Imagine the typical Sunday morning at church. What do you see? The church parking lot slowly begins to fill around 7:30am as the worship team arrives to begin running through the service. More and more vehicles change the bare asphalt into a spectrum of metallic reds, whites, blacks, blues, and "harvest gold" or whatever you want to call that beige car. The welcome center lobby fills with a bunch of people, most are happy to see each other. We all should be happy to see each other, but that is a different topic. And everyone is "fine," also a different topic. Have you noticed how everyone is dressed? I don't tend to pay much attention to it, but I guarantee there are those that will nitpick on the clothes everyone else is wearing, judging them to that last iota. Why is that? Where in Scripture does it say that people have to dress up for church? Personally, I enjoy coming to church in comfortable clothes, and I am not comfortable buttoned up in a starched shirt with a noose around my neck! Although, I have to admit that anyone dressed to the hilt looks pretty sharp on Sunday morning, but the question I have for them is why are they wearing it? Who are they trying to impress?
Ok, that was a leading question. Objection! Sustained. Lawyered. Are they trying to impress someone? I think they are more often than anyone would like to admit it. The number of people who are more comfortable all suited up as opposed to more casual is probably less than one would think based on a Sunday morning. I can only think of a few reasons why someone would come to church every Sunday morning in a suit and tie:
1. They enjoy coming in a suit and tie.
If this is the case, great! More power to them. Every once in a great while, even I get it into my head to dress it up for church. There is nothing wrong with that, and if you enjoy dressing up every Sunday, then do not let anyone tell you it is wrong!
2. Tradition. They have always done it, or they still have mom's nagging voice in their head telling them they had better dress it up for God.
"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8).
This may sound strange to some of you, but is it not true that you can be held captive by things you thought you had to do but really didn't? Let's consider the eating of meat sacrificed to idols which Paul spoke of. Was it ever a sin to eat meat sacrificed to idols? No. In the same way, it is not a sin dress casually in church (provided it is also modest). However, we must consider the opposite side of that. Will it cause my brother to sin? If so, Paul says we should never eat meat for the benefit of the conscience of the weaker brother. To carry that through, if it would cause a problem for the conscience of a weaker brother, we should dress up for their sake.
3. In order to impress other people at the church. The other people I am referring to are other church members, visitors, or that pretty woman who sits a few rows in front of you.
"For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).
I think it is pretty clear that seeking the adoration of other people is not the reason we should be coming to church. Even if it is not the primary reason for dressing up, it can be an obstacle to experiencing true worship with the Creator.
4. To impress God
I hear this all the time when talking about this issue, "Should you not give your best to God?" Then I get a rehashing of the difference between Cain's sacrifice and Abel's sacrifice. Really? I didn't hear a comparison of the clothes Cain and Abel wore while making their sacrifice once during that story. The story is about faithfully giving back to God the best of what He has given to you. If you want to compare that story to the modern day, look at your charitable giving record, not how you try to make yourself look good if front of the rest of the church-goers! It is only arrogant pride that thinks God can be impressed by the clothes you wear to church! What God cares about is the intention of your heart! If He cared about dress, Jesus would have eaten with the Pharisees, not the sinners!
So, this Sunday, when you start getting dressed for church, ask yourself why you are picking those clothes. Make sure it is for a good reason. Then, when you get to church, makes sure you are not judging those who dress otherwise. The one who dresses up and the one who dresses down are both called of God, and they both have the right to come just as they are before the throne of the King of Glory.
"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him" (Romans 14).
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Lusting Hypocrisy
I was sitting on the bleachers by the football field one afternoon during football practice. It was a warm day, and I felt the heat of the bleachers. I was already sweating from practice, and the bleachers didn't help. I would have gotten up, but the prospect of walking after just having worked out was less appealing than the heat.
As I sat there exhausted, I noticed a group of girls sitting on the next set of bleachers. They were talking and laughing... more like giggling. They were watching some of the other football players that were still on the field.
Paul talks to the Corinthians, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you..." (1 Corinthians 5:1). I think this is more true than we realize. Think about how Satan operates. Sometimes sexual immorality is obvious and blatant. It is one of those things that is heavily influenced by our biochemistry, and that makes it harder to keep from falling victim to it before we realize we're falling... harder but not impossible. How does Satan usually operate against us, though. The vast majority of the time, it is subtly. It is little by little, the gentle slope to sin. We often look to the extreme and miss the subtle even when honestly trying to purge ourselves of wrong-doing, and so we miss the inroads Satan finds and uses in us.
Think about it. What is honestly happening when a group of guys stay after school to watch the cheerleaders practice or even the volleyball team? It is rarely to support the team. It is not innocent. It is an excuse and an opportunity to lust. I doubt very much there would be any guys staying after to watch the practice if the girls wore clothing that wasn't revealing. How do you feel about the guys who do this?
