“Weary, working, plodding one,
Wherefore toil you so?
Cease your doing, all was done
Long, long ago.
“Till to Jesus’ work you cling
By a simple faith,
Doing is a deadly thing,
Doing ends in death.
“Nothing either great or small,
Nothing, sinner, No,
Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.
“Cast your deadly ‘doing’ down,
Down at Jesus’ feet;
Stand in HIM, in HIM ALONE,
Gloriously complete.”
William F. Bell
I just finished an essay by Jeff Pollard, entitled Christian Modesty, the Public Undressing of America. For a thorough examination of the history of how public opinion has shifted in America in regards to clothing you should read this. Informative and interesting to see the intention of the fashion and movie industry methodically marching a nation toward the undressing of men and women.
“The fashion industry does not believe that the principle purpose of clothing is to cover the body; it believes that the principle purpose of clothing is sexual attraction. This is the very opposite of Christian modesty.” Jeff Pollard
Neither the fashion industry or Hollywood in general are neutral in this undressing. I want to take a moment to address this with a more directed address, and consider how this undressing of America has had an influence on the church.
I’m not the historian to site the shifting of how church attendees clothing has shifted over the past 200 years. I’m not the statistician with numbers to prove a point. I’m simply a local pastor who stands before a people week in and week out and notice that once a person dresses down or less they are slow to return to the previous standard of conservative.
I’m not looking to call for a formality of clothing and I’m not suggesting that one should dress more conservative at church than the other six days of the week. I find the teaching of modesty in Scripture to be lifestyle instructions rather than Sunday only fashion.
I accept that this kind of talk in our day potentially puts the label of legalism on me rather than speaker of truth. There is a danger of legalism with any matter and I want to always be careful of a legalistic spirit. I realize that not all will agree that the undressing of the church is as serious of a matter as I do. I pray for grace on my writing and speaking and upon the hearing.
First: let’s acknowledge that the spirit of this age has had more influence on all of us than we like to admit. In knowing that the agenda of the flesh is contrary to the agenda of the Spirit will only help us. If what Jeff Pollard argues is true, the principle purpose of fashion and Hollywood is sexual in nature and will even use this sexual attraction to lure in the church. To not know this will explain why there is less clothing on men and women of faith today.
Second: to not know this or to refuse to consider the likely influence the spirit of this age has on the church will show a lack of submitting to the Lordship of Christ in your life and the church toward the Lord. For a man or woman to have little concern of how their dressing effects others shows little interest on why Scripture would even address this matter. When Scripture speaks to a matter as directly as it does to clothing, then the follower of the Lord should consider it with great interest.
Third: for a believer, adorn yourself with the glory of God rather than the glory of the day. It has become increasingly complicated when fewer people within the household of faith appear to express care in the effects of this matter. Men and women alike know what clothing attracts attention. You know it by the comments people make, you know it by the way people look at you, you know it by the reaction you get. Don’t appear naive on this matter. There is an agenda and you are taking part in it.
Conclusion: I plead with believers (primarily at the local church I pastor) to give serious consideration to this. We accept that there is a moral dress code that even unconverted people adhere to. Nudity is a public crime and not accepted in the public. But the more sexual the clothing becomes the less imagination a man or woman has to have. The increasing distraction of the physical body that God declared “very good” becomes more attractive, especially to our children. If the body is the temple of the Lord, and it is, then of those in our culture who should understand how important it is that our clothing display the glory of God and not the attraction of the eyes of a passer-by. If all that we do should be committed to the Lord, and it should, then even the way our clothing effects others should be considered.
Then, also, follower of Christ… because there is an agenda to undress the culture, don’t be so foolish to think that there is not an agenda to undress the church. There is. You may likely be participating in that agenda.
A Message from David Platt from Radical on Vimeo.
“Speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions.” (Isaiah 30:10 NASB)
Isaiah’s statements were for a people of another generation, but the demand of the unregenerate has remained the same. Speak to us what we want to hear and tell us clever stories that meet our illusions of who we call god.
Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may serve in the time to come as a witness forever. For this is a rebellious people, false sons, sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the LORD; Who say to the seers, “You must not see visions”; and to the prophets, “You must not prophesy to us what is right, speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions. “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” (Isaiah 30:8-11 NASB)
The demand from unregenerate men, women, and children are making these same expectations upon their pastors and these pastor are more influenced by the spirit of this age than the sufficiency of Scripture. Their demands are the same as those in Isaiah’s day. These “false sons” demand churches and/or pastors…
Is there any in this generation who will require of their church and pastor to “speak to us Truth”?
