proper dress in church

[Praiseius_Max]

i wasnt sure where to post this.. i often see ladies in my church wearing clothing that i feel is not appropriate to wear at church..like a low cut dress or shirt that reveals a bit too much up top.. how do you all feel about this issue.. and do you see it in your church?

 

[tam]

Praiseius_Max.....I think that God looks at the intent of the heart. What may feel comfortabel may feel ok to another. Who am I to judge? As long as the heart is in the right place.....that is what matters the most.

 

[Ophel]

i wasnt sure where to post this.. i often see ladies in my church wearing clothing that i feel is not appropriate to wear at church..like a low cut dress or shirt that reveals a bit too much up top.. how do you all feel about this issue.. and do you see it in your church?

Revealing clothing, or immodesty is not appropriate in the Christian man or woman anywhere.

 

[Veracity]

I heard of this church that would take in new converts to Christ and they would just be on fire for the Lord giving God praise over a broken washing machine!!

They wore street clothes...and after about three months, the Pastor preached em right out of those clothes (from the pulpit) and into Goodwill clothes because they had no money buy clothes.

James 2:13-14 NKJV came to mind.

For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

After this the fire they had was smothered out by condemnation over things that mean absolutely nothing in the Kingdom of God.

God is able to the convict the heart of His children, even babies. Maybe it is a test of your fruits to have to ponder on this fact. Just keep your eye on Jesus!! :wink:

 

[jiggyfly]

I hate dress codes, but then I don't participate in religious liturgy anyway. Jesus said "give no thought to what you wear".:wink:

 

[Veracity]

I hate dress codes, but then I don't participate in religious liturgy anyway. Jesus said "give no thought to what you wear".:wink:

]

I'm there with you. I wore a regular skirt to church once and such a big deal was made of my legs I wondered if I should just get some bib overalls or a moo moo. I guess they did not realize I was not just floating around.

I know there is a lot of teaching on modesty to protect our Godly men, but lets face it, men are men, they should somehow practice a little self control. No, Self Control period. Doesn't that sound like it begins to make the woman responsible for the mans walk with God? Just sayin...

 

[stephen]

i wasnt sure where to post this.. i often see ladies in my church wearing clothing that i feel is not appropriate to wear at church..like a low cut dress or shirt that reveals a bit too much up top.. how do you all feel about this issue.. and do you see it in your church?

I know how you feel dear friend........but let Jesus shine through

http://www.talkjesus.com/church-sermons/32414-praising-god.html

 

[A Blessed Man]

i wasnt sure where to post this.. i often see ladies in my church wearing clothing that i feel is not appropriate to wear at church..like a low cut dress or shirt that reveals a bit too much up top.. how do you all feel about this issue.. and do you see it in your church?

Romans 14:21
It is good neither to eat meat nor drink wine nor do anything by which your brother stumbles or is offended or is made weak.
​

If your dress causes another to stumble or be offended then you have to think twice about it. On the other hand, one must be cautious of being overly prudish.

Mark 9:47, 50
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

50"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other."
​

Obviously Jesus is not advocating you to pluck your eye out. But that you bridle yourself. It is not always the other's fault for dressing to what you consider to be too revealing. We are to be at peace with our brothers and sisters.

If this is really a problem with a person you know, talk with them privately. Perhaps they don't know they are past the line. If you have this problem with many people, then perhaps it is your standards that are too strict.

After all, the focus should be on Jesus and the edification that the church body has to give to all. To God be the glory.

In His Love
Bob

 

[ImmanuelWithUs]

Revealing clothing, or immodesty is not appropriate in the Christian man or woman anywhere.

Exactly. We're called to dress and present ourselves modestly everywhere we go, not just a church building. God is with us throughout the day, whether we're in church or not, so we shouldn't think it's ok to dress inappropriately anywhere.

That being said, some young/new/naive Christians don't know about modesty when they're first born-again, so I think it's always better to love the person and treat them as one of His own no matter what they're wearing.

 

[jiggyfly]

Exactly. We're called to dress and present ourselves modestly everywhere we go, not just a church building. God is with us throughout the day, whether we're in church or not, so we shouldn't think it's ok to dress inappropriately anywhere.

That being said, some young/new/naive Christians don't know about modesty when they're first born-again, so I think it's always better to love the person and treat them as one of His own no matter what they're wearing.

Would you consider many of the WOF preachers and many of the TV evangelists modest dressers?

 

[Boanerges]

If our dress causes another to stumble then we are culpable.
However, young converts or the lost should not be expected to know this and this should be taken into consideration.
A dear Pastor's wife once told the congregation I was attending to "look at yourself in the mirror from different angles and seated in different positions". I believe it is sage advice as we do not want to cause another weak in that area to have issues.