"'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food'—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord" (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
I would venture to say that most believers and many unbelievers have a negative view of what those guys are doing. Is it not odd to find the same people who look down on these guys sitting in the bleachers watching the football players?
This hypocrisy is not exclusive to females. It effects males, too. I remember not thinking very highly of the girls lusting after those football players, but I know I have failed in the area of lust. Does our hypocrisy know no bounds? Do we really look down on people for doing the exact same thing we are guilty of? Is it not more in keeping with the example of Jesus to gently reveal the wrong-doing in love and encourage them to no longer engage in it? Why not go farther? Invite them to go do something else. They may not know any better, and that way they at least have an option.
Love them like Jesus.
As I sat there exhausted, I noticed a group of girls sitting on the next set of bleachers. They were talking and laughing... more like giggling. They were watching some of the other football players that were still on the field.
Paul talks to the Corinthians, "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you..." (1 Corinthians 5:1). I think this is more true than we realize. Think about how Satan operates. Sometimes sexual immorality is obvious and blatant. It is one of those things that is heavily influenced by our biochemistry, and that makes it harder to keep from falling victim to it before we realize we're falling... harder but not impossible. How does Satan usually operate against us, though. The vast majority of the time, it is subtly. It is little by little, the gentle slope to sin. We often look to the extreme and miss the subtle even when honestly trying to purge ourselves of wrong-doing, and so we miss the inroads Satan finds and uses in us.
Think about it. What is honestly happening when a group of guys stay after school to watch the cheerleaders practice or even the volleyball team? It is rarely to support the team. It is not innocent. It is an excuse and an opportunity to lust. I doubt very much there would be any guys staying after to watch the practice if the girls wore clothing that wasn't revealing. How do you feel about the guys who do this?
"'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food'—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord" (1 Corinthians 6:12-13).
I would venture to say that most believers and many unbelievers have a negative view of what those guys are doing. Is it not odd to find the same people who look down on these guys sitting in the bleachers watching the football players?
This hypocrisy is not exclusive to females. It effects males, too. I remember not thinking very highly of the girls lusting after those football players, but I know I have failed in the area of lust. Does our hypocrisy know no bounds? Do we really look down on people for doing the exact same thing we are guilty of? Is it not more in keeping with the example of Jesus to gently reveal the wrong-doing in love and encourage them to no longer engage in it? Why not go farther? Invite them to go do something else. They may not know any better, and that way they at least have an option.
Love them like Jesus.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Getting Told
I find political correctness to be an absolutely irritating thing. I believe the conception of the term has take common decency in language to an absurd level. It is necessary to avoid certain words or phrases in language in order to keep from offending, but there is a point where this becomes ridiculous. For example, the word n*gger should never be used as it is derogatory. However, I have been told that using the term "black" rather than "African American" is now offensive. Leaving aside the obvious hypocrisy as this person proceeds to call me as "white," is it really upsetting to be described? I am white. That does not offend me, so I wonder why this person finds it offensive to be called black. What's wrong with being black? Pondering this subject, I came to the conclusion that race is not the issue. The issue is that people are seeking out reasons to get offended. They are looking for a way to put someone else in the wrong, to nitpick and find some way to feel better about themselves at the cost of the other person. The root cause: pride. It is the pride that says, "I'm better than you," or even, "I'm as good as you! Do you see? You do that, and I don't. That makes me better than you!" The same thing has occurred in people who claim Christ as their savior. I don't drink and you do, or I don't smoke and you do! I'm better. And then there is this one: "I'm straight and you're living the gay lifestyle! That makes me better! Do you see? I'm up here, and you're down there! Ha! Me equals better!" It is really sad that the world has that view of us. Instead of seeing people that genuinely love them, they see people that are saying, "I'm better than you! Get out of my church!" They should be seeing, "I love you. Jesus loves you. Come on in. You are welcome here."
Do not get me wrong here. Homosexuality is wrong. So is having sex with anyone who is not your spouse, murdering, lying, stealing, etc. The point is: How are we presenting the love of Christ? If we are going to them in love and gentleness, that is all we can do. They may get offended anyway, that is not our fault. We are not to judge them as those outside the church. God will take care of that. Our job is to love them as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.
It is not just people outside the church who are overly sensitive, though. Those inside the church sometimes seem to make it their business to get offended over the smallest things! We make the jokes about people getting mad over the color of the carpet and the pews, but the reason we makes those jokes is because it has happened. I know of at least one church that spit because of the carpet color! Seriously?!?! Is that the Kingdom of God here on earth? It is pathetic that grown men and women can throw a hissy fit over something like that, but it happens all the time:
Ben talks to Marsha. He mentions that during the last fellowship time, Sandra said, "Marsha's make-up looks fine." Now, Ben is not the best conversationalist, and he didn't really remember that Sandra actually said, "Marsha's make-up works very well with her skin tone." Marsha hears "fine" and construes it to mean that she looks like a dead clown with graffiti on her face. Now she goes to Jorge and Elisa who hear her sad clown story and become angry at Sandra, too. Soon, the story gets back to Sandra through her friends asking her why she called Marsha "a disgusting painted cow." She is confused, but the conflict has already peeked. From the outside, they look like fools.
