My Pastor, Dean Taylor, preached a great message in his Worship on Purpose series which I think ties in nicely with my blogpost No Skirts, No Suits, No Service
If you have a chance to download and listen to this message, I think you will be blessed!
Archive for the ‘Grace’ category
Worship on Purpose
July 1st, 2009Victory Over My Mouth Begins with a Battle for My Mind
June 14th, 2009If you know me at all, you are probably aware of my tendency to talk. Sometimes I use this for good, but I often get myself into trouble. The Bible tells us that the tongue will cause us problems. James tells us that the tongue defileth the whole body! This is a scary prospect for me and one I must work on. I don’t want my tongue to be a poison. So for the chatty among us, getting this under control is vital to put this gift to good use.
While I’ve been meditating and studying what Scripture says about the tongue, I read the verse“a fool uttereth all His mind.” It is foolish to say everything we think. James tells us to put a bridle on our tongue. We need to control it. This is where I think my attention has broadened from simply my tongue to my mind as well. A fool often has foolish thoughts. Yes, it is foolish to say everything we think, yet what we think shapes what we say.
So I’ve been focusing on a few areas of my mind. One, I am trying to think with love. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us that love thinketh no evil. I am trying to conscientiously focus my thoughts on goodness of the evil of another person. This can be so hard to do sometimes. Sometimes it’s hard to think of something positive, yet love should override our thinking. I’ve been asking the Lord to show me the good in others and to make that my focus. Obviously, I would not want someone to focus on all my negatives (and there are plenty) so I should not be focusing my attention on someone else’s problems. Our Love for God and love for others is the basic commandment from Scripture. If I am acting in obedience to Christ, I will show love to my fellow man by thinking good.
Another action I am focusing on is renewing my mind. Romans 12 says we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds. It seems an impossible task, but it is not. We have a powerful gift in the Holy Spirit. When we are Spirit-filled, the transformation of our minds is possible. When our minds are transformed then our lives and actions are changed as well. It starts with our mind! We must ask for the Spirit’s help. Without His help how could I ever think the kinds of thoughts that would make for good conversation?
And so it becomes a battle. My spirit is willing and my flesh is weak. I want to focus my mind on things above but it is a struggle without the work of the Holy Spirit. Negative thoughts easily slip into my mind without any effort and replacing that negativity with positive thought takes a purposeful decision. It takes true love that comes from the Lord.
A prayer for today:
Lord, please change my thoughts to your thoughts and ways. Allow the Spirit to transform my thinking to Godly ideals. Will you protect my mind from negative thoughts about my family, friends and acquaintances and change them to hopeful positive thoughts. Help me to think on goodness of others.
Take the work of goodness You do in my mind and allow that to control my tongue. Let your thoughts and direction keep my mouth from harming the Body of Christ. Let your Spirit guide my mind and words to love. Let my words be used for good and not for evil.
Change my mind to hopeful thinking. Let my focus be on the grace and mercy You have shown in my own life.
A Modern Day Jonah
June 5th, 2009In Scripture we see the law as a way for people to know how to define justice in their society. The law helped maintain order. It also gave the people a picture of the Holiness of God and man’s complete inability to be holy. The Law still does an important work today. When we read the law in scripture we see our need for a Savior. We see that God demands justice and holiness. He sent a Christ to save us from the damnation we so deserve.
In our society we have laws as well. We have rules and regulations to keep order. When those laws are broken the perpetrator is usually punished. When they are not we are outraged. How could this be? They were guilty! We feel unsettled because justice has not been done. Someone did wrong and they should pay. Bad people should get bad treatment and good people should receive good things.
Jonah is someone I can relate to when I think about the law. He is someone who was a prophet of God yet ran when God wanted him to talk to the wicked Ninevites about repentance. The Ninevites did not follow God’s law. In fact in many areas they did the exact opposite of what God requires. What gets me about Jonah is that he did not want to tell them to repent because he knew they would and that God would have mercy on them. He did not want them to have mercy. He wanted justice. He wanted God’s law measured out in full force on the wicked Ninevites.
Yet he did not want justice for himself. He wanted mercy and grace even though he had done wrong. He just viewed their sins as worse than his. So he thought they should be punished instead of forgiven.
I identify with Jonah because like him I have a rich heritage. I assume Jonah was raised in a Jewish home. Regardless of how he was raised he was a prophet and had a special gift from God. I was raised by Christian parents in a Christian home. I was saved by God’s grace at a young age. This was a great gift from God! Yet somehow the thought still crosses my mind of “you got what you had coming!”
