HAS CHURCH BECOME A SOCIAL CLUB

Jim Baggett
101 N. Green St.
Doniphan MO.63935
1-573-996-5161

HAS THE CHURCH BECOME A SOCIAL CLUB
By
Pastor Jim Baggett

Has church become a social club?

Has church become the place for the next fashion show? Do we attend church to
compare? If the reason we attend church is to see who has the latest fashion in dress or

who is the Best dressed, we are attending church for all the wrong reasons!

As the pastor of a small rural community church in southern MO. I have been asked this

Question many times over. How should people dress for church?

I must first say this, come as you are even in your work cloths.

But let’s first look at the more important things.

If someone is searching for the lord, and that someone is heavy in heart,

This means the LORD Has placed in their heart the draw that draws all men to GOD!

This is a work of GOD! No man can do this. It takes GOD to do the work in man.

1rst TIMOTHY 2:4 says “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the

knowledge of the truth” as I thank the LORD today for the day he called out to me.

I remember that day well, and I was not wearing a suit and tie! Yet I heeded his call!

We must know and understand that GOD will accept us where we stand where we are

and As we are! Moses was not wearing a suit and tie when the LORD spoke to him in the

Burning bush, although the LORD did tell Moses to take off his shoes for he was

standing on Holy ground! If Christians today would treat the church as Holy ground.

the spirit of the LORD would no doubt dwell there also!

JOHN 6:44 “No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him:”

“And I will raise him up at the last day”. So we see here the very words of JESUS teaches

Us man can not put the draw into another mans heart it takes the work of GOD himself

To draw all men unto him! Then if we will treat the church as A place where

The work of GOD is made complete; we will also treat it as a place that is HOLY;

For GOD looks not at the out side of a man he looks at the inside of man!

The soul of man stands out from the material things that man puts on to cover The body!

The worship of the LORD is far more important then the cloths we wear to worship!

So if we are going to church to worship the LORD we are now there for the right reasons.

JOHN 6:45 “it is written in the prophets and they shall be all taught of GOD”!

Let GOD have his will! The first thing the LORD cleans up is the soul of a man.

Through his love for man God’s works are made manifest through the heart of man!

What would happen today if JOHN the Baptist was to come walking in the front door?

MATTHEW 3:4 “and the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leathern girdle

About his loins: and his meat was locusts and wild honey.”

You see it is not what we wear it’s about the work we are to do for the LORD!

Would the church reject John the Baptist? For John would not be wearing a suit and tie!

The words of JESUS in MATTHEW 11:11 “Verily I say unto you, among them that are

Born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding

He that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater then he.”

This brings us back to what we are to do: we are to proclaim the word of GOD, not to

Condemn are to judge our fellow man! Because one has a little more than the other.

Are we to look down on them? We are to rejoice for them and with them in the LORD!

If then cleanliness is next to Godliness, of course all should keep themselves clean!

When we go out to eat we wear our best, if then when we go out in public we dress

In our finest. We then should also dress in our best when go to worship! There is not one

Place in this world to go more important than to Church! Your best may or may not be

a suit and tie, as long as what you wear is clean! Now that we Have Found the LORD

let’s serve and worship the LORD with all our heart souls and mind!

We must have our minds on the LORD, his WORD and not on the fashion show

A few rows over in the pews! Yes I wear a suit and tie on most occasions of worship.

One of the most important sermons I recall was from a preacher who was wearing a pair

Of Bib overhauls. You see it’s not what is so much on the man it’s what is in the man!

I do believe that when GOD has cleansed the heart and soul, that person through his love

for JESUS CHRIST will want to clean up the out side also.

In everyone that gives their life to GOD there is a change that takes place inside them.

They will in turn be a light to the world and the people around them. For the love that

GOD has placed into them will shine out to the world! Let’s have love for one another

As we worship together let our churches be treated as Holy ground where we worship

The LORD in truth and spirit!
May GOD bless you!

WRITTEN BY PASTOR JIM BAGGETT
1/15/07

Story ID:	1810
Written by:	JIM BAGGETT (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	OurEcho Community
Writers Conference:	$100 Best Inspirational Post Contest
Location:	ALL ALL USA
Year:	2007
Person:	EVERYONE