GLORYING IN APPEARANCE
Is there any doubt in your mind that the outward appearance of
people influences how we vote in local and national elections, how we form
friendships and whether we trust certain persons in business? Did you know that
teachers react more favorably to pretty girls and to handsome boys than to
those are not pretty or handsome? I remember a story I heard years ago about a
man in the state of Texas. He was poorly dressed when he walked into the
showroom of a Cadillac dealer. No one made a special effort to learn why he
came into be business. Finally, one salesman asked him what he wanted. He said
he wanted a new Cadillac for each of his four children. There was an older man
who came into my sporting goods store in Dalton, Georgia. He was dressed in bib
overalls. Some of the young men in the store just knew he was too poor to buy
any of our merchandise. They teased him and asked if he had ever seen a
thousand dollar bill. I had to admit I had never seen one. He reached into the
front pocket in the bib of his overalls and pulled out a thousand dollar bill.
Outward appearance in the eyes of some people determines the worth
of individuals. If a man does not dress in the latest fashion, does not drive
the most expensive car and does not belong to the best clubs in town, he is
often conveniently ignored. But am I being fair in this assessment of some
people? The Bible gives us a wonderful example. King Saul, Israel's very first
king, was a disappointment both to God and to the Israelite people. Saul was a
very impressive man physically, but he was a little man in his attitude and
behavior. Even before Saul died, God appointed Samuel to anoint the next king
of Israel. God instructed Samuel: "Call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will
tell you what you shall do: and you shall anoint unto me him whom I name. And
Samuel did that which the Lord spoke, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of
the town trembled at his coming, and said, Do you come peaceably? And he
(Samuel) said, Peaceably: I have come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify
yourselves, and come with me to sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his
sons, and called them to sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come,
that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the Lord's anointed is before him.
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 sees not as man sees; for
man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart."
After seven of Jesse's sons had passed before Samuel and the Lord had rejected
all of them, Samuel asked: "Are all your sons here?" Jesse told
Samuel that his youngest son was keeping the sheep. Samuel told Jesse to send
for that son. "And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was reddish, and
withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the Lord said,
Arise, anoint him: for this is he. Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the midst of the brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon
David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah" (1 Sam.
16:3-13). Have Americans ever chosen a person for a political office because he
was handsome or because she was beautiful? Do we examine the person's
character, his associates, his record, and his beliefs?
Many men have chosen wives on the basis of their outward
appearance. A man may become enamored with a woman's beautiful face and figure
and decide she is the one for him. There is nothing wrong with searching for a
life's partner one considers to be beautiful. Did your mother ever tell you,
"Beauty is as beauty does?" Proverbs 31:10-31 describes the ideal
woman. The inspired author asks: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her
price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts in her, so
that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good, and not evil all the
days of her life." The chapter concludes with this observation:
"Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman who fears the Lord,
she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works
praise her in the gates" (Prov. 31:10-12,30-31).
Elizabeth Taylor is a beautiful and talented woman. At least,
seven men must have thought so. She was married eight times, two times to the
same man, Richard Burton. Many Hollywood actresses are beautiful, especially
after the makeup studios get through with them. One writer describes some of
those actresses as being as natural as a store-bought set of teeth. Thoughtful
people do not choose a life's partner solely on the basis of physical
attraction. We must not just look on the outward appearance, but on the heart.
In other words, we must examine a person's character.
Have you read what some theologians have said about the Apostle
Paul? They believe he was a hunchback and had extremely poor eyesight. This is
pure speculation. There is no basis in scripture for that idea. There may have
been people in Corinth who were repulsed by Paul's appearance or by his
uncompromising devotion to the cause of Christ. He asked the Corinthians:
"Do you look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to
himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he
is Christ's, even so are we Christ's" (2 Cor. 10:7).
When people visit the congregation you attend, do you ever make a
judgment on the basis of their dress? Have you ever wondered how John the
Baptist would fit in with many modern churches? Matthew describes how John
dressed and lived. "And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and
a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey"
(Mt. 3:4). We do not know how our Lord dressed, but I am sure it would be
entirely different from the way we dress.
Incidentally, I am not endorsing the slouchy way some men dress
when they attend the worship services and lead singing, wait on the Lord's
Table and participate in other worship activities. I do not believe a man has
to wear a coat and tie at the worship services of the church, but should he not
at least look clean? I have seen cases where the person waiting on the Lord's
Table appeared to have come in from feeding the pigs or milking the cows. But
this is absolutely sure: we must never make poor people feel out of place at
worship.
There is no doubt some of the early churches judged men on the way
they were dressed. James warned members of the body of Christ: "My
brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
respect of persons" (Jas. 2:1). James then gave a hypothetical example of
what could happen and probably was happening in some situations. "For if
there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and
there come in also a poor man dressed in vile raiment; and you have respect
unto him who wears the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit here in a good
place; and say to the poor, Stand there, or sit here under my footstool: are
you not partial in yourselves, and have become judges with evil thoughts?
Hearken, my beloved brethren, Has not God chosen the poor of this world rich in
faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he has promised to them who love
him" (Jas. 2:2-5)?
The King James Version translates the Greek: "With respect of
persons." The Revised Standard Version renders the Greek: "Show no
partiality." The Greek literally means "to receive or to lay hold of
the face." The term, "gold ring," means "goldfingered."
Is James teaching that the eyes of the church members are fixed with admiration
on this man - the man whose clothes and gold ring suggest wealth and
prominence? The expression, "vile raiment," means dirty, shabby,
filthy. Would devout Christians actually discriminate against such people? That
may have been a problem in the early church, but surely it would not be a
problem in our day, or would it?