This big mess and almost all of the other issues like this that arise in the churches today can be taken care of long before they get to this level or even cleaned up at this level by following how Scripture tells us to proceed:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).
Now, many of you are probably blaming poor, old Ben already, but Ben was just trying to relay a compliment. It is not his fault that his memory fails him from time to time on the particulars, and that "fine" actually means "fine" to him. He was pretty innocent in the matter. The true problem began with Marsha. When Marsha heard the word "fine," she decided within herself to take that word in a negative light. She is one who decided "fine" meant "wrong in every way." She was too sensitive, and she had second hand information. Marsha could have proceeded in three ways that would have been keeping with righteousness and godliness:
You must confront in gentleness and reasonableness. The confrontation is for the good of the one being confronted. Remember this! No one enjoys being told they are wrong unless they are humble or can look on the situation with complete objectivity, and if they are doing something wrong, it is very likely they have decided to ignore objectivity already. Emotions can get involved very quickly, and that pushes objectivity even further away. It is the job of the one confronting to remain calm and bring objectivity back by way of Scripture and reason. Reason is used primarily as it is reasonable to follow Scripture rather than disregarding it.
Ultimately, it is the job of every believer, for the good of your fellow believers, the church, and the Church universal, to follow this process. You have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. You are no longer your own, so you no longer have the right to be offended to the detriment of the body of Christ. You need to grow a thicker skin and quit putting yourself first.
Do not get me wrong here. Homosexuality is wrong. So is having sex with anyone who is not your spouse, murdering, lying, stealing, etc. The point is: How are we presenting the love of Christ? If we are going to them in love and gentleness, that is all we can do. They may get offended anyway, that is not our fault. We are not to judge them as those outside the church. God will take care of that. Our job is to love them as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.
It is not just people outside the church who are overly sensitive, though. Those inside the church sometimes seem to make it their business to get offended over the smallest things! We make the jokes about people getting mad over the color of the carpet and the pews, but the reason we makes those jokes is because it has happened. I know of at least one church that spit because of the carpet color! Seriously?!?! Is that the Kingdom of God here on earth? It is pathetic that grown men and women can throw a hissy fit over something like that, but it happens all the time:
Ben talks to Marsha. He mentions that during the last fellowship time, Sandra said, "Marsha's make-up looks fine." Now, Ben is not the best conversationalist, and he didn't really remember that Sandra actually said, "Marsha's make-up works very well with her skin tone." Marsha hears "fine" and construes it to mean that she looks like a dead clown with graffiti on her face. Now she goes to Jorge and Elisa who hear her sad clown story and become angry at Sandra, too. Soon, the story gets back to Sandra through her friends asking her why she called Marsha "a disgusting painted cow." She is confused, but the conflict has already peeked. From the outside, they look like fools.
This big mess and almost all of the other issues like this that arise in the churches today can be taken care of long before they get to this level or even cleaned up at this level by following how Scripture tells us to proceed:
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17).
Now, many of you are probably blaming poor, old Ben already, but Ben was just trying to relay a compliment. It is not his fault that his memory fails him from time to time on the particulars, and that "fine" actually means "fine" to him. He was pretty innocent in the matter. The true problem began with Marsha. When Marsha heard the word "fine," she decided within herself to take that word in a negative light. She is one who decided "fine" meant "wrong in every way." She was too sensitive, and she had second hand information. Marsha could have proceeded in three ways that would have been keeping with righteousness and godliness:
- She could have taken "fine" in a positive way. That is a decision well within her area of control, and it would have stopped any conflict at that point.
- She could have decided that even if Sandra meant it in a negative way, she was not going to worry about it. This includes not holding a grudge or speaking about the issue to anyone else. This would have prevented the conflict from going any further.
- If the first two options just could not happen, Marsha could have begone the process of church discipline with Sandra by confronting her on the issue in a kind and gentle way and following through with the process in verses 15-17 above. This also would have taken care of the conflict as Sandra explained what she had really said.
You must confront in gentleness and reasonableness. The confrontation is for the good of the one being confronted. Remember this! No one enjoys being told they are wrong unless they are humble or can look on the situation with complete objectivity, and if they are doing something wrong, it is very likely they have decided to ignore objectivity already. Emotions can get involved very quickly, and that pushes objectivity even further away. It is the job of the one confronting to remain calm and bring objectivity back by way of Scripture and reason. Reason is used primarily as it is reasonable to follow Scripture rather than disregarding it.
Ultimately, it is the job of every believer, for the good of your fellow believers, the church, and the Church universal, to follow this process. You have been bought by the blood of the Lamb. You are no longer your own, so you no longer have the right to be offended to the detriment of the body of Christ. You need to grow a thicker skin and quit putting yourself first.
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