This is not an attitude from God. It’s an attitude of pride, and I know that is something God hates. Like Jonah, I sometimes want mercy for myself and justice for the “bad people” around me. I deserve the same, yet Grace saves me.
A Modest Proposal
May 7th, 2009When I wrote the article No Skirts, No Suits, no Service and A Response, I seperated part of it because I was going down two paths. In addition to the fact that our dress should not hinder people from coming to Christ; our dress should be modest and point people to Christ. Modesty is often just a discussion about lines; hemlines and necklines. Modesty is also a discussion of our spirit and attitude. Our clothing choices are a very narrow focus in comparison to the broader discussion of a modest spirit and attitude. When our hearts are modest then our clothing choices will often follow naturally.
We find a few verses on clothing in 1 Timothy 2:9-10 In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. This seems to be the verse most people go to when discussing clothing for women. Clearly, women should be modest. A few weeks ago I was listening to a sermon by Dr. Kevin Bauder titled “Revisiting Biblical Womanhood”. In this message he made a point out of the context of these famous verses. The beginning of the chapter gives us the premise for the rest of the chapter’s instructions. “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” This is one of those times when I knew the well-used verses but never even considered context.
The instructions in this chapter are related to instruction to bring people to Christ! The exhortation to modesty is an instruction not to dress in such a way that we are bringing undue attention to ourselves, for any reason. Whether our clothes attract attention because they show too much skin or because they show that we like to spend a lot of money, at the point our clothes are the focus in any way, the focus is wrong.
It is my belief that our view of modesty has been skewed by time. The idea that women should be covered and modestly dressed is a good thing, and most of us agree with this principle. The problem from my view, is that most have narrowed their view of modesty to simply clothing choices. The context of 1 Timothy 2:9-10 speaks of being both sober and modest. This means we should not be bringing attention to our dress. Although most people think only of clothes which are revealing as “immodest”, the word means more than that. For example, if I wore a ballgown to church, even if it was floor length and came up to my collar bone; I would not be modest because
I would be bringing undue attention to my clothes.
The instruction of 1 Timothy tells us what we should do instead of placing the focus on our clothes. We are to be clothed in good works. Are Christians known for their good works? This is sobering to me. When people think about me do they think about my good works or about my cute outfit? As a Christian I am to be showing Christ to the world around me through my good works. In the New Testament we read time and again about bringing people to Christ because of our good works. This passage falls right in line with this concept of winning souls. In fact it seems to be the point of this chapter.
Maybe I’ve brought up a silly conversation in light of eternity. However, I think it is entirely possible that Satan has used issues like clothing to divide the Body of Christ.
Either way, I hope I have started a discussion. I hope we all have something we can consider as we try to grow in the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
No Skirts. No Suits. No Service : a response
May 3rd, 2009Wow, the response from this discussion has been diverse. Clothes are something that people obviously care a lot about. I had a second part to this article started, but because of the amount of comments and concerns I’m going to postpone that. I’d like to comment on the concerns and ideas I’ve been hearing. I will post the second part which is about modesty sometime this coming week. I have added a poll, would you mind to vote? I would love to get a snapshot of the varying ideas.
A friend told me this morning that they found my article offensive. I appreciate her honesty with me, and think it’s safe to assume that others shared her view. She felt that I put everyone who goes to a conservative church in a box. She felt I was wrong to assume that all people who dress up for church is judging others or doing so to make themselves feel righteous. I am sorry for this, and she is absolutely right. Certainly, many people do not feel the way I characterized in my first article. How could I possibly know the hearts of those around me? I was speaking very directly about my perception. My perception cannot be placed on those around me. It is obvious from the comments and e-mails that many share my view and others do not. I would assume that since someone voiced their concern there are probably others who were offended. If you were, I sincerely apologize for characterizing you negatively. It was not my intent.
Another concern voiced in the comments and by a few others was dressing up for the occasion, which is coming to God’s house. God’s holiness is very important. His holiness is a central attribute in my mind. His Holiness is something we should be focused on when we pray, when work, when we attend church, and in whatever we do. While I don’t know of any specific passages that command us to dress up, certainly the idea of respecting God’s Holiness is a valid point. We do come together to worship God and when two or three are gathered together in his name he is in the midst of them. When we dress up to show our reverence for God and His house I think it is a good thing. If you feel that dressing up shows respect for God’s Holiness I understand that and am supportive.
The issue I was trying to address was that our clothes should not define who we are, and what we wear can even be a hindrance. If you are dressing up because you want to acknowledge God’s holiness on Sunday, I support you in that. My concern is that this tradition has morphed into a requirement. This was the issue I was focusing on. If what we wear on Sunday is an outpouring of the heart; that is a good thing. If we wear something to be accepted by our peers or be looked upon as “good Christians” then it is probably not from good motivation. I raised questions based on my perceptions and experiences because that’s what I understand. I’m thankful for the different views that have been shared, it gives good perspective.
