Come As You Are?
Listen to Today’s Passage – Exodus 19 – 21
Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 19
Second Milers also read – Luke 7 – 8; Proverbs 26; Psalms 126 – 130
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Matthew 6:33
Read the “0126 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Spurgeon.
Read a previous post from this passage – “A Peculiar Treasure.”
“And Moses went down from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their clothes. And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.” – (Exodus 19:14-17)
Notice in chapter 19 the reverence the people had when they were entering into the presence of God. They washed their clothes, they abstained from physical intimacy, and they trembled. I bet there was not one person from the congregation that was not present. I bet the children were silent, being kept under very close watch by their parents. The people understood that they were meeting with the omnipotent Creator of the universe. He is holy and He was not to be approached by the people of Israel in a flippant and carefree manner. They came with a reverent attitude of worship.
Fast forward now to today. Many of God’s people show up late, if they show up at all. They arrive wearing shorts and ripped tee shirts. The children are running all over the sanctuary while their parents are obliviously engaging in their own conversations about anything and everything except the worship of God. We have certainly come a long way down as far as our reverence to God is concerned. We sing half-heartedly, talk during prayer and special music; and then sleep when the Word of God is being preached: all the while wondering how long is this going to take. We’ve got more important things, like football, to worry about today. Do I exaggerate or is this an accurate description of the attitudes of many in our churches today? God help us!
Now, I wish to be very clear about this: I do not consider myself to be pharisaical or legalistic at all. I understand completely that salvation comes solely through a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, beginning with faith in His shed blood at the cross of Calvary. I know that God is not impressed when we show up at the church with our white shirts and ties, or our long, modest dresses. I get that. I know that God dwelleth not in temples made with men’s hands, and that the believer’s heart is the temple of God. And, I realize that God looks upon the heart; and if a man shows up at church in shorts and a ripped tee shirt because that is all he has or perhaps because he doesn’t know better, I think God is pleased. I know that I am. Believe me, I am thrilled that people just show up, and I am not the least bit concerned about the way they are dressed. I am, however, very concerned about the heart attitude of God’s people today when they come to worship the infinite, omniscient, omnipresent, and all-powerful God. It’s not a ball game. We are not gathering together simply to meet with friends, or to hear a man speak. We are corporately entering into the presence of God. We have become way too casual and careless. People give more thought when they are meeting with earthly dignitaries. God help us to remember that worship is a holy undertaking. Let’s give God our very best attention. I want people to come as they are, but I want them also to realize Who it is they are coming to worship, and I also want to see them leave a little more conformed to His image. I think this “seeker sensitive” thing has gotten way out of hand. Should we not be a little more “Saviour sensitive”?
Updated Thoughts Regarding This Topic
The above devotional post was written many years ago and I am still wrestling with this topic. Our church has definitely become a little less rigid in our expectations for people attending the worship services since the time that I originally wrote it. There is a part of me that is very nervous about that. I truly want to please the Lord and lead His people appropriately. I am sincerely trying to wrap my head around what is and is not appropriate for our corporate gatherings for worship. I would appreciate your thoughts as well as we tackle the following questions:
- Is there a difference between Sunday morning worship and gathering with all or some of the congregation in the middle of the week for a Bible study?
Worship is worship. God can and should be worshiped anywhere and at anytime. However, the Sunday services at our church include more congregational singing and special music. Wednesday evenings (which is when we have our mid-week prayer meeting and Bible study), has an extended prayer time, but is less formal. Many people are coming straight from work. I have no Bible to support this, but in my view (or you could say it is my preference), there is more formality and more of a spirit of worship at the Sunday morning service.
- Is there a difference between the auditorium (or sanctuary) of a church building and the Sunday school or fellowship areas?