In recent days, southern Idaho has experienced something that few residents ever have. Rain. Rain? Yes, rain! You would have to live in southern Idaho to get this. Around here, southern Idaho, we don’t expect much rain from late May into September or October. In a region (according to the national weather service) that sees less 9.5 accumulative inches of precipitation in a given year, rain is a rare thing anytime of the year. The month of August is usually among the driest months with only three/tenths of an inch, usually! This month we saw more than half of our annual precipitation fall, not only in the driest month but that in only a few days.
I realize that some readers may know this kind of rain. But this rain made me think of this question raised by Job in Job 5:8-10.
“But as for me, I would seek God, and I would place my cause before God; Who does great and unsearchable things,
Wonders without number. “He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields…” (NASB)
John Piper raised this question in his 1998 book “A Godward Life” (page 28) “If you said to someone: My God does great and unsearchable things, He does wonders without number,” and they responded, “Really? Like what” – would you say, Like rain”?
Piper goes on to say…
In Job’s mind rain really is one of the great, unsearchable wonders that God does. So when I read this a few weeks ago, I resolved not to treat it as meaningless pop musical lyrics. I decided to have a conversation with myself (which is what I mean by meditation).
Is rain a great and unsearchable wonder wrought by God? Picture yourself as a farmer in the Near East (or Southern Idaho), A few wells keep the family and animals supplied with water. But if the crops are to grow and the family is be be fed from month to month, water has to come from another source on the fields. From Where?
Well, the sky, The Sky? Water will come out of the clear blue sky? Well, not exactly. Water will have to be carried in the sky from the Mediterranean Sea over several hundred miles, and then be poured out on the fields from the sky. Carried? How much does it weigh? Well, if one inch of rain falls on one square mile of farmland during the night, that would be 27,878,400 cubic feet of water, which is 206,300,160 gallons, which is 1,650,501,280 pounds of water.
That’s heavy. So how does it get up in the sky and stay up there if it’s so heavy? Well, it gets up there by evaporation. Really? That’s a nice word. What does it mean? It means that the water stops being water for a while so it can go up and not down. I see. Then how does it get down? Well, condensation happens. What’s that? the water starts becoming water again by gathering around little dust particles between .00001 and .0001 centimeters wide. That’s small.
What about the salt? Salt? Yes, the sea is salt water. That would kill the crops. What about the salt? Well, the salt has to be taken out. Oh. So the sky picks up a billion pounds of water from the sea, takes out the salt, carries the water for three hundred miles, and then dumps it on the farm?
Well it doesn’t dump it. If it dumped a billion pounds of water on the farm, the wheat would be crushed. So the sky dribbles the billion pounds of water down in little drops.
I’m taking Job’s word for it. “My God does great and unsearchable things. Wonders without number. He gives rain on the earth And sends water on the fields… ” The next time it rains in southern Idaho, anywhere for that matter, I’m telling of God’s great and unsearchable things. He gives rain on the earth and sends water on the fields.
This generation of the church is more captivated by a blockbuster thriller, superhero comics, social(-less) media, and hero worship of fictional characters portrayed by godless masses than the redeemer, Christ the Lord. This generation of the church expects their church to present truth the same way this world has cast this bewitching spell upon them.
“Entertain me!”, they say.
“You owe me!”, they expect.
“If it doesn’t keep my attention, I’m off to the one that will!”, they actually believe this.
By the grace of God, His people are around. But is this the church you are of? Are you this parent who will nurture in the ways of the Lord? Are you the husband who loves? the wife who helps? the missionary who goes? the church that trusts? the preacher who preaches? the evangelist who speaks? the sojourner with citizenship from above? the neighbor who concerns? the man you are? the woman you are? the child you are?
If so, may the Lord continue to help. If not, say this to the Lord with me today… “I repent of my wayward, distracted devotion.”
I’m sure I’ve not read every sermon that the late Vance Havner preached, but over the past several years I’ve read as many as I could get my hands on.
Just recently I’ve reread some that have reminded me of how helpful it has been to read this preacher from the past. Very similar to the impact A.W. Tozer has had on me, Havner has left a lasting mark on my soul. Here are a few statements that speak volumes of our day today.
Here are simply two statements I’ve reread recently…
“We are a generation of cheap Christians going to heaven as inexpensively as possible; religious hobos and spiritual deadbeats living on milk instead of meat, crusts of bread instead of manna, as though we were on a cut-rate excursion.”
“God would not have us merely “take a stand,” He would have us walk. Too many have taken a stand and are still standing; for years they have made no progress.”
