The other day, ole Ernest Lee heard a youth pastor pray before a worship service and ask God to SHOW UP & SHOW OUT! Ole Ernest ain’t up on this new jargon, so he looked it up on the Internet and found the definition:
“Show up and show out” is an expression that means to be fully present and to be the best version of yourself.
Show up and show out don’t square with Scripture. God is omnipresent, meaning He is present everywhere at all times. He is always FULLY PRESENT. God is holy, meaning He is absolutely morally pure. He is always the best version of Himself. To pray and ask a Holy, Omnipresent God to SHOW UP borders on blasphemy and heresy!
Blasphemy refers to great disrespect shown to God ; Heresy refers a belief or opinion that does not agree with the revealed Word of God.
Words mean something! Latching onto some catch phrase may be trendy, but if it conflicts with God’s Word, it shouldn’t be used. Ernest Lee’s late friend J.I. Packer wrote ‘Knowing God,’ back in 1973. It is a great book. In it, Packer said:
“All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me.”
― J.I. Packer, Knowing God
Those who pray and ask God to show up and show out reveal their ignorance of who God is. They need to study more and shout less!
Ernest Lee Contendin 