HOME
Here’s an experience I’ve had many times over the years…I’m sitting on an airplane and eventually you start talking with the person sitting next to you. And I always kind of dread it when they ask, “So what do you do for a living?” Because when I answer, “Oh, I’m a minister”, the exact same thing happens every time...
- first is this look of surprise on their face.
- then this look like, “Oh, no. What bad words have I already said?”
- and then kind of this, “Oh great. Just my luck - a Trans-Atlantic flight and I’m sitting next to a preacher!”
And as things go on, most people begin to drop hints as to what a good person they are so that (or hoping that) I won’t think they’re a terrible heathen and talk to them about God for the next ten hours straight.
- “Oh yeah, I went to church as a child.”
- “You know I think my third cousin’s husband’s son-in-law is a minister.”
Then they’ll start trying to drop religious sounding phrases on me…
- “Well, you know like the Bible say, ‘Let your conscience be your guide.’”
- “Well, it’s like Jesus said, ‘One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.’”
- “Yeah, my favorite Bible verse is where it says something like, ‘Just close your eyes and go to a happy place.’”
And most of the time I don’t try to correct people even when they say things like, “Well, like the Bible says, ‘The last one is a rotten egg…’“...I just let it go.
However, when people say, “Well, as the good book says, ‘God helps those who help themselves’”, I’m more like, “Well, actually that’s not really in the Bible.” And they’ll look at me and will say, “ah, I’m pretty sure that’s in there!”
I think this is a great series that both seekers and believers will enjoy and learn a lot from. And that’s because behind each of these sayings that aren’t really in the Bible is an important spiritual truth is commonly misunderstood, and oftentimes downright misleading.
- God helps those who help themselves
- To thine own self be true
- God won’t put more on you than you can bear
- Cleanliness is next to godliness
- Let your conscience be your guide
- The Lord works in mysterious ways
- Money is the root of all evil
You can download the entire series in the ZIP FILES below. Most all series have message transcripts, power point and series graphic. Some have videos, series summary sheet, etc.