It is clear that many share my concerns. I hope that in voicing our shared concern you will grow in grace in understanding your Brothers and Sisters in Christ who disagree with you.
For those who disagree with the view I suggested, I hope you will take the knowledge of others feelings and use that to grow in grace as well.
It is clear from this discussion that no one wants others, especially those who do not know the Lord, to feel uncomfortable at church. I don’t know how we do this. Do we have people come to church a little less formal so that if guests come they feel welcome? Do we go out of our way to buy Sunday clothes or do we just wear our best from everyday life? I’m sure there are better suggestions out there, share them!
I’m looking forward to reading Scripture filled responses!
No Skirts. No Suits. No Service?
April 29th, 2009I’ve been thinking about clothes a lot this week. I have been reading a discussion online about appropriate church attire. It has opened my eyes to a huge problem within the Church today. We judge the righteousness of others based on their clothing. Yikes! Now, I’m not talking about modesty. I think it’s important but not the focus of this essay.
James 2 immediately comes to mind “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Now, I cannot remember the last time someone came to our church with an obviously expensive outfit and someone else having on “vile raiment.” I think we could apply this to our culture this way: we see someone in a long skirt and think, they must be really spiritual. Then we see someone in jeans and think, they must not know any better. We then respect the person dressed in a suit or long dress as good and righteous, and the person in jeans as inferior. It seems from this passage that the problem is not with our dress but our attitudes.
However the obvious is true as well, those in vile raiment are probably poor people. I believe we do not see extremely poor people in our churches because of our dress codes.
Whether church dress codes are spelled out or implied they keep people from coming to church. At some point it seems like what we are wearing is more important than our attendance. That’s a problem and not Biblical.
There have been times when we were coming home from a vacation and could have made it to church. However we did not go because we did not have time to change into something acceptable. We were modestly dressed but not in ‘appropriate” attire. Man’s laws and ideas about clothing kept us away.
And so we come to the poor. It has been my experience that our dress codes keep poor people from our churches. We have a mega church here in Greenville, 80% of the church is considered poor by anyone’s standards. They go to this church because they are accepted. If their best is jeans and a polo shirt, that is what they wear and it’s not an issue. I realize that there are other factors to the mega church, loud music, dancing, etc. Still, I know that when people go to a church that is super formal and they can’t afford to dress appropriately, they leave and go where they fit in. I don’t want these people to leave. I want them to stay and learn the Truth of God’s Word!
The Bible is also clear about the faith of poor people and the difficulty for the wealthy to come to Christ. The book of Matthew tells us “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” I believe this is because a wealthy person does not have physical needs and does not see their need of a Savior. It’s not impossible for them to be saved, but close because they don’t have need. Our churches are filled with people who do not have real needs. Hence the reason we often do not see many adults coming to Christ in our churches.
James 2 continues : “Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? 5Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?Those who are poor are rich in faith. They see their need more easily and believe.
So at the end of this ramble I think a few things are clear. We are focused too much on clothes. We are working very hard to fit into a man made mold in order to appear righteous. In so doing we also look down upon those who do not fit our mold. This is sin.
Should our clothes be modest? Of course. Is there anything wrong with dressing up for church? Of course not.
There is something wrong with dressing for the approval of others. There is something wrong with looking down our noses at those who are not dressed “right”. In order for there to be revival in our churches we must win people to Christ. We need to love people, not what they are wearing. Grace should be applied instead of judgment.
I think the question of dress should be is it Biblical or simply a tradition?
Earth Day: a literal view
April 22nd, 2009I am not much of an outdoors woman. However I appreciate God’s creation and believe we should be good stewards of it. Today when Ethan asked if he could wear green for Earth day I found a green shirt for him and Micah. So while I encourage the idea of being good stewards of God’s creation, I do not play outside very often. I hate mud. I hate dirt. I have never liked to be dirty and I don’t think I ever will. Tonight though, I was destined to be dirty.
I sent the boys outside to play while I cooked dinner. I threw a pizza in the oven and was doing some general cleaning work in the kitchen. I saw the boys were playing nicely but then saw them going over to a muddy area of the yard. I instructed Ethan not to get into the mud because I did not want a huge mess right before dinner. He said “Ok” and I went back inside.
I guess his agreement with my command was just words because a few minutes later I see Micah covered in mud. Ethan has some mud on himself as well.
I was hoppin’ mad! “There will be no dessert or cartoons tonight! Get in here!” I hollered at them. 