 

[Dreamer]

I went to a big fancy church for several years and there was a lot of "stylin' " going on, which included very short skirts and backless dresses, etc.

I now go to a smaller church, which, to me is more Jesus-glorifying, loving, and worshipful. The young people are involved a lot in bringing music each Sunday morning for our worship. I have never seen anyone there, whether youth or others, wearing what I saw as immodest. Sometimes visitors dress immodestly,but it does not offend me, because I feel that they probably do not know any better.

Our church is very "seeker-friendly" and we welcome everyone. Actually...the unspoken dress code is...casual. Our pastor never wears a suit and tie.

 

[A Blessed Man]

Would you consider many of the WOF preachers and many of the TV evangelists modest dressers?

Huh?! Why drag WoF into this? This subthread can easily move from a question of modesty to a question of prosperity.

I can't think of any TV preachers who dress sexually immodest. Now as far as glitz and style....

So let me ask. In your church there is a successful businessman. He wears a nice watch and perhaps a shiny diamond ring. Fruits of his labor. Is he out of line? Is this a modesty issue? What if he drives to church in a Mercedes instead of a Ford? Any issue? What about a Rolls instead of a Mercedes?

 

[jiggyfly]

Huh?! Why drag WoF into this? This subthread can easily move from a question of modesty to a question of prosperity.

I can't think of any TV preachers who dress sexually immodest. Now as far as glitz and style....

So let me ask. In your church there is a successful businessman. He wears a nice watch and perhaps a shiny diamond ring. Fruits of his labor. Is he out of line? Is this a modesty issue? What if he drives to church in a Mercedes instead of a Ford? Any issue? What about a Rolls instead of a Mercedes?

I don't participate in religious liturgy.

As far as modesty goes look it up in the dictionary and go from there.

 

[Ophel]

I don't participate in religious liturgy.

As far as modesty goes look it up in the dictionary and go from there.

You do not go to church?

 

[ImmanuelWithUs]

Would you consider many of the WOF preachers and many of the TV evangelists modest dressers?

I hate to admit this but I'm not really familiar with any of the Woman of Faith preachers, sorry. The only tv evangelists I see (with my limited cable) would be on TBN and I believe that quite a few of them leave a lot to be desired (without mentioning names).

 

[ImmanuelWithUs]

So let me ask. In your church there is a successful businessman. He wears a nice watch and perhaps a shiny diamond ring. Fruits of his labor. Is he out of line? Is this a modesty issue? What if he drives to church in a Mercedes instead of a Ford? Any issue? What about a Rolls instead of a Mercedes?

I'll take a businessman wearing a bling-ring or driving a Benz over a woman with cleavage hanging out all over the place any day. But that's just me.

 

[A Blessed Man]

I don't participate in religious liturgy.

As far as modesty goes look it up in the dictionary and go from there.

Ahh. I see where you're coming from. So on the surface, ok, I'll agree: there is a bit of conceit on TV.

Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
​

With money can come greed and conceit, this much is true. But it is not the money that corrupts, it is the love of the money. If one is incapable of handling the tempatation for greed then he should avoid the source.

Abraham had money -- handled it well; Job too. Solomon didn't fair so well in the end.

In His Love
Bob

 

[jiggyfly]

Ahh. I see where you're coming from. So on the surface, ok, I'll agree: there is a bit of conceit on TV.

Mark 10:25
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
​

With money can come greed and conceit, this much is true. But it is not the money that corrupts, it is the love of the money. If one is incapable of handling the tempatation for greed then he should avoid the source.

Abraham had money -- handled it well; Job too. Solomon didn't fair so well in the end.

In His Love
Bob

I agree the scriptures say it is the love of money that leads to many evils and it is true that even those with out money can still have a love for money. Jesus also referred to Money as a master and we find many warnings in the scriptures to those that are rich with money but I don't recall the poor being mentioned in any of those warnings so I can only conclude that the scriptures are directed towards those who have amassed material wealth.

Now back to the topic, I personally think when it comes to someone with a sexual lust problem revealing apparel may stimulate to a degree but people can still sexually lust after someone else even in modest apparel.

Looking at religious systems who have regulated apparel, IMO it is much like what Jesus described in Matthew 23:1-7.

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the Scriptures. So practice and obey whatever they say to you, but don't follow their example. For they don't practice what they teach. They crush you with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to help ease the burden.

"Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, [fn] and they wear extra long tassels on their robes. And how they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the most prominent seats in the synagogue! They enjoy the attention they get on the streets, and they enjoy being called `Rabbi.