Recently in Africa, I was passing by a furniture shop and there it was, painted across the front of the building, these words from the owner, “I take things personally”. Well, it didn’t seem like a warning (“Don’t get me angry”) so it falls into the category of “you know what I mean”. Or there’s the pastor who makes the announcement, “We are starting our young Mothers program this week, so any women interested in becoming a young mother, please see me after the service.” Once again, we think we know what you mean. Funny that when it comes to how we speak about our lives in Christ, there’s a lot of “You know what I mean”.

Take for instance, the word “church”. On the one hand, we can speak about “Will I see you in church on Sunday?” speaking about the service. Then, someone might say, “Pick me up at the church”, referring to the building at a particular street address. Then, we turn around quoting, “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit”, reminding people, “You are the church”. Is it any wonder that people get a little confused about all this? Is it any wonder that we have millions of Christians who think that attending corporate worship is what it means to be know Jesus? Are people getting mixed signals?

What is a missionary? A pastor stands up and pronounces, “A person who leaves his or her home in order to bring the gospel to others”. Sure, that’s true but didn’t Jesus say, “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men and women”? Isn’t it accurate to say that everyone who follows Christ is called to a sense of mission, to be a missionary? Is it any wonder that many people leave it to the “professionals” who leave their homes to tell others about Christ? Mixed signals.

What about worship? We commonly hear the words “Are you going to be at worship this Sunday?” Is worship what takes place on Sunday morning? Yes and no. It’s a form of worship, corporate worship. What does the Bible say: “present your bodies as living sacrifices…as your spiritual act of worship”. So, according to God’s Word, true worship is living each day in the service and devotion to Jesus in light of who He is and what He has done for us. Any wonder people tend to think that if we rock up on Sunday, that’s worship!

Consistently, we seem to be confusing people on some important and fundamental matters of the faith. Is it any wonder that so many in Australia profess to be Christians and yet they have no idea what it means to follow Him?