Casualness toward God and His assembly?

Your polls make me tired reading and thinking through all the options

 

I'm not sure how you can write into your schedule for times when God will send someone to you that you are to witness too. You don't just write in 1:00pm Monday witnessing, and go out find someone and witness to them, thats telling God who you want saved, instead of letting Him lead to who He wants to work with. I mean whose the leader me or God? If it is God I can't schedule Him.

 

I'ld love to see Alcott's schedule for poll writing.. I know I have to continually adjust my schedule to answer them

Another great one Alcott! God bless

 

Alcott,
Thanks for the poll. These issues have been troubling me in our church. Good to see how others think.
WallyGator

 

Well I got dizzy reading all the answers and felt a giant urge to go hug somebody else tonight!

 

You can plan a hunting trip, but you know don't exactly when, or if, the kill is going to be made. </font>[/QUOTE]So tell me how do you plan to hunt people then?
It seems more tring to force God's hand to me.

 

I don't subscribe to the theory that not "dressing up" to go to church correlates to casualness towards God. I've heard some argue this, but I've never seen it personally. More importantly, there is no place in Scripture that supports this.

In addition, culture and climate play a big part in this. My experience is that in the warmer climate states - Florida, Arizona, California - people dress more casual all the time - not just when attending church.

Lastly, the whole issue of whether it is proper or not to shake hands or hug or whatever seems somewhat bizarre. In my world, one is almost always expected to both hug and kiss others on the cheek in social situations - yes, even at church.

 

Casualness to God is not about dress, modes of greeting, etc. It is about the heart and how you approach worship of God. It is not even a Sunday issue, rather it is a daily moment by moment issue of how you live. The Pharisees were rebuked hard by Christ for having all the outside things right, but being dirty on the inside. I can show up to church in my best 3 piece suit, shake all the right hands, put a smile on my face, but on the inside if my life is not right before God, then it is all a waste.

 

OK, who has all the time to come up with that kind of survey? I didn't answer any of it, way too long. Guess I am too casual

 

I think it is important to dress your best for God. Christ and Christians should beable to show the world that we do not change. 40 years ago people dressed for occasions such as weddings, funerals, church, etc. I have recently attended weddings and funerals where casual was the attire of the day.

It is a fact of life that one of the indicators of a nation becoming apathetic and are on the downward slide is the way in which they perceive themselves.

Down through the centuries Christians always wore their Sunday best. It is a way to show the world that not everything has to slip. We are different and have something the world needs.

Lets' stop dressing down to the worlds standards. Lets give them something to aspire to. We should dress our best for God. You can only make a first impression once.

 

Alcott,
There is nothing wrong with wearing your best for God dispite your thoughts on class warfare. You are talking about the farm class that supposedly couldn't wait till Sunday to wear their good stuff. I submit to you that people dressed for church and didn't do it to be like the rich. They did it out of respect for God and His house.

Dress down if you want to but don't justify yourself by trying to make the rest of us the bad guys'.

Alot of people have gone away from dressing for God and I think it is too bad. There was a time not too long ago that God was respected.

A preacher used to walk in on a card game or a group of men drinking and they would at least hide their cigarettes and beer out of respect for his office. Now days the man of God is ridaculed on all sorts of sitcoms and just made out to be the fool.

Today its up is down and down is up. Right is wrong and wrong is right.

 

Alcott,
I am not advocating people to wear their best in order to up their standing in the church or to impress any other christians. I am saying we should wear our best for God. He gave His best for us. It is the least we can do. If your best is jeans and a clean t-shirt, wear it. If it is a suit and tie, wear it.

Christianity has really taken a turn to the world. I don't know how long you have been a christian, but I remember a time when people wanted to dress for God. Today they come in with bellie shirts and short skirts. These things are distracting to a man and not God honoring. I have seen men come in with Budweizer t-shirts or AC/DC logos on their shirts. I don't and won't believe that these folks are wearing their best.

That being said, go ahead and justify dressing down for services. It can't legitimately be done. We wear our best for God not to impress each other, but to show the lost that we have something they need.

When they come in we accept them as they are. After a time the Holy Spirit gets ahold of them and they want to dress better.

God doesn't change. Why do we keep slipping?

 

I've never seen these t-shirts being worn in church. I would think those who would, don't have a very serious relationship with God. Even if they have it, I don't think God is worried about what they wear.

 

I think theres a problem with those who think God is unapproachable unless you dress up for the occasion. Well, I never had to get dressed up in clothes I couldn't afford to approach my earthly father. And if you say we have to dress up to approach God where does that leave people who can not dress up, they apparently can't go to God becasue they can't dress up to suit other christians.
It isn't God who says we must dress up for Him, it is people, man, who says we must be able to dress up if we want to go into God's presence.
No scripture to support this.