Fwd: Keep Your Pinkie in the Air Please

Are our assemblies formal because we dress up or do we dress up because our assemblies are formal? Who decided we should dress up when we go to church? Nowhere does the bible command or even insinuate that we should dress up. In fact doesn't requiring or at least expecting formal attire for the assemblies smack of putting the material over the spiritual?

 

Did Jesus dress too shabbily to be permitted in our pulpits? In some congregations if the preacher preached without a coat and tie he would join the ranks of the unemployed. Some congregations have the audacity to require coats and ties before one can serve communion. They call it appropriate attire. Appropriate to whom?

 

One of the most twisted, unbiblical and illogical lines of reasoning ever invented goes something like this: "We should dress up for church because we should wear our best for God." That statement embodies everything that is wrong with our assemblies. It localizes God, limits worship to a place, disregards Christianity as a way of life, misses the purpose of the assembly, alienates the less fortunate, misleads our children, formalizes the occasion and emphasizes externals.

 

Being immodest, inconsiderate and insensitive are always going to be wrong whether one is at the assembly or the mall. To establish appropriateness beyond that is to create a criterion for judging and ostracizing. James said:

 

"My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.  For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, 'You sit here in a good place,' while you say to the poor man, 'You stand over there,' or, 'Sit down at my feet,' have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"

 

For the sake of trying to "look good" and "put our best foot forward" we have developed a formalism in our assemblies that alienates the disadvantaged, attracts our social equals, and places a burden on those who need love but end up worrying about being accepted. James continued:

 

"Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?"

 

Maybe we have a shortage of those "rich in faith" because we have an abundance of those "rich in attire." Our culture says "clothes makes the man" but God does not say clothes makes the Christian.

 

If we have formal assemblies because we wear formal clothes we should change our clothes. If we wear formal clothes because our assemblies are formal we should change our assemblies.

 

"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty."

 

That is the big difference from the liberty to make laws.

 

"For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment."

 

Those first Christians kept no rituals, acts, traditions or obligations---except to help each other grow in love. The author of Hebrews tells us

 

"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

 

We assemble to encourage each other to love and good works. Paul tells us

 

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  [2] Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

 

Worship is to present our bodies as living sacrifice. The bible does not even suggest that we assemble to worship God.

 

Support for much of how we "do church" and what we teach today comes from a time when priests kept the laity dependent upon them.

 

If we do not have bible support for everything we do we are no different than any other "religious" group, i.e. Christian, Jew, Muslims, Hindus, Moonies, Heaven's Gate etc.

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

John Jenkins
865-803-8179  cell
Gatlinburg, TN


Email: jrjenki@gmail.com
Blogs: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/
          http://alumcave.blogspot.com/

 

[shouting to several prisoners]
Barney Fife: "Now here at the Rock we have two rules. Memorize them until you can say them in your sleep. Rule number one: obey all rules. Rule number two: no writing on the walls."