I read statements like this from preachers of old and my jaw if found dropped and the look of shock is on me that I just read this from a dead man. With the kind of accuracy I start looking to see if maybe I missed something and he’s still living. The impact of a changeless God lays on every generation with striking accuracy.
It’s that time of year again, “Sundays become optional” for some and the Lord of the sport becomes ruler of the Lord’s Day. This will be interpreted as legalism by some and misunderstood by others that enjoying a sport is somehow considered wrong. It’s not wrong or sinful. It’s not a legalistic position that a person can’t enjoy an afternoon nap.. I mean game. It’s one thing for us to participate or enjoy a game. It’s of another discussion when Sundays become optional during a season, series or particular game.
Determine for yourself this day who the Lord of the Lord’s day is; if you choose the Lord, you won’t be disappointed if you choose to gather with the Lord’s people while you miss the “game of the year.”
The following should only be considered as a recommendation, not as authoritative. Each participant is responsible for being a well informed and responsible hiker. Here is my recommended packing list for anyone planning on joining me on my 2014 attempt to summit Borah Peak on August 30.
Beware: Borah Peak is the highest elevation in Idaho at 12,662 ft above sea level. The hike is approx. 3.7 miles long (one way) and nearly 5,000 feet elevation gain. Temperatures can vary from extreme cold to extreme hot in the same day. Afternoon thunderstorms are normal with danger of lightning. Come prepared. If you are planning to attempt the climb with me and want to know more details of what I recommend, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Recommended List of Things to Bring:
•Meal for Thursday night
•Day pack (I do have day packs available upon request)
•Water (I recommend a minimum of 120 oz of water. There is no water source on the trail. Do not plan on getting more water once you leave the trail head.)
•Trail mix (nuts, m&m’s, dried fruit)
•Energy bar/sandwich/beef jerky
•Sleeping Bag/tent or tarp/pillow/
•Well worn hiking boots with good durable sole (do not attempt this hike with brand new, never worn boots)
•Three pairs of socks
•Hat with a brim
•rain gear
•I recommend pants to be warn for the entire hike
•I recommend shirts with sleeves (sun burn happens quicker and with greater severity on shoulders)
•clothes for warm weather
•clothes for cold weather (weather changes with little warning)
•Winter hat (that covers your ears)
•Flash light
•Deodorant
•toilet paper
•chap stick
•Leather gloves (garden type)
•Sun Block
•Bug Spray
•Sun Glasses
•The night and early morning will most likely be very cold. (be prepared for extreme cold and extreme hot)
•Bible (small, pocket size)
•$10 for celebration meal on the return trip home.
Optional Items:
•Walking sticks (ski poles work fine, helpful for parts of the climb and decent)
•camera
•Be very picky on any other optional items you bring.
the Apostle Paul gave this last piece of advice to the saints in Philippi in his letter to them. This advice has two conditions, an assignment, and an expected result.
(there is a pre-condition that is assumed. This is that Paul is writing to followers of God, He’s not telling them this is a “formula” for salvation. He’s speaking to the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. This counsel from Paul is to born again believers, not seekers, looking for a way to improve their lives.)
The conditions: First, if you believe in goodness, and second, if you value the approval of God.
If you believe in goodness…
This is not a sappy belief in a feel good thought that makes you feel warm and fuzzy after you read or hear about how someone did something good. This is a goodness rooted in righteousness. This is a belief grounded in selflessness with no expectation of payback.
if you value the approval of God…
This is a fantastic condition. As man was created, he was created to value (worship) God. He was please to possess the approval of God because he understood who God was and who he was. God, the uncreated one. Man, created by the uncreated one. Wow.
So Paul tells the church to act on the things they have learned, received, heard, and seen from him. Put this into action.
If the peace of God is to be possessed by the believer, he must put his mind to work on these things Paul puts before him. Meaning you and I will have to be transformed.
Listen, it is a grace of God to hear news of Him extending grace to a woman with breast cancer. It is heart warming to hear that God has restored love to a loveless marriage. It drives a man to silence when a wayward child returns. The jaw is dropped when you drive by a mangled car on the interstate and driver and passengers standing, embracing each other, counting their safety as an act of a sovereign, living God. It is a wonder of wonders to hear news of a woman with child as God displays his glory.
But this is not how the peace of God is tasted.
This peace comes as a result of a supernatural transformation. Ask God to help you fix your mind on the things which are holy, right, pure, beautiful, and good. And then, look to Him to help you model your conduct from what you learn.
“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely , whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Phil 4:8 NASB)
Then, you will find the God of peace will be with you.
