Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jan 26th 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.