We are looking at another technique which I call – “Flip the Phrase . . . “

However, before we describe the technique, notice that in Tony’s Evan’s message which we used yesterday [Jehovah Nissi: The Lord’s Banner of Victory – October 9, 2017] he is also using the technique which we illustrated yesterday using Dr. Monroe message on Ephesians 5.  I called “Piling On . . . ”

Dr. Evan’s message is quoted below and the “Piling on” method I discussed yesterday is seen in the bulleted points.

“Even if your situation doesn’t change He can change you in your situation . . .  so you can have . . .

• Peace when you ought not have peace
• Joy when you ought not have joy
• Power when you ought not have power
• Patience when you ought not have patience”

 

Now, let me point to the sentence prior to the bulleted points.  Do you see how Dr. Evans “Flipped the Phrase . . . ”

“Even if your situation doesn’t change, He can change you in your situation.”

The visual pattern of the technique looks like this . . . .

first word . . . . second word

second word . . . . first word

 

situation . . . . change

change . . . . situation

 

Okay, here goes — I am going to take two words and see if I can flip them (without forcing it into an awkward concept or making an erroneous theological statement).

Let’s take the words “love” and “dying” . . . .

“When you love, it will mean dying.

But it will only be by dying that you can love.”

 

Let’s take the words “refuse” and “obedient” . . . .

“When you refuse to be obedient, God can make you obedient by using the circumstances of your refusal.”

or

“When you refuse to be obedient, God can take your refusal to make you want to be obedient.”

– Jonah in the great fish

 

Let’s give a little twist to the technique . . . .

Let’s take the words “hatred” and “turn you around” . . .

“Even when your hatred is so intense that you refuse to turn around, He can turn you around by using a love that is even more intense.” – Joseph’s brothers

 

Another twist to the rhetorical technique

Greg Lauri [from “How to be a successful leader,” October 8, 2017] Flips the Phrase by giving the technique yet another twist.  Greg Laurie’s structure employs three phrases . . . .

Greg Laurie’s structure employs three phrases all involving “things”. . . .

• good things
• bad things
• best things

“Sometimes good things can become bad things if they keep us from the best things.”

— Greg Laurie

 

Okay. . . . here goes, let me give it a try using three phrases . . .

Let me try using these three phrases . . . .

• sins of ignorance
• sins of habit
• sins of willful rebellion

“Sins of ignorance can become sins of habit and ultimately turn into sins of willful rebellion.”

 

or let me try with these three phrases

• sins of ignorance – things I did I did not know were sinful
• sins of omission – things which I have failed to do
• sins of commission – things which I know that I should not do

“Sometimes there are sins of ignorance, which over time the Lord will speak to you about —  which are different than sins of omission which the Lord has spoken to you about but you still have not incorporated the necessary changes into your living —  and both the sins of ignorance and omission are different than the sins of commission  — these are sins of which you have been made aware of, and have had enough time to effect a change in your behavior, but you have continued to delay action.   These sins now become sins of commission.”

 

P.S. In listening to Alistair Begg . . . .  He Flips the Phrase

“We don’t need a church that will move with the world, but a church that will move the world.” – John 19 – “take them not out of the world but that you keep them.”

It “drops the preposition” (“with”) — will have to see if the dropping of the preposition is key to the pattern — will try it withother phrases to see if that simplifies the method???