2. Preach the gospel, and if necessary use words.
My friend and co-worker, Ed Stetzer, wrote an excellent blogpost about the famous quote, “Preach the gospel, use words if necessary.” The quote is often attributed to Francis of Assisi, though there is no record of him offering this statement.
Those who use the quote often do so with good motivations, encouraging people to live out their faith in action, not merely words. Unfortunately, the cliché can cause people to believe that the gospel doesn’t need to be spoken or declared.
The reality is the gospel means “good news.” It is news that must be declared, news that must be heard for salvation to occur (see Rom. 10:17). You can’t “be the news.” The news must be heralded.
1. God is my co-pilot.
Perhaps you have encountered the bumper sticker and thinking that articulates, “God is my co-pilot.” The thought is that God comes alongside us as we live our lives. He is there to offer encouragement, to keep us awake when we get tired, to point out where we should turn. He is there to help us live our lives. After all, we’re the pilots, the ones in charge.
In our sinfulness, we like to be in control, but the Christian faith is relinquishing the pilot’s seat to Jesus.
In the gospels, Jesus never responded positively when people attempted to come to Him on their terms. Jesus continually gave one invitation to His would-be followers: follow Me. If we think we’re the leader in our relationship with God, we’ve not yet understood the Christian faith. He leads. We follow. He reigns. We bow. He is Lord. We submit and follow.
So what are some other clichés you’d like to see crushed?
Please share your thoughts here.
