You See Something, You Hear A Word, I Thought That's What It Was

P.T Barnum had a problem. People were hanging around too long at his American Museum. Wanting to move more people out so he could move more in, he posted signs pointing "This Way to the Egress”.

Patrons unsure what that was but fascinated by Barnum’s unusual and varied attractions would follow the sign until they reached a door that said: “Here is the Egress”. After walking through, they were shocked to learn they had just left the building. They didn't know "egress" meant "exit"

Word matters. They have meaning. Mark Twain once said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”

There are words used that we sometimes think we know what they mean, but in reality, we might not be as sure of them as we think. In the religious world, people will co-opt certain phrases and twist them into meaning something the Bible doesn’t. Words like Love, Baptism, Pastor, Saints. Wouldn’t it be better to “Do Bible Things in Bible Ways, and Call Bible Things by Bible Names”? Just because we call something or someone a certain name doesn’t mean they are in definition or by practice.

Make sure when a word is used, you know what I really mean. Failure to do so might make you end up in the wrong place.

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Ecclesiastes 12:10

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