story about puppies and grandmas that would make you cry, but I love you guys too much for that. I want to share truth. And in most cases, truth is not meant to make you feel all happy happy joy joy. Actually, it's not meant to make you feel good one bit. I already know that I'm going to get some serious flack for this post. And I'm prepared for that. Nevertheless, it needs to be shared.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that there are countless issues in Christianity today, presumably in the United States. I hate to sound as if I'm singling out the church in America, but it's where I live. And I have heard and seen enough of His church in other countries to know that not everyone lives like us. In fact, few do. For starters, we have become dangerously comfortable.
What I have seen in modern American churches today doesn't even come close to following what the first century church did. All across America, people go to some church building every Sunday to have their ears tickled and their backs scratched by some preacher. It doesn’t matter whether your church is traditional or contemporary. If you look around you when you enter the sanctuary, you’ll see stage lights, instruments, cushioned pews or chairs and clean windows. Church has become a social event. For a number of us, it’s a check mark on the calendar. We go to see and be seen. We listen to the sermon, sing a few songs, and leave. We decide to stop going to this church because we didn’t like the music, or we don’t go to that church because we don’t like the pastor. Many of us don’t apply what we learned to our lives (if we learned anything at all). It is undeniable that unbiblical ideas and practices have crept their way into the Church throughout history. But as I have said before, there is a huge gap between rebellion and standing up for what is true. Although I disagree with the institutional church, I'm at peace with it.
It also doesn't take a genius to know that American Christianity is different from Christianity in the rest of the world. Believers in China, the Middle East, and Africa are imprisoned, tortured, and/or killed for their faith. What would happen if America suddenly became a Communist nation, and you are told to deny Jesus Christ and become a Muslim, or be executed? Would you refuse or agree? Would you give up everything for Christ? Would you openly disobey the government and announce that you will never deny Jesus because he is your Lord and Savior? I think most people would say that they would deny Jesus, but on the inside say, ‘I will still recognize Jesus’ just because they don’t want to die. I know that I would rather be killed for my faith than deny Jesus.
A very dangerous, probably the most dangerous, phenomenon in American Christianity today is that if you pray and ask Jesus to come into your heart, He will definitely come in. Friends, you will not find that in any place in Scripture. And if you look back in history, you won't find that appearing until about 60 years ago. The Christian faith is not a once-and-for all flu shot. Many people are being led into a decision with very little knowledge of the Gospel. Trusting in a decision rather than looking onto Christ. Living in ungodliness and believing that they are saved because some religious authority told them that they were after they prayed a little prayer. We need to give people the full picture of the Gospel.
Let me say this. Your profession of faith is no proof that you’re born again because mostly everybody in this whole country professes faith in Jesus Christ. If I went out to knock on every door in my city, do you know what I would find out? That around 85% of people here believe themselves to be believers. With most of them probably not concerned about serving. Not giving a hoot about holiness. Not a worry about being separated from the world. And yet they claim to be Christian. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith and faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance . . . a turning away from sin, a hatred for the things that God hates and a love for the things that God loves, a growing in holiness and a desire not be like the world, but to be like Christ.
The evidence––the way that you can have assurance that you are genuinely a born-again Christian––is that you do, as a style of life, the will of the Father. And no I'm not saying that works will save you. I'm talking about the evidence of faith. Works will be that evidence. After all, as James says, faith without works is dead.
We need to be radical. Radical Christians are not people who jump at concerts.You're not a radical Christian because you wear a Christian T-shirt or because you go to a Christian conference. Radical Christians are those who bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Simple as that.
While preachers are a dime a dozen nowadays, fervent men of God are an endangered species. What America needs is die-hard followers of God. Believers with guts and determination. Believers who are ticked off enough to make a difference. Believers who aren't afraid to rock the boat. Believers to whom truth and righteousness mean more than anything else. Believers with vision. Believers who aren't afraid to preach the truth, like it or lump it, take it or leave it.
So my friends, to conclude, all I have left to say here is two things: Pray for revival. We all know this country needs it. And don't just stop there. You know it's time to initiate revival when the Church has no interest to serve and no concern for those lost and when selfishness and pride and no fear of God is in our church buildings, homes, and culture.