Should we have a higher expectation for quiet and reverence in “the sanctuary” than we do the rest of the building? For many years, our church had one main room (an auditorium), with only one other smaller classroom that was mostly used for a nursery. The auditorium was multi-purpose: it was the sanctuary, but it was also the fellowship hall and the Christian school building. It was hard to think of it exclusively as a place of worship. Now that we have added more fellowship and academy space, we can primarily devote the auditorium mostly for worship services and Bible studies.
- Was there a difference between the way the Jews approached God at the Temple for their special days (Passover, etc.) and the way they gathered weekly at the synagogue. Was their corporate worship at the synagogue less formal than the larger gatherings at the Temple?
There were no synagogues mentioned in the Old Testament. It appears that they came about sometime after the Babylonian captivity. Temple worship on special days was centralized, sacrificial, and priest-mediated, while weekly synagogue gatherings were local, prayer-based, and community-driven (including lay leadership and participation)—reflecting distinct but complementary roles in ancient Jewish religious life. It would make sense that the weekly gatherings were less formal than the larger, special worship events in Jerusalem.
- Do other cultures have more reverence in their corporate worship of God than we Americans?
Our church, like many others, is multi-cultural. I have noticed that some Christians who are originally from other areas of the world are much more reverent than the Americans. When they enter the auditorium they sit quietly and prayerfully until the service starts.
- Do other “Christian” traditions have more reverence in their worship than our church does?
I am on shaky ground here and I do not wish to be offensive or critical, but a few years back my wife and I visited New York and entered Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. I had never been there and was curious as to what it was like inside. It was massive and very ornate. I am not sure how many people it seated, but it seemed that there were hundreds of people there scattered around the sanctuary and this was in the middle of the week and in the middle of the day. We were not there for a worship service. What struck me was the fact that even though there many people there, the place was relatively silent. Most folks were just sitting quietly, praying. Even though I have many areas of disagreement with the Catholic Church, I must confess that I was almost envious of the spirit of worship that was in that place.
- How does modesty relate to this topic?
The original post really had nothing to do with the topic of modesty; its focus was more on formality, reverence, and appropriateness for corporate worship. However, the modesty issue is also much debated in our circles and is somewhat related. Most within our independent Baptist circles believe that women’s attire should be modest (1 Timothy 2:9 – 10; 1 Pet 3:3 – 4) and feminine (Deut 22:5). Some have interpreted those principles to mean that women should only where dresses or skirts. Some believe that women should never wear pants; others see pants as inappropriate for church services, but acceptable for everyday wear as long as they are feminine and modest. What are your thoughts on this, particularly as it pertains to a worship service?
- Should there be a specific dress code for people who serve in the ministry, especially for those who serve in a public capacity? And, what should that dress code be? Formal attire (suits and ties for men, dresses for women)? Business casual?
These are just some questions that came to ming as I was reflecting on this topic. I would really like to hear your thoughts on the subject. This is somewhat of a subjective area, and to some degree, it is generational. What do you think? Leave a comment.
Posted in Devotions, Thoughts from Exodus and tagged Behavior in Church, Casual Worship, Church Attire, Church Culture, Come As You Are, Corporate Worship, Dress Codes, Exodus 19, Heart Attitude, Reverence, Sanctuary, Worship by Phil Erickson with 14 comments.
I feel the sanctuary is for prayer and worship. Once the service starts we are there to worship the Lord not to fellowship.
Good point – there will be plenty of time for fellowship after the service is over.
I think that we are seeing a lack of respect for so many things in society today. It is very sad and scary. I think that Sunday Mornings are more reverent. More worshipful. It is more traditional but I believe it is a little more than that. Also a heart thing. But also a learned thing. So as new people are saved that were never in the church environment start coming they don’t come in with all the preconceived ideas of “what church should be like”. They come in just wanting to purely soak in and learn everything. I think just naturally a little at a time things have changed and become more relaxed and “different”. Different is not always bad. I think your relationship with God is the main thing. We are the church. And if our heart is right we will be more reverent to God.
Amen!
