Jeans

From the picture here of two brothers, one dressed in jeans and the other in pants... which one "appears" to be dressed "nicer"? They kinda both look like they are dressed equally nice to me - casual, but not bad or careless or dirty, wouldn't you say?

Now... let's talk setting. Picture these two in a worship team band on a Sunday morning. Who out there reading this blog is on a worship/praise team... do you find the way these two are dressed offensive for a Sunday morning worship service? Do you find the one wearing jeans to be more offensive for a Sunday morning worship service?

Chances are, that if you go to a traditional denominational church or even a suburbin interdenominational church, you would find at least the jeans irreverent and out of place on the stage/platform for a Sunday morning. And likewise, if you go to a non-denominational church, this is almost (but not quite) upscale for those up front on a Sunday morning. You'd think "dressing up" would be a style preference, or the way some are taught to "wear your Sunday best", but it's more like an imposed code in a lot of places instead. What's the point about the clothes, you ask? Let me tell you.

Today my husband and I went to a Worship Arts meeting at the new church we've been visiting. We've been really praying about this church and we were feeling like this is the place where God would have us stay for a while. Step one is investigating getting involved, so we went to learn more about their vision and method for the worship team. All of it sounded great... until they got to the dress code: No jeans. It seemed to be a new rule they were putting into place because for the past few Sundays we were there, we saw at least 2 or 3 people wearing jeans on the worship team. At this announcement, I looked around the room full of 40 year olds and younger... all wearing jeans, and getting a confused/disappointed look on their faces. The leaders then proceeded to give their reasons: they didn't want to offend anybody (What?!?!?!), and they wanted to make a good impression on the church. I was absolutely stunned...

For one thing, I get a little offended when I go to a church and don't see anyone on the worship team wearing jeans. It looks more like an elitist group than a worship team. Not everyone is a business man or woman in style, not everyone are preppy yuppies who casually lie around in Dockers, and not everyone is at an economic level to go out and buy classier clothes. Most musicians simply look stupid dressed up in a fake style that doesn't reflect who God made them to be. Some people are hard working blue-collar folks who only go to work or school in jeans, and who can only afford the very basics. Are these people not allowed to be on the worship team, even if they dress in a clean shirt and a nice pair of jeans? I'm blessed beyond measure when I see diversity on a worship team: one guy is in a suit, one guy in khakis and a polo shirt, one guy in jeans and a t-shirt, one girl in a skirt and blouse, another girl in jeans and a nice top. This shows that people are who God made them, and they aren't in a social club of clones, but very different people coming together in unity and as one on the worship team, praising God together.

For another thing, the leaders there need to get a wake up call to the fact that if anyone who would be offended by jeans on the stage visited that church, they would be offended by most everything else that is going on in that church too, and they would turn around and walk right back out before they even noticed what the worship team was wearing. For starters, it's a Spirit-led church, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom - freedom from sin, freedom from bondage, freedom to worship and serve God as He desires (II Corinthians 3:17; Isaiah 61:1-3; James 1:25; I Corinthians 12). Any legalism puts a man-made restriction on what Jesus died to liberate us from. The last time I checked, wearing jeans didn't count as a indulgence of the flesh or as being evil (I Peter 2:16; Galatians 5).

And thirdly, I didn't think we human beings were supposed to be impressing other human beings, but only God. God doesn't see as mankind sees, by appearance, but God looks at the heart (I Samuel 16:7). Shouldn't we be a people of God that only looks at the heart?!? To impose such a dress code reinforces us to continue to judge by appearances and to not even attempt to stretch ourselves to look past the outter shell to see the real person inside. This also teaches people to be self conscious rather than God-conscious - looking at themselves to make sure they are dressed right, thinking of themselves as lower somehow because if they aren't dressed as "nicely" as others.

This particular church has wall to wall people wearing jeans in the congregation on Sunday morning worship services. Are we in a position to say somehow that those on the stage are an upper class from the rest of the body? Does one who regularly gives God his very best in the crowd, wearing jeans, have to suddenly "put on airs" to join the ranks of the worship team on the platform? Or is this a subtle way of pushing people who are comfortable wearing jeans out of the church by all of leadership exampling a business wardrobe style? It's not wrong to dress up - but it's not wrong to be casual either.