And most importantly, if you haven't already, I urge you: Repent and believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 

The Gospel Grenade

The gospel is like a grenade. It doesn’t matter who throws it, it’s gonna blow up. It doesn’t matter if it’s a 12 year old girl or a 22 year old Marine. The power is in the object being thrown, not in the person throwing it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Billy Graham, Luis Palau or some awkward teenager giving the good news of Jesus Christ to a lost person. The gospel is no respecter of persons on either the giving or the receiving side. It is no more effective in capable hands than it is in stuttering mouths. The power is in the message, not the messenger.

The gospel doesn’t need lights, camera or action. It doesn’t need pyrotechnics or jumbotron screens. It just needs someone to declare it clearly, someone to pull the pin and throw the bomb.
And please don’t ask me how God infused explosive power into a set of propositions. I have no idea how God did it, I’m just grateful He did. This simple message is so powerful that it knocked Saul off his donkey so hard that when he stood up he had undergone a name change, career change and identity change, all in one blinding flash of transformation. Although it blinded his earthly eyes for a few days, it opened his spiritual ones for the rest of his days.
This message is so explosive that the once-Saul-now-Paul rejoiced even when it was being preached by those who had rotten motives. In Philippians 1:15-18 he wrote, “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.”

The great apostle would rather have preachers preaching the gospel message out of wrong motives than not preaching the gospel at all! Paul understood that grenades don’t care about motives. They exist to explode and that is all.

So what is our lesson from the gospel grenade? Simply this, you may not feel qualified to give the gospel. You may not feel worthy to share the message with those around you. Just remember that it’s not about you, but about Jesus and His simple message. You are not the power. The gospel is.
You don’t have to be eloquent or smooth as you share it. Just share it. You don’t have to have a Masters of Theology or Doctorate of Divinity to share it. Just share it. Whether you have a white collar, blue collar or no collar, just share it. The gospel message and Holy Spirit will do the rest (2 Thessalonians 2:13,14.)
Your responsibility is to pull the pin, throw the bomb and duck. And when you do, explosive things will happen.
Kaboom!

The Gospel > Politics

There once was a time when almost every person in America acknowledged the Ten Commandments as the cornerstone of ethics and morality. Today, most Americans can’t even name three of them. There was also a time when Americans disapproved of acts such as adultery, divorce, homosexuality, and obscene language.

How times have changed.

In less than fifty years' time, America has adopted a distinctly anti-Christian attitude and agenda. Christian principles? Gone, with equal rights, tolerance, and separation of church and state in it's place. Not to mention the growth of immoral things like pornography and abortion.

As John MacArthur puts it "America’s moral decline is a spiritual problem, not a political one, and its solution is the gospel, not partisan politics."

Too many Americans, Christians even, look to politics to deal with these problems in America. And that is most certainly not what we need to be focusing on. Instead, we need to be focusing on the gospel. Here are ten reasons why:

1. Politics change. The gospel doesn’t (Matthew 24:35.)
2. The gospel will transform our politics, not vice versa (Romans 12:1,2.)
3. It’s what Jesus calls us to do (Acts 1:6-8.)
4. We are citizens of a different kingdom (Philippians 3:20.)
5. It’s what the early church focused on (Acts 4:23-31.)
6. It attacks the root of evil and not just the fruit of it (Romans 1:16.)
7. Politics can divide the body of Christ while the gospel will unite us. (Philippians 1:27)
8. The gospel calls us to pray for politicians we disagree with, not hate them (1 Timothy 2:1-4.)
9. The gospel brings political action soaked in love and humility, not pride and arrogance (Romans 13:1-8.)
10. Politics are a reflection of the moral compass of a society. The gospel gives society a new compass that is accurate (Titus 3:1-5.)