The more and more that I attend church, I observe disrespectful things occurring that grieve my heart. Are these worldly unbecoming issues going to stop me from attending church? Absolutely not, because they are not the reason that I attend church! I wrote about this in my column about five years ago, but I feel that it needs to be addressed again. Because I am a woman, I am going to focus on the women first. I have seen women come into the sanctuary with dresses and skirts that are so short and tight that it appears they can hardly breathe. If they were to bend over, nothing at all would be left to the imagination of the “gawking” males. Further, some come with little or no undergarments, and blouses and dresses cut so low that almost “everything” is readily revealed. Some of the makeup is thick enough to carve, and some of the hairstyles and hair colors are so exotic that they send some of the children into a humorous frenzy. There have been times that I have seen such provocative dressing in the church that when some of the women would walk in, the pastor would lose his train of thought and could not seem to regain it! Usually these women come very late, making a “grand” entrance. Some of the fingernail lengths are so long that they could easily scratch those around them without having to go to hardly any trouble to move their hands. Lord have mercy—don’t let some of them go to a funeral. I feel sorry for the male morticians! I know that God wants your heart, not your outer appearance, but His House must be respected! Just stick with me; there is a very important point to this message. Too many men enter the sanctuary with sagging pants or those that are big enough for two people. I have seen men sit in church wearing hats and caps turned backwards. For the younger men, some of them wear “crazy” socks that make the little boys point and laugh hilariously. Some wear jeans with holes cut in them big enough through which others could easily put their hands. Finally, some of the T-shirts are heavily plastered with worldly slogans. This type of dressing has no place in God’s House because it can become a distraction from the Word!
God’s House is a place of worship and praise, not a place for a fashion show, comedy hour, or promiscuity. Some will use the excuse, “The Bible says come as you are.” However, the exact phrase, “Come as you are,” is not used in the Bible. God does want the sinner to come as he is to Him, but that is a reference to the heart. So don’t get it confused. God did say, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 ESV). Isaiah 1:18 (ESV) affirms, ‘“Come now, let us reason together,’ says the LORD: ‘though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow…’” Then what does the Word say about how we should adorn ourselves in God’s House and in other public places? First Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV) declares, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Now you have it! God’s House must be respected. Do not enter His sanctuary just any kind of way! Dress up for the Lord; I do, but do it appropriately. Always abound in the faith, and never leave home without Him!
