I grew up in a very strict church. You had to talk, worship, and dress a certain way each Sunday in order to be accepted and even allowed into the church. I'll never forget one woman, a guest that Sunday, who wore jeans. She was quite respectful and appeared to want to be there. But the congregants were whispering about her and glaring at her throughout the service. When she tried to mingle with the church members after the service, she was completely ignored. Looking hurt, the woman left that Sunday and never came back.
When I came to Hilmar Covenant Church for the first time, I was nervous about propriety. I kept asking my husband how I should dress, how everyone would expect me to act. I was more concerned about fitting in than I was worshiping God. At the service, I was amazed at the love and joy of the congregants. I saw some people in jeans sitting with the formally-dressed people. All of them worshiped together, regardless of how they dressed.
So I wear jeans to church now. When I wear my everyday clothes to church, it reminds me that I can worship God anytime, anyplace, and in any outfit when the need strikes me. Being a Christian, a child of God, is about our spiritual relationship to Him. It's about worshiping in spirit and truth. I remember that Adam and Eve didn't wear clothes until they made that fateful choice to let sin into their lives. However, I also remember Romans 14:19-21, which illustrates the importance of not offending your neighbor. That's why I acknowledge that there are some inappropriate things to do and wear in church. It's not right for me to distract anyone else from worship just to prove a point. It's not about me and what I want. It's about worshiping together, and sometimes worshiping God together requires me to let go of my opinions for the sake of unity.
Whatever you wear or do, do it for God. And when you see another congregant dressing or worshiping in a different way than you prefer, try to see their perspective. Let's allow one another to do what we do for God, even if it's different from what we do. But if you are in doubt about wearing jeans, then do not wear them. Wear only what you do out of faith, for "everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23b).
Two verses really sum up what I'm trying to say: "Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean" (Romans 14:13-14).
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Friday, May 29, 2009
God's Inheritance
I just got back from lunch with Norma Avilla (she's so wonderful; I love her), and our conversation got me thinking... I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness and then I hopped Protestant churches, and the main message I received at these places was that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). They used this verse to mean that we earn our way into Heaven by being good enough and by doing good deeds.
Of course, that is taking the phrase out of context. Through having faith in God and believing in what Jesus did for us, we receive eternal life. NOT by anything we do! We don't earn our way into Heaven; we aren't worthy! But God loves us all despite our weaknesses and gives us the gift of eternal life if we only accept Him! It seems too easy almost, too good to be true, doesn't it? But it IS true. Look in Romans chapter 6:
22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Being "set free from sin" only means that we have stopped serving Satan and ourselves; we have instead accepted God and chosen to serve Him. It doesn't mean we cease sinning, as we never will. But when you make the choice to put your faith and love in God, you receive His inheritance of an afterlife. Christ died to atone for the sins of all people, so that we could have a personal relationship with God without needing to cleanse ourselves first (remember how in the Old Testament they sacrificed animals and had to be careful to only approach God when "clean" or they would defile the tabernacle?). Jesus was our sacrificial lamb so that no lambs need be sacrificed in order to enter into God's presence. Now He is in us always! Jesus cleansed us!
This was so hard for me to learn, as I was still stuck in my old ways. I thought that I needed to control my actions and prove myself to God to be able to have eternal life. I just couldn't accept His grace. But there was something about my conversation with Norma, when we hit some of these points that made me understand today.
But why is this so hard to accept? Why do so many also forget the priority of a relationship with God, and instead focus on following the laws set forth in the Bible? Could it be an issue of control or trust? If we believe that works will save us, then we know what to do; we do a certain thing to get a predictable outcome. We volunteer and help others, we work to convert new believers, we are careful not to swear or lie. Because when it is our actions that will save us, we feel important, in control, safe, knowledgeable, and powerful. But when it is simply God's love that saves us, it's scary. We then have to accept that God loves us unconditionally, even though we will never be worthy of it. Suddenly, we have to admit that we will never be perfect, that we will fail sometimes. In our human relationships, don't we feel that we need to earn love and respect from others? But we don't earn that from God; it's freely given!
