For the past many months
I have had the great joy of pastoring Lake Country Bible Church. This local church is best known for two
Christian virtues. 1) A deep and abiding love for one another
(John 13:34-35) and 2) an intense
appetite for the pure milk of the Word (1 Peter 2:2-3). These ministry hallmarks make shepherding and
preaching to this congregation a real blessing.
One of the reasons I
moved to Lake Country, Wisconsin is because of how like-minded we are. LCBC and I share the same deep convictions
relating to a biblical philosophy of ministry among many other things. However, that does not mean that there are not
any differences. One such minor
difference revolves around dress. On any
given Sunday I may be one of two or three men in a suit and tie. For many weeks, I had members jokingly remind
me that, “You don’t need to wear that here.”
I generally just smile and say something like “I know.” So why do I choose to “dress up” so formally
and why am I totally fine if the congregation chooses not to?
Let me try and answer
both of these questions for you.
1) The Scripture places a premium on the heart. External religion without genuine passion
and love for God displeases the Lord (see Rev. 2; John 4:23-24). Matthew 23 and the Old Testament book of
Malachi also drive home this timeless truth.
One of the reasons why
I am fine with a more informally dressed flock is because the members at LCBC still
take worship very seriously. Biblical worship needs to convey both holy
fear and exuberant joy. One without the
other misses the mark. David put it this
way in Psalm 51:17, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and
contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
Tim Challies notes that “it is a matter of the heart before it is a
matter of dress, and the heart is both tricky and deceitful.”
2) The Bible commands believers to dress modestly. In some inspired instructions related to
worship the Spirit of God calls women (in particular) “to dress modestly, with
decency and propriety” (1 Tim. 2:8-15).
In short, worship is about glorifying God (Psalm 150) and edifying our
brothers and sisters in Christ (Col. 3:16).
In view of this one should strive to not draw undo attention to
themselves. This could take place in
terms of flaunting one’s wealth (look at me) or in showing off one’s body (look at me). Both of these
things are common place in the world today. I mean isn’t that what most red carpet
events are designed for? However, this sort of
practice is unacceptable within the body of Christ. The heart of worship is that it's ultimately about Him (not me). The Triune Lord of creation is the main attraction at LCBC. I thank God for this.
