Dressed to Impress

In the Old Testament when the priest went behind the curtain to the Holy of Holies to make supplication for the sins of the people he wore bells and a rope tied around him. If he was struck dead by God the bells would ring and he could be pulled out by the rope. Read the descriptions of the robes and breastplates worn by the high priests in the Levitical lines, how detailed and awe-inspiring they were. The reason I bring this up is to show the honor and respect that was shown to God, and the fear of Him for that matter. Where have either of these things gone today?

Today we have "preachers" in the pulpit with holes in their jeans; their shirts untucked. Basically looking like they just got out of bed picked up whatever was laying on the floor threw it on and ran out the door. But quite the opposite is actually true as these 30 and 40 year old men are probably spending countless hours picking out just the right "cool" clothes and styling their hair just so everyone will think they are cool and relevant. The thing that is really at the heart of this is man wanting to be praised and found relevant.

It can be taken the other way as well; God never called His people to wear an Armani suit or some purple jacket that hangs down past their knees. The people that wear these outlandish and extremely extravagant suits in the pulpit are no different than the guys wearing the jeans and t-shirts. They both simply want you to look at them and praise them for how cool and relevant they are.

What's lost is that we are to be separate from the world. We aren't supposed to attract unbelievers because of what we are wearing. We are to simply be witnesses to a spiritually dead world. God is in control and he will do the drawing of the sinners to the truth. He does not need us to be dressed a certain way to draw people to Him. That is a prideful, arrogant and therefore sinful approach to evangelism. When we are in His house on Sunday mornings we are supposed to be there to worship Him and for nothing else. That being said we should be dressed nicely and respecfully because you are supposed to be there to worship the Almighty God.

They hated and spit on my Lord and Savior; and ultimately crucified Him. So why should I want them to all love me and shower me with praise. We should show love and compassion but we shouldn't strive to be loved by the world by dressing and acting like the world. If you get large crowds and high attendance by looking like everyone else, they aren't there because you are offering something different to them. They are there because you look like them and they feel comfortable singing some catchy tunes about Jesus with you. We are called to be separate from the world. In the world not of the world. Pride is a most heinous sin indeed.