I wanted to call this External but decided to stay with my “Stone” heading as I make my way through this book with random posts.
Randy begins this Stone with two stories-one personal and one which made me want to upchuck. His personal example was from when they moved to Oslo to serve as missionary church planters. They were young and legalistic and made their narrow views known when introduced to men with long hair and women wearing slacks.
His “upchuck” story came from a church event where a young couple walked into the church- she wearing sandals, snug fitting jeans and a pullover blouse which revealed a bit of a midriff; he with shoulder-length hair, wearing black leather pants, and sporting tattoos all over his upper arm. The pastor’s topic was “Carnality” and to emphasize his point he used them as a reference to his topic. They never attended again. (Neither would I).
“Judgments-based on externals-like the two samples above are often skewed and misappropriated, not to mention destructive.” (p.111)
It is within us to render judgments based on externals. We have ALL done it. Colored hair. Freaky makeup. Short skirts. Long flowing hair (on men). Tats up the arms (either sex). The list goes on and on.
The point: just because we all do it DOES NOT MAKE IT RIGHT! I, least of all, have nothing to brag about. True: I don’t have long hair (no comment)…but I wish. I don’t have any tats (I honor my wife with that). I wear jeans and t-shirt/buttoned shirt to preach in. Gasp! You mean no tie? E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!! I wear one to marry and bury.
I’m going to be totally honest with you. I have better things to do than care about externals. I’m glad they are sitting in one of our chairs! I’m going to agree with Randy with his final words: “Again, maybe we should look harder and closer at people’s lives before we categorize, name call, and pronounce judgment simply because of what is seen on the outside.” (p.114)
‘Nuff said.
One of the guys at work that I most admire for his honor and loyalty is a former meth addict. To dig oneself out of such a hole takes support and understanding from those around us. I can only imagine if folks dog-piled on him when he was at his lowest. May I never be a dog-piler! By the way, my pastor has a tattoo. I wonder if he knows that this mark of the beast disqualifies him from the clergy. … I will have to tell him.
I applaud your colleague. As for Rob’s tattoo…yeah the mark of the beast. LOL
I love that my church doesn’t care about those things. You can wear a suit or shorts, doesn’t matter. All we care about is reaching people.
The way it should be.
I couldn’t agree more.
Say what? Thanks jeff. 🙂
You’re right on, Bill. We’ve got bigger fish to fry. God looks at the heart. And we’d be well to focus there, too.
Starting with our own …
I like your comment Linda about starting with ourselves.
I’m with you Pastor Bill. We forget why we’re here sometimes. Modesty for women would come out of discipleship. If we force conformity to darken our doors, we are keeping the ones we’re here for out, or making them act good to enter.
that creates another problem – if they’ve already conformed, what’s to make them feel they need change. they changed to come in, didn’t they?
Thanks much for the reminder
Ben
I like your statement: “if we force conformity to darken our doors…” That, my friend, is as they say, “spot on.”
Amen, Bill! When we judge by externals, we are missing Jesus’ message by a country mile. In the song “If We Are the Body,” the bridge goes – “Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick and choose who should come, for we are the Body of Christ.”
Blessings!
Missing the message big time Martha. Jesus never focused on externals. He went for the heart/motives.
Hi Bill! I have to give this guy ‘props’ for being honest. I would cringe at having to bare my faults in judging others in such a public way.
You’re so right, we’ve all done it, but that still doesn’t make it right. I may not agree with your clothes or the way you dye your hair, but that shouldn’t stop me from loving you as my sister or brother in Christ.
It’s a hard lesson to learn, but we can get there, just as this author did and will continue to do too.
Blessings,
Ceil
Randy is that way. Whenever I would spend time with him he was open and honest. he spoke with openness and honesty as well. And you are right. Even though we have all done it, it certainly doesn’t make it right. I pray I am always learning.
Hankie waving…
I see it! LOL
We do such a lousy job of loving like Jesus. Looking at the heart. I do think we do less external judging when we realize how much grace we’ve received. God has covered so much of my junk with His love I don’t have any room to judge externals. I only wish I’d gotten it at a much younger age. Thankful grace covers that too! Blessings!
Remembering how much grace we have received is a big key Deb. That is so easy to forget by getting myopic vision. And I know I have no reason to judge whatsoever. Old age has its quirks.
I”m with you, Bill. It’s so easy to judge others that don’t look like we do or have the same weaknesses.
I remember Christ, our Namesake, and how He treated folks the rest of society black balled. “A friend to sinners”. Glad to call Him my friend, I fit into that category of sinners just like every other soul in this world.
I think we fail to see our own weaknesses or we compare our strength with another’s weakness. And I do recall Jesus was a “friend of sinners.”