I love your insights Ronnie. I came from a very relaxed climate so for me coming to Jersey Shore elevated my standard and I was glad for it. I also love understanding that there was a responsibility that I have when a part of the choir for instance. I was never put off by the dress code or anything else. I totally agree about it being a matter of the heart. We need to embrace those coming from different backgrounds and those new to the faith. We don’t want to make it a legalistic thing but rather the desire to offer God our best – whatever our best is.
Wow, Pastor, you bring up a lot of good points. It makes me realize how much of a responsibility you have in pastoring our church. There was a church I attended in New York City for a couple years and they were very reverent in their services. All the services that were in the sanctuary were very reverent. They had usher’s at the door that would ask if you intended to stay for the entire service and they would seat you accordingly so that you were not disruptive if you had to get up to leave. They also told you at the door to go in quietly because people were there worshiping. If you wanted to socialize, you were to do it out in the lobby area. The pastors were there an hour early and they were praying on the stage silently, and the people knew that it was a holy place. People came an hour early intentionally to worship God before the service. It was something I always respected and look forward to. I’ve not seen that anywhere else. The thing I also noticed was that because of the spirit of seeking the Lord, when the music began all the people were engaged. No one needed to be coerced to sing or to smile because they had already been worshiping the Lord and we’re ready for the music to begin. During the alter call, many people went forward just to respond to what the Lord spoke to them during the message, whether it be for salvation, or for him to work in a certain area of their life. That’s just one experience that I’ve had that I was very appreciative of. I love our church and I love our worship and I love our people. But since you asked, I do think that we could always strive for more. I don’t have a strong opinion about our dress code. I think we do pretty well with that. Obviously, we have relaxed a bit in some areas. As a woman, I appreciate that I can come in pants when it’s cold outside and do not fear being judged. I like maintaining a high standard on Sunday mornings. These high standards encouraged my family when we first came to Jersey shore. I am not put off if a man does not wear a tie or a dress shirt either. Those are just some thoughts that I have. I appreciate you so very much
Good stuff, Sherry. I am curious though – what was your experience with Amish community in PA. What was their worship like.
Great question Pastor. The born again Amish families we worshipped with wore their Sunday best but obviously were not fancy. Others, not a part of Amish culture just came the way they were accustomed to going to church. I intentionally were long skirts because I wanted to fit in. There was no emphasis on dress at all. The children were mostly barefoot all the time. The children sat with their families for all the services and were attentive. We met in different houses every other week (the Amish gather together biweekly- the other week the father of each family was expected to lead his family in worship). During the service several men shared what the Lord had been doing in their lives and what he was impressing upon them. Then, whosever house we were meeting at, that man shared a message. It was always interesting to me that what the various men shared was always in agreement with the message God had laid on the speakers heart for that day. There was a definite reverence for our meeting and for the word of God. After every service we shared a meal and fellowshipped for a few hours. It was really special and I was glad to get to know so many of them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2r7lenwPw8
Brother Jim, I just watched that video. Loved it!
Preacher you have touched upon the questions that are causing much debate in our Independent Baptist churches today. When a person comes to Christ his life is changed in a miraculous way. Spiritually he or she is a new creature but as far as the trappings of fashion culture are concerned there lies the vast ocean of Baptist opinion. We know God looks on the heart not the exterior, what would the Lord have us to do? This is an area that I believe has no absolutes, many values and traditions have become ever changing. Lord please lead and guide each of us to live in a way that honors and pleases you the best we kow how. No easy answers on this one as far as my limited eyes can see.
Good stuff, Brother Ed!
I agree people as a whole do not have the same respect for services as they did. I think because some churches have tried to be more relaxed about their church and just not listening like they used to and could be there is so much going on in their lives that church has become secondary. Maybe I am wrong in my assessment but I see examples all the time.
Brother Roy, thanks for your input. I think those of us who are from an older generation tend to be a bit more sensitive about it. We remember a day when going to church was a big deal. Perhaps, in our effort to avoid any form of legalism while emphasizing grace we have let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction.