Some of us who teach the Bible have a tendency to use terminology that removes the God of the Bible. We use terminology that would lead many to believe that there is no Person whose voice is being heard through it. In fact, rather than utilizing terminology that reminds the listener that God speaks to us through a book called the Bible, we use terminology that subconsciously tells the listener that it is the book that speaks, not the Author of the Bible. “Jesus demanded that we…”    

 
I once had a conversation with someone I respect greatly, Dr. Randy Millwood (Randy is one of the unknown geniuses in cell church and small group world. He was once a professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. More importantly he is very well studied in all aspects of group life and planted a successful cell church network.) We were discussing the preaching event. He said something that I have never forgotten. He said something like, “I no longer tell those I’m preaching to what a term means in the original language.” I was flabbergasted as oftentimes that enhances the teaching so much (and makes the preacher seem to be really intelligent). I asked him why he had made this choice. He reminded me that when those of us who teach God’s Word make it sound as though we are the only ones smart enough to know what the Bible is telling us some will conclude that there’s no reason for them to spend time reading it because they can’t understand it anyway.

 
I just don’t like the word “disciplines.” Sounds too much like… work. Sounds too much like… a command. Sounds too much like there’s a demeaning coach demanding his underlings painfully run an overabundance of unnecessary spiritual laps.