Of course then I had second thoughts as they got closer to the door, I couldn’t let that mess into the house. So I had them stand on the patio while I ran up the stairs to retrieve the towels. At this point Micah is crying because he has mud in his eye but has nothing clean to wipe it with because he is covered.
So I take off all their clothes in the backyard (we have a privacy fence so no one could see) wrapped them in towels and went upstairs to the bathroom. On the way I do think to turn the oven off in hopes that dinner will not be completely ruined. I started Micah in the tub but I could not get the mud out of his hair so I had to go to plan B which included me getting into the shower with him.
I am really upset at this point. Why would these kids disobey me? Don’t they understand what No means? Why am I failing as a mother? Now my dinner is going to be ruined!
As I am getting Micah redressed the thought occurs to me, this is not personal against me. “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child” This is childish behavior and has very little to do with me. Yes, I need to teach them to obey but they are kids and kids get muddy.
This thought progressed to my relationship with the Lord. Paul tells us in Philippians that “He humbled himself”. God came down to our level in human flesh. I have wronged him in far worse ways than my children wronged me this evening. Yet He does not yell at me. He doesn’t look down his nose and me and say “How could you?” Instead He teaches me over and over again the right thing to do. He is full of love, mercy and grace. These are things I need to show my children. Yes, discipline is necessary but I need to show love, mercy and grace to my children just as Christ showers me with these everyday.
In the end, I made the kids a peanut butter sandwich to make up for the burned up pizza and drove myself out for some fast food. We had a nice evening and the kids went to bed without any issue. Hopefully I’m starting to learn my lesson in grace and the kids are starting to learn their lesson in obedience.
Why Do We Need God’s Law?
April 21st, 2009It’s an honest question many people have. If we now live under grace then what impact does God’s Law have on our lives?
The Law of God is very important to our lives. The Law gives us a glimpse at the character of God. His Law show us His love for people and His holiness. God is holy and can tolerate nothing less than holiness from those who dwell with Him. The Law is how God tells us what we need to do as we travel this Earth. This again shows God’s love for his people. He does not leave us ignorant. He gives us his law so we will know what He expects of us.
Since Christ came the Law still serves a purpose. Christ came to fulfill the law, not to abolish it. He told us the most important laws to follow, Love God and love our neighbor. This seems so simple after reading books like Leviticus. How could Christ come to fulfill the whole Law yet simplify the books of laws down to only 2 laws?
I think it is because all the laws God gave us can fall under these two main categories. When Exodus 20 tells us that we should not covet our neighbor’s things, this is giving us instruction on loving those around us. The 10 commandments also give us instruction not to have other gods. This law clearly falls under loving God.
So the Law of God is given to help us know what God expects of us. It also shows us our sin. The Law of God convicts us of our sin. Have you ever gotten a new cell phone and you are using it just fine until you find out your new contract only had 200 minutes a month after you had used 1000? You find out when you get the bill and realize that a simple mistake is going to cost you big bucks! That is what happens when we learn God’s law. Without it we would go through life without even knowing we had done wrong in God’s eyes. Luckily we have the gift of the Law. We know the character of God because of it, and this reveals the deficiency in our own lives.
Yes, we are saved because of God’s free gift of grace. We must only believe on Christ to be saved. This never ceases to amaze me. However, this grace does not diminish the gift of the law. Jesus did not change God’s laws, He fulfilled God’s promise.
Preparing my Heart for Easter: A modified Lent
February 25th, 2009Easter is almost here and I love it. I love color coordinating my family’s outfits and eating Easter candy. I think some of the candy during Easter is better than at Christmas. I cannot resist mini Cadbury Eggs. During this time of year I am generally making these preparations for Easter. These are not bad things, but they are also not important things. As evangelical Christians we celebrate the resurrection rather quickly. While I’m not saying that this a bad thing, many other denominations and religions take the next 40 days more seriously. For many, preparation for Easter is serious business. While I know that the customs, traditions, and generally legalistic means are of no use in earning God’s favor, a person who is focused on the life and crucifixion of Christ is doing a good thing.
The life Jesus lived and the death He suffered make the resurrection all the more glorious. He chose to live here, work here, and die on Earth because of his love for mankind. I know the stories, I know that it’s important, but the depth of God’s choice to love us this way deserves my meditation and focus.
Lent is a long standing tradition within Christianity. For some this is a time where they try to earn forgiveness of sins. These acts are necessary in their minds in order to earn God’s favor. This is not a Biblical idea. We do not need these acts in order to earn favor with God. However there is benefit in taking 40 days to focus on the Cross and what the death and resurrection of Christ really mean. Matthew 4:2 tells us that “when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” In some religions the act of fasting and feasting, almsgiving, and prayer are things that are works of righteousness. The works aren’t necessary, but a spirit given to meditating on the life of Christ is a good thing. In keeping with that principal, I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to focus on the passion of Christ until Easter.
