How Will The World Know?
Whether it is a good thing or a bad, lifestyles today have gotten somewhat blended. You used to know the class or station of a person by the way they dressed. In today’s styles unless you can tell the difference between a $1,000 pair of jeans or a $25.00 pair, you wouldn’t know the economic status of a person. In some ways, taking away class distinctions is a good thing, but there are ares of concern. For example, would someone know your witness to Christ by the way that you dressed? While men’s clothes don’t vary that much unless they are trying to make a real point – women’s clothes vary greatly. Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Paul addressed the topic in 2 Timothy:
Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. And I want women to get in there with the men in humility before God, not primping before a mirror or chasing the latest fashions but doing something beautiful for God and becoming beautiful doing it. w Timothy 2:9 (MSG)
The Apostle Paul was given a ministry to convert and teach Gentile believers. Because the lifestyle of the Gentile believers was so different from the rules and mores of Jewish believers there was no subject off base. He had to deal with it all. In 2 Timothy we see that Paul is addressing Timothy on matters of prayer. Apparently he felt that it was necessary to include the above two issues; first that men have an appropriate attitude in prayer, and second that women share in the prayer time, with both an attitude of humility but also modesty.
Over the years of the church of Jesus. Christ this passage of scripture has caused much controversy. What actually constitutes modest apparel? Should this be of concern?
Of course this is a personal issue with a corporate concern. How we see God is reflective in all that we do. How we see God also reflects how we see ourselves. Paul knew this. I wonder how Paul would fare in today’s church world? Would he be considered a busy body? Would he be seen as someone dealing with things that were none of his business? No doubt there were some in the early church who felt the same way. Yet, Paul taught anyway. While today’s church is so happy to get folks inside the church that we tend to overlook "everything" – there must come a point when we recognize the truth of another of Paul’s writings which says:
26-31 For look at your own calling as Christians, my brothers. You don’t see among you many of the wise (according to this world’s judgment) nor many of the ruling class, nor many from the noblest families. But God has chosen what the world calls foolish to shame the wise; he has chosen what the world calls weak to shame the strong. He has chosen things of little strength and small repute, yes and even things which have no real existence to explode the pretensions of the things that are—that no man may boast in the presence of God. Yet from this same God you have received your standing in Jesus Christ, and he has become for us the true wisdom, a matter, in practice, of being made righteous and holy, in fact, of being redeemed. And this makes us see the truth of scripture: ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (PHILLIPS)
Maria