ChristiansUnite Forums

Lately I've been dealing with a lot of conviction in my heart.  It has become clear to me that as Christians we seem to get in a "comfort zone" and just sit there.  Yes, we may be reading our Bibles, spending time with the Lord, and going to church, but all of those things are within our "comfort zones."  How often do we step out of our comfort zone to act on what we learn from God's word and the convictions that God places on our hearts?  I think a lot of times we just sit there and become complacent.  I feel that we as Christians live hypocritical lives b/c we talk about this and that, yet we don't actually act on those things.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing anyone of being a hypocrit.  That's up for you to decide about yourself.  What do you guys (meaning guys and ladies  ;) ) think?

Welcome to the forums, liftedup.

I'm in absolute agreement with you! Jesus invited us to an "abundant" life, not meaning one of self-fulfillment or ease with lots of "toys", but one that is step-in-step with Him and His will to transform the society we live in.

Christianity is designed (if you want to use that term) to be active in the arenas that He chooses.....comforting those without comfort, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and setting captives free.

None of that can be done from the safety and comfort of a pew, or an easy chair.

I'd be willing to bet that Jesus had calluses on His hands...but none on His heart!

Hope you enjoy your stay here!

liftedup, I am sure, let me say 99% sure that your the one in this comfort zone. Your the one with the conviction. What are you going to do about it?


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We spend so much time worrying about what to wear that we forget that are so many with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

We spend so much time worrying about whether others are dressed appropriately for the sermon that we can't hear Christ speak to us through it.

We spend so much time worrying about where we'll eat after church that we forget that those working there at the restaurant didn't even attend and we never find out why.

We spend so much time worrying about what we'll fix after the sermon, and how many will be there, that we forget that there are those who have nothing to eat.

We have Bibles sitting at home collecting dust and forget that there are those who risk their lives for one page from His precious Word.

We spend so much time whining about our circumstances - our aches and pains, our lack of funds, our doing without, that we forget that there are those who have been tortured and had family members killed and raped and maimed and yet, they have the joy that comes from Christ.

So I'd have to say that I agree with you!  ;)

We spend so much time worrying about whether others are dressed appropriately for the sermon that we can't hear Christ speak to us through it.



Guys spend almost as much time looking in the mirror as the gals do.

   :-X


    ::)


     8)

Amen! You are totally right. Jesus said that we don't have to worry about wearing clothes because he said the birds dont have clothes either and they dont need them! Im not saying that we should all run around naked like Adam and Eve because that is not what Christians do but Im satying that cool clothes are not what Jesus wants us to wear. Just think about that! Amen! I am a real christian so takeit from me. I promise all of you that you should just forget about the clothes and not ever worry about what you are going to wear again. I promise you that it doesn't matter at all Jesus loves you all the way you are. So just be happy and be a real Christian and don't worry about stupid stuff like hyporcits and what clothes you are going to wear because it doesnt matter. God loves you! God loves you! God loves you! God loves you!   :) :) :) :) :) :) Peace out ninjas!

Collin

I appreciate your zest for the Lord, RealDis.


What about if your job has a dress code?

Or showing up for a court date?


Do you wear blue jeans to court?

   ???


     :-X

hmmm...yep hyprocrits every single one of us!

If the following three questions do not include the Lord then you need to question just where your Christian life is at !

What is your main interest at present ?  

What is your main goal in life ?  

What are you looking forward to ?



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how did we get into the topic of dress?  that has nothing to do with the original post...the original post was directed towards the heart...

LOL!   how did we get into the topic......HOW indeed...the one thing that remains a mystery in CU ;D

liftedup:

how did we get into the topic of dress?  that has nothing to do with the original post...the original post was directed towards the heart...  


But how we dress IS the reflection of the heart...


    ???

Bwuther Wuv:

What is your main interest at present ?

What is your main goal in life ?

What are you looking forward to ?


Hmmm.  

1)  Hm... getting even?  (just kidding   ;D)

2)  Well, I know what it USE to be.    :-\   :-[

3)  Service to the Lord Jesus? - i hope, i pray ...  

...and then there was symphony...who never takes a thread off topic    ::)

But how we dress IS the reflection of the heart...

now back to the bible ... ;)

Our lives are a reflection of our hearts...NOT our clothes

What do you think is the biggest thing that non-Christians see as us Christians being hypocritical?  I've already got a pretty good idea of what the answer is, but let me know what you guys think.

Symphony should be thrown ontop the CU jail for that one! ::)

1 Samuel 16:7   But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.


Luke 12:23 There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.

Luke 12 -- all.

1 Peter 5:5 ...All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
   "God opposes the proud
       but gives grace to the humble."

Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Romans 13:14
Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ...

Yes, the Lord doesn't look on appearances at all.  Some good verses there, sincerheart. Thankee.

But still, do you where blue jeans into court?

 ::)


What is your idea, Liftedup?  I think the biggest hypocritical statement we make as christians is straddling our faith on multiple horses.

That is, a biggee, we claim to have faith in Jesus, yet we all hold all kinds of insurance - health insurance, life insurance, etc.

What is this insurance jazz?  Hmmmm?

Many Christians sue others or each other.  They go to court against others.

Shall I go on??

Where?  ;D

Personally, I do my best to stay out of court!  ;)

Clothing...hmmm.
I would challenge any one of you to don your best go-to-Sunday-meeting clothes, and boogie down town or wherever it may be and find a bridge (overpass)....or a tent city...or even the local street mission.

You'll quickly find out how important your clothing is....or isn't.