I believe in excellence in the church. I believe God deserves the very best, every minute of each day, not just on Sunday mornings - the very best of our time, our gifts and talents, our finances... all that God gives us... in action and in our hearts. I don't see what that has to do with what clothes we happen to have on while we are on the stage on Sunday morning worship services opposed to every other day of our lives. Shouldn't we be constantly worshiping, and aren't we always on display to the world, even when we're in ragged sweat pants and stained t-shirts with messy hair in the supermarket on one of those rough mornings. It's our attitude and behavior they are watching. Everyone has the rough mornings that they can relate to, it's our peace in Christ underneath it all that shines out as different. It's our morals and obedience to God's Word and love for Jesus, not our style of dress, that will impress them. I believe excellence is worthless if it is performance (works of the flesh) and not real. People have to be real, open and honest before the Lord and before others. Being the best at who God made you to be in Christ is displaying excellence to both God and people. We must be true to ourselves and to God, we must represent Jesus... not our church, denomination, work, friends or family. If God created you to be a business man or woman in the kingdom of God, then by all means, represent that in your clothing whenever you are out of your house. But if God created you to be an artist, a manual laborer, a full time mom or dad... then wear what you normally wear and be proud to be what God has called you to be, even on the stage on Sunday mornings!

Then comes in the argument: "If we don't put a limit to it, people will end up coming to church sloppy, thinking they can wear anything they want". People, especially Christians, much less those in leadership, are not degenerate animals; we tend to have a level of cleanliness and desire to look nice whenever we leave our house. But it's not like I don't think clothing doesn't matter at all. I know that there is a level where our clothing makes us different from the world. I believe that clothing matters... when it comes to modesty. Anything too tight or too revealing is improper for a Christian no matter where they are outside their home, not just when we gather together. Immodest dress IS a very real (not superficial) hindrance to people and it's the way of the world that we aren't meant to follow after.

Do you follow the traditions of men and require people in your church or the leadership to "dress up" in services, when they will be on the stage, or even behind the scenes in the offices? Under the principle of giving God your best, do you shun or alienate those who's best is jeans and a t-shirt from leading others. The church is not a variation of corporate America, we're not in the business of self-promotion, and we've got nothing to sell. We have a message of a free gift to give away to any who would accept! We are soldiers and children in the Kingdom of God - let's put away being "prim and proper" for appearance sake and get our hands dirty worshipping and serving the Lord as Who He created us to be for His glory!

Somewhere to Get Covered

Two weeks ago, my husband and I noticed a new church close to our house that seemingly sprung up over night, meeting in a house that was being slowly reconstructed into a bigger gathering place. At closer inspection of the sign out in the front yard, we discovered it was a Four Square church - yeah, a denomination, but compared to everything else around, and seeing how we were on the edge of desperation, this new church seemed like it was worth a try. So we visited the worship service last Sunday.

It was a great "family of God" experience, which I was totally unprepared for and not even used to anymore, which also took me by surprise. There was great worship (not nearly long enough) and the sermon was good. Unfortunately, there was the "passing of the plate" tradition to collect tithes and offerings, and there was the Lord's Supper taken in like tradition, however the unleavened bread was actual broken pieces of unleavened bread rather than tiny little square crackers - which was refreshing! They have home groups and we've been needing that for a long time. They were all very friendly and made us feel welcome, so my husband and I decided to go back yesterday. Again, a great service (although the worship wasn't long enough) and we got to meet the pastor who impressed me with his sincerity (a quality that isn't in enough pastors), and his passion for Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of God.

Even if this isn't a home for us to permanently establish ourselves, it certainly would be a satisfactory place to stay for awhile until God tells us it's time to move. The Four Square denomination is a really good one... open to women in ministry, teaching the full-gospel / charismatic perspective of God's Word, and ministry minded towards those in need. It does lack observing the Mosiac Covenant aspect of God's Word... but don't most denominations lack in that area? Most importantly, it seems like a very good place to plug in and get spiritual covering for what God has for me to do. Maybe we can stay here, or at least stay linked in partnership with this church, while I go through school. I've been praying for a good church for so long, and now it looks like this body of believers is God answering that prayer!

Halloween Vs. Reformation Day

I was reading a few blogs yesterday from Christians either bashing Halloween, sticking up for Halloween, or distracting the attention away from Halloween and putting it all on Reformation Day. I was quite fascinated with the viewpoints out there and sort of baffled about the Reformation Day thing. For one, I had never heard of Reformation Day myself... so I looked it up.

Apparently, some protestant denominations observe Oct. 31st in honor of Martin Luther posting his 95 Thesis on the church door on that day in 1517, which began the Great Reformation. They were claiming that Martin Luther chose that day to make a point... that Jesus had come and died on the cross, defeating Satan forever, therefore he was declaring that all forces of evil was harmless and Halloween was no longer a day of demonic activity. That all sounds good, like far fetched wishful thinking, but it also sounds like a pretty big stretch based on the facts. To say that's why Martin Luther posted his argument against the doctrines of Catholicism on the church door on October 31st is just as opinion based as pure speculation. I also have an opinion about why he posted it on October 31st... because he was declaring that the Catholic/papal practices were demonic works, or at the very least, man-made superstitions driven by people who were not interested in honoring God. That's my opinion, but I have no hard facts to back that up either.