It is important to remember that faith and love of God lead us to become better and do good deeds. Accepting God's grace and love doesn't mean that you can be lax. Just because works don't get you into Heaven doesn't mean you don't have to try to better yourself. When you accept God and love Him, you want to serve Him. Your faith changes you; the Holy Spirit enters you and alters you. You start to see things from God's perspective, and you come to have compassion and empathy for others, which makes you want to help them. Your works are a result of your faith!
Any thoughts?
Of course, that is taking the phrase out of context. Through having faith in God and believing in what Jesus did for us, we receive eternal life. NOT by anything we do! We don't earn our way into Heaven; we aren't worthy! But God loves us all despite our weaknesses and gives us the gift of eternal life if we only accept Him! It seems too easy almost, too good to be true, doesn't it? But it IS true. Look in Romans chapter 6:
22But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Being "set free from sin" only means that we have stopped serving Satan and ourselves; we have instead accepted God and chosen to serve Him. It doesn't mean we cease sinning, as we never will. But when you make the choice to put your faith and love in God, you receive His inheritance of an afterlife. Christ died to atone for the sins of all people, so that we could have a personal relationship with God without needing to cleanse ourselves first (remember how in the Old Testament they sacrificed animals and had to be careful to only approach God when "clean" or they would defile the tabernacle?). Jesus was our sacrificial lamb so that no lambs need be sacrificed in order to enter into God's presence. Now He is in us always! Jesus cleansed us!
This was so hard for me to learn, as I was still stuck in my old ways. I thought that I needed to control my actions and prove myself to God to be able to have eternal life. I just couldn't accept His grace. But there was something about my conversation with Norma, when we hit some of these points that made me understand today.
But why is this so hard to accept? Why do so many also forget the priority of a relationship with God, and instead focus on following the laws set forth in the Bible? Could it be an issue of control or trust? If we believe that works will save us, then we know what to do; we do a certain thing to get a predictable outcome. We volunteer and help others, we work to convert new believers, we are careful not to swear or lie. Because when it is our actions that will save us, we feel important, in control, safe, knowledgeable, and powerful. But when it is simply God's love that saves us, it's scary. We then have to accept that God loves us unconditionally, even though we will never be worthy of it. Suddenly, we have to admit that we will never be perfect, that we will fail sometimes. In our human relationships, don't we feel that we need to earn love and respect from others? But we don't earn that from God; it's freely given!
It is important to remember that faith and love of God lead us to become better and do good deeds. Accepting God's grace and love doesn't mean that you can be lax. Just because works don't get you into Heaven doesn't mean you don't have to try to better yourself. When you accept God and love Him, you want to serve Him. Your faith changes you; the Holy Spirit enters you and alters you. You start to see things from God's perspective, and you come to have compassion and empathy for others, which makes you want to help them. Your works are a result of your faith!
Any thoughts?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Grand Weaver
Here's more information on our first book club selection this summer: The Grand Weaver by Ravi Zacharias! You can click the images to the left to see the cover large enough to read.
The information from ChristianBook.com is:
Publisher's Description
With inspiring stories and thought-provoking questions, Ravi Zacharias traces the multiple threads of our lives, describing how the unseen hand of God guides our joys, our tragedies, our daily humdrum to weave a pattern of divine providence and meaning.
Author Bio
Dr. Ravi Zacharias is the founder and president of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries. He has spoken all over the world in great halls and universities, confronting spokespersons of other beliefs - and no beliefs - with impact and grace. The author of many books, he powerfully mixes biblical teaching and apologetics. His weekly radio program, "Let My People Think," is broadcast over 1,500 stations worldwide. He and his wife live in Atlanta, Georgia.
I'm already excited! :-)
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