The tension between being pharisaical or respectful

Scripture Read: 1 Timothy 3:14-16 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth. 16 By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

Application: Conduct: to act in a particular way that expresses general character, state of mind, or response to a situation or other people. In our desire to emphasize that God accepts us the way we are, which is true, we have forgotten that we still represent Him at all times, including at our local assembly. Notice, I said, “including”, not “especially”. I have no patience for those that only put on their Christianity when they attend their local Body. Jesus made it clear that to look clean on the outside is worthless unless the inside matches. However, in our age of “flaunting” our individuality and liberties we have seemingly lost the understanding that the way we conduct ourselves, including at our local Body, shows a lot concerning our thoughts toward You, Father. I spoke to some Hindu Priests and they were appalled with the way we treat our “holy book”. They are very respectful and treat with reverence their “holy” writings. 

I don’t believe our Bible glows and is some mystical object that needs to be worshiped, that is idolatry, but we can be quite careless at times with our behavior when it is not helpful or necessary. I believe it is great to write notes in your Bible, and if someone finds that irreverent, I would tell them not to write in their Bible. However, when someone gets in your car and there on the floor with the rest of the trash is your Bible, what do you think his or her conclusion will be about your attitude toward what you call the Word of God. I don’t want a dress code at the local Body, or to treat the building as though it is the temple of God. It is not, we are! Yet, should we approach our time in corporate worship in the presence of our Father, in a sloppy and careless way? Should we look like we just got out of bed, dress like we are about to do some dirty job, treat where we meet like it is a cafeteria? If you knew me you would know I am not hung up on any of this stuff, I preached in Hawaii for years, which is very laid back. I don’t care about this outward stuff, but the world does and I wonder what message we send by our behavior. Our outward behavior does show what is in our heart, how we truly feel about our Lord, fellow believers, etc. Did not God come to where we are to reach us? Should we not do the same to reach the unbelieving of this world. No matter how relaxed your culture is, when you identify with it you can still communicate a special respect and honor in how you approach our Lord, so they can see that He is God, not just a “superstar” that you idolize but don’t take so seriously. Even secular news people treat issues of other religions with respect partly because of the way those they interview express their respect for that religion. I know the world will criticize Christianity with no help from us, but when you see what they see, when they interview us, we add to a lot of the problem. Let us seek to honor God the way He deserves. If the world still attacks, at least it will not be based on how we have behaved!

Meditation Questions: How do you show respect for something important to you? Why? When we are concerned about how we look at church, what is the danger? When we don’t care what we look like at church, what is the danger? We agree that what matters most is what God thinks, but does that mean we should not be concerned at all about what the world thinks? Why? Why not?