Food.....hmmm.
Funniest thing I ever saw was a 5'8" 325 lb. "minister of the full gospel" with a 10" pompadour preaching a prosperity and temperance message at the Sunshine Mission in Flagstaff, AZ.  ROFL!!

Cars.....hmmm.
Funny, I don't remember ever seeing TD's Rolls, Hinn's Escalade or Paul's Jaguar parked in front of the mission, either.

you wanna know what i think?  i think we are all hypocrites...not to say that we are living hypocritically at all times, but there are always those times when we are the biggest hypocrites in the world...think about how many times we fail to show love to someone...as Christians we proclaim to know the love of God...well, if we know this great gift, why dont we share it?  i think about someone who knows the cure for cancer yet doesn't share it with anyone...how crappy would that be?  very...i constantly find myself failing to share Christ with others, or not loving someone as Christ loves them, or telling things one way when really i'm not living that way...i think if we're all honest with ourselves we will find that we are so hypocritical and that is why non-Christians are so turned off by Christianity...i look at our nation and am disgusted with the way we represent Christianity...i was talking to one of my friends the other day about that...her father is egyptian which is predominantly a muslim culture...her father says that the muslims in egypt view the United States as a "Christian" nation...at first i thought that was cool...but then she went on to tell me that when they look at our nation, they see Christianity being represented by things such as MTV...what a disgrace to know that the US, a nation viewed as a "Christian" nation by muslims, is represented by MTV...and its not just MTV...that was just one example she gave me...how sad is it to know that we are letting our culture represent our religion...we've got it all backwards and we need to do something about it...we need to have our religion influence our culture, not let our culture represent our religion!  and that will never happen unless we as Christians have a change of heart and surrender EVERYTHING to God...if we are not fully surrendering, we are being hypocritical Christians...and thats how i see it all...i hope i didn't offend anyone by my post...i hope if anything, God used me to bring conviction so that we can have a change of heart, b/c thats where it all begins...its a matter of the heart...

in His hands!

Amen!  :D


Amen!  :D

And Amen!  :D

It would`nt cross my mind not to wear blue jeans to court or anywheres else...after all I wear them to church *gasp*  ;)


Our earthly rags have nothing to do with God clothing us in righteousness ;D

Bringing Down the Curtain on the Fashion Show in the Church

John Chrysostom, the fourth-century church father, wrote this in his homily on 1 Timothy 2:8-10 concerning the importance of women dressing modestly for the worship service:
"What is this 'modest apparel'? Such attire as covers them completely, and decently, and not with superfluous ornaments for the one is becoming, the other is not. What? Dost thou approach God to pray with broidered hair and ornaments of gold? Art thou come to a dance? to a marriage? to a gay procession? There such . . . costly garments, had been seasonable; here not one of them is wanted. Thou art come to pray, to supplicate for pardon of thy sins, to plead for thine offenses, beseeching the Lord, and hoping to render Him propitious to thee. . . . Away with such hypocrisy!

The church is to be a place where worship happens, not where people put on a show. It bothers me when I see people who claim to be Christians display a consuming preoccupation with their appearance. Whenever self- centered women/men take advantage of the worship service to call attention to themselves, it will bring great tragedy to the church."

Our clothing becomes hypocritical if using it to make a point.

It's a fine line, but I think most of us have a conscience.   ::)

You dress 'decently', perhaps even formally, when the situation dictates it - like going to court, for instance.  Less than that and you'll be interpreted as trying to make a point!

I think Paul was quick to adopt the customs of the surrounding context.  

It's how you wear the clothes you wear, and your reason for doing so.

    :)

How does making a point make one a hyprocrit? ???


And some have weak consciences even.  :(


And how i`m interpreted makes my chosen attire right or wrong ???


You think this because?  :-\


 Says who? ::)

  :)

 

Symph:   Says Symphony.  

   8)

On whose authority do you speak sir?  ::)

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 8)

And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire:1Ki 19:11-12

  8)

Symphony,

The Angel of Light?

2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

 ;D

I go into court frequently in Jeans (no, not with charges on me). There is a housing project that I go witnessing in. A suit and tie there would not be proper. The few that have tried that get run out.

Some of the biggest shysters I have met always wear suits.

There is an old saying that applies. "Clothes do not make the man, the man makes the clothes."

  ;D

But the wisdom that is from above is ...without hypocrisy. Jam 3:17  

    ;)

....and?
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Pastor Roger:   I go into court frequently in Jeans (no, not with charges on me).

Ahem.   (shakes head)  

   *sigh*

At least this thread is appropriately titled.    ::)


    ???

I work with kids and get called into Juvenile Court sometimes at a very short notice, no time to change. ;) ;D

Okay, well, Pastor Roger, that's what some of the others here might question.

If you were the one being called into court, then I'm understanding you would both take the time and be appropriately dressed.

So isn't that sort of changing one's stripes?

Which is what some here are...ahem...questioning?

wait a minute here...you guys (ladies included) keep talkin about clothes...have you even read what i posted?  the topic was not started so we could discuss clothes...the question of our hypocriticalness (is that a word  :P) was directed towards the heart...not one's outer appearance...i'm questioning whether or not you find that we as christians are hypocritical in our living...personally, i think we are and i wanted to know how you guys felt about that...please stop posting about CLOTHES!  lol  ;)

ROFL  I`ll take that as a cue to keep smacking the pompous rabbit ...aka symphony    ;)

*patient sighs*

AND after that a still small voice...which you prolly could`nt hear with all that crunchin on a carrot  ::)

  :P