One idea is to read through the Gospels during the 40 days. There is a schedule here. This is an idea I embrace and plan to do. I don’t know of any better way to focus on the Gospel than to actual read it. I hope others will consider this idea in their own lives.
Another traditional part of Lent is Almsgiving. In our current economy this might be a hard one for a lot of people. Joyful giving is something that flows from the heart. It is possible to give alms that are not simply money. Making dinner for someone less fortunate would be a way to help that would cost very little money. What about watching a child for a friend who cannot afford a sitter? You can volunteer at a soup kitchen, a gift of alms that costs nothing but time. Helping the poor should not be a once a year thing. I think this part of lent should be an integral part of our everyday life. It is part of loving others. Maybe this time of reflection would be a good time to put what we know we should be doing into practice.
Fasting is something I have done in the past, and will do again in the future. There are several passages in the Bible that deal with fasting and prayer. When the disciples as Christ why John the Baptist’s disciples were fasting they weren’t He answered them “Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.” Fasting is a time where your heart is so full of prayer that you do not eat. It is a special time of fellowship with the Lord. I do not think it is absolutely necessary for a good prayer life. It is a spiritual discipline encouraged in Scripture and I believe there is great value in it. Regardless of your choice to fast or not, praying for your spiritual life is something that should be done. Too often we ask amiss because we give God a list of what we want. Prayer based on things we know the Lord wants for us will be answered. Those things would include, love for God and neighbor, the fruit of the Spirit, souls to be saved, grace and peace. The list goes on and on. Pray diligently for these things to prepare your heart for Easter.
While I understand some of the negative reaction many have toward the observation of Lent, I see merit in the focus on Christ. Surely works done simply because it’s “Lent” are worthless in the eyes of God if it is not an outflow of the heart. But just because these acts can be done with the wrong motivation by some is not a reason for the rest of us to turn our backs on the practice of purposeful study on Christ. Lots of people go to church every Sunday because its the “right” thing to do. I’m wondering if observing Lent is similar.
I hope that this Easter season I grow in my understanding and love for God. I plan to make Easter more than a one day focus.
Merry Christmas!
December 22nd, 2008
Christmas is here! This is my favorite time of year. I love the decorations, the cookies, the gifts, the music, pretty much everything. Yet as much as I enjoy those things, I cannot overstate how exciting the real meaning of Christmas is to me.
It is the birth of our Savior. I think most people know that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus, yet I think we lack the amazement we should have. Jesus Christ was fully God and yet humbled Himself to become not only a human but a baby. He went from ultimate power to a helpless infant. We have a hard time understanding this because we rarely see power without pride attached. Most in power would not completely debase themselves for love. This is what Christ did for you.
Add to this the purpose of His birth which was to die for our sins and save us from damnation. God the Father knew this was the purpose yet sent Him anyway. To save people who would abuse him, not believe in Him, and not worship Him as the God that He is. This was an act of pure love. That is what God did for you.
This is something else that is hard to wrap our minds around because as flawed humans we do not fully comprehend what pure, selfless love is. As a parent we get a glimpse of pure love in how we feel for our children, yet this is still not the pure unconditional love of God.
God truly is love and He wants the best for all of us. God sent His Son because He loved the world.
God is also holy. He cannot allow sin in His presence, so He provided Christ to die for us so we could have a relationship with Him. This is His desire, to have a relationship with you.
Jesus came to Earth in all humility to die on the cross and shed His blood to cover our sins. There must be sacrifice for sin. The perfect sacrifice was born in Christ.
Jesus was not dead forever though, He was raised from the dead and lives in heaven with His Father. He intercedes for those who believe in him. Because of His sacrifice when we ask His forgiveness, and believe He is our Savior His blood covers our sin and God sees us as Holy because Christ is Holy. We then have the wondrous relationship with God He wants with us.
Because of Jesus we can have real peace in our lives. Someday He will bring peace to earth and those who believe in Christ’s sacrifice to save them from sin will live in perfect peace with Him forever.
So this Christmas enjoy the festivities. Love your family, and think on this truth from God’s Word. If you do not believe in Christ I hope you will accept His loving gift of salvation from sin. If you are already one of God’s children, share this truth with those around you this Christmas season.
Thank you for reading this blog this year. I’ve loved the correspondence, I’ve loved getting to know new people, and I’m looking forward to the new year. God Bless you, and have a very Merry Christmas.