Anyway, I see nothing wrong with celebrating the Reformation in general, which played a part in God beginning to bring the Church out of captivity of Satan's reign in Catholic/papal form. It led to protestantism breaking away from a very religious organization into a faith based on a personal relationship with God. But it was just a part, and it was just the beginning, and we as the Body of Christ are still struggling, wandering around in the wilderness trying to be restored to where we are meant to be. Martin Luther did some good things and was used by God for a time, but I wouldn't praise the man too much, because God could have used anyone to do what he did, and not everything Luther did or said was of God and some of it is not worth celebrating at all. But I will say this, Luther was a man of faith and convictions and he put himself in the position to be used by God mightily by standing up for what he knew was right in the face of powerful religionists, and with great risk and sacrifice. We are in need of such people today, who will go against the grain of church tradition to become the Church according to God's Word!

And for another thing, I'm a bit interested at the range of opinions about Halloween itself from Christians. From "it's no big deal" to "Halloween participators will burn in hell" - it all seems to be coming from what people are or are not being taught in their churches about it. Some churches do a little teaching about it and hold a costume party, pass out treats, and have their own fall festivities. For the sake of "outreach", they do hayrides, carve pumpkins, and roast marshmallows at bonfires, inviting the world in to participate with them instead of with traditional "Halloween customs". Some churches do a lot of teaching about it and hold a prayer vigil that night and pray for the lost, doing spiritual warfare against the enemy. Some churches don't do any teaching of it at all and ignore the Halloween season altogether. In those cases, you'll find the Christian parents who remember trick-or-treating fondly as children and buy into the commercialism and tradition of the day, and their family gets really into it - dressing up, taking their kids to haunted houses and out for beggar’s night, and getting a kick out of trying to scare each other. All harmless fun, right? Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?

Halloween, by the way, is "All Hallows Eve", the night before "All Hallows Day" (All Saints Day). This is a day of honoring dead saints in the Catholic church, which was moved from sometime in April in the 700's A.D. and placed upon the ancient pagan holy day of the Celts, Samhain Night, festival of the dead. Samhain was a fire festival when the "dead revisited the mortal world" and large community bonfires would be lit to ward of evil spirits. Often it involved divination, honoring "gods”(demons) associated with the dead, making offerings to the spirits, necromancy, and soothsaying. This day is also one of the high holy days in the Wiccan calendar today, taken from it's pagan origins.

It's bizarre to me that believers are even tempted to engage in the world's system of holidays at all! Christmas, Easter, and now Reformation Day... you'd think that the Church would wake up and see that those are pagan holy days dressed up in Christian clothing. God's Word instructs us and gives us more than enough Holy Days and Festivals to celebrate God with - but we refuse them and go the way of the world anyway. How sad. It's bad enough that Satan has orchestrated idolatry on set days that God established as Holy Days unto Him - do believers now also have to chase after those pagan holy days with thier idolatrous customs and slap a "Jesus" sticker on them to excuse it?

Let's get back to the Bible and base what we do and don't do on God's Word rather than on the customs of the world. Purim (the festival of Lots) is a Biblical holy day that could be celebrated joyfully with costume parties, feasting, candy and plays - a celebration that fosters great joy and worshipful acknowledgement to God for saving lives and for working behind the scenes to bring about salvation! Rejoicing in life, not death. The festival of Tabernacles lends itself to autumn celebrations as we live out in our wooded shelters for a week - roasting marshmallows together with our families in a campfire, celebrating Jesus' birth and worshipping God for His constant grace, provision, and protection that He pours out to us. God's three Highest Holy Days are Passover (God delivering His people from bondage into salvation; Jesus, death, burial, and resurrection), Pentecost (the giving of the God's Word; the giving of the Holy Spirit), and the Festival of Tabernacles (God's leading with provision and protection in the wilderness; Jesus' birth on this earth). These 3 at least should be a hallmark in the lives of believers in Christ Jesus our Lord in addition to our weekly Sabbath! And not to forget the others: the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Festival of Dedication - which are all Biblical and honor the Lord God Almighty! The Biblical Holy Days point to Jesus' first coming in human form on the earth and His second coming; and if not for the excitement and joy in celebration of these, we should be observing them at least for the purpose of honoring God and rehearsing for Christ's return! Let's put aside the ways of the world, and that includes man-made church tradition and secular waves of popularity, that go against God's Word or that have nothing to do with giving Him all the honor and glory!