A number of years ago, I preached in a gospel meeting in a
southern state. We had good attendance at the meeting. There were five baptisms
and two restorations. The people who responded to the Lord's invitation in the
meeting did not appear to be wealthy people. One of the elders said to me after
the meeting: "Our preacher seems to appeal only to poor people. None of these
seven people will be able to help us pay our bills." Was not our Lord's
appeal primarily to the poor? Paul told the Corinthians: “For you see your
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty,
not many noble, are called" (1 Cor. 1: 26). God wants all men to be saved
and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), but too many rich
people trust in uncertain riches (1 Tim. 6: 17). Why should a man turn to the
Lord when he has $10 million in the bank?
Are there people who choose the place they worship by the
architecture of the building and its location, by the prominence of the church
members, by how entertaining the services are? Who would want to worship in a
run down building on the wrong side of the track? I had a friend and cousin on
my Molly's side of the family who was president of a state university. There
was a very small congregation in the town where the university was located. It
was an unimpressive building on a back street. The president of that university
did not allow the location of the building or the size of the congregation to
influence where he worshipped. When he was in town, he always worshipped with
that small church. He also preached in that building when the regular preacher
was gone. He did not judge by appearance.
Some of the rich and famous in ancient times would not have been
caught dead in assemblies of the saints. Many of the early Christians were very
poor. If they had regular places of worship, they were probably caves or rented
buildings or open fields. Who would want to worship God in such places? The
book of Revelation mentions two churches I shall examine briefly - the church
at Smyrna and the church at Laodicea. The church at Smyrna was experiencing
trouble or pressure. They were poor, really poor, poverty stricken. They were
being persecuted, even being imprisoned (Rev. 2:9-10). The Christians in
Laodicea were rich. They boasted: "I am rich, and increased in goods, and
have need of nothing" (Rev. 3:17).
With which of these churches would you choose to worship? Do you
remember what the Lord said about the poor saints in Smyrna: "I know your
works, and your tribulation, and poverty, (but you are rich)" (Rev. 2:9)?
He told the rich Laodiceans who claimed to be rich and in need of nothing:
"You are wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked"
(Rev. 3:17). It ought to be obvious that the Lord judges men's hearts - not
their outward circumstances.
How should you choose the church where you worship? Should not the
main criterion be the faithfulness of that church? For the remainder of our
time today, let us examine what makes a church faithful. Faithfulness has
nothing to do with the size of the congregation. Some of the largest churches
in the world could not care less about whether their worship services were
modeled after the New Testament pattern. In fact, some of them have no idea if
the Bible provides a pattern or would pay any attention to it if they knew the
divine pattern. In too many cases, mega churches seem to be mostly concerned
about entertaining their members so they will keep coming and keep giving.
The Bible specifically outlines the acts of worship God approves.
They do not include playing on mechanical instruments of music, burning
incense, holy dancing, and stripping. But surely no church would have holy
dancing and stripping. As a matter of fact, there are dance troupes in the city
of Nashville that visit various churches and perform their dances. And I read
several years ago where one church had a stripper to perform her various
indecent acts. Incidentally, if the Bible does not provide a pattern for
worship, how could you condemn holy dancing?
Is there any doubt in your mind that every worship service must
include singing? We must follow the instructions Paul gave to the churches at
Ephesus and at Colosse. Paul admonished the church at Ephesus: "Be not
drunk with wine wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to
yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
in your hearts to the Lord" (Eph. 5: 18-19). He told the Colossians:
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him"
(Col. 3:16-17).
Did you know that some of the most influential theologians in the
world strongly opposed the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship?
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, Adam Clarke, John Calvin, Martin Luther,
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Dr. John L. Girardeau and others have vigorously opposed
instrumental music in worship. I am not saying that these preachers are our
standards in the work and worship of the church. But I am saying that churches
of Christ are not the only ones who fail to find authority for playing on
mechanical instruments as an act of worship. My Molly was a pianist and an
organist. I loved to hear her play. But what I love or do not love does not
determine what the church of our Lord should or not do. We are to engage only
in what we can do in the name of the Lord Jesus, that is, by his authority.
Many denominations almost completely ignore the Lord's Supper.
They sing and pray and preach and contribute every Lord's Day, but observe the
Lord's Supper only quarterly or annually or whenever they choose. The early Christians
met every Lord's Day (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor.16:1-2). In the city of Troas, the
disciples met on the first day of the week to break bread (Acts 20:7). It is
not unusual for people to ask: Which first day of the week? Since every week
has a first day, should we not meet to partake of the Lord's Supper on every
first day of every week? When God gave the command for the Jews to keep the
Sabbath day holy, the Jews did not have to ask, "Which Sabbath day?"
They were to keep the Sabbath day holy in every week that had a Sabbath day.
Because of time constraints, I shall read without comment Paul's
divinely inspired instructions about observing the Lord's Supper. "For I
received of the Lord that which I also delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus
the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: and when he had given
thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for
you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do,
as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this
bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, you do show forth the Lord's death till
he come" (1 Cor. 11: 23-26).
The divine worship pattern also includes congregational prayer.
After the church of our Lord was established on the day of Pentecost, the
disciples "continued steadfastly in fellowship, in breaking of bread, and
in prayers" (Acts 2:42). How can Christians meet to worship our heavenly
Father and not thank him for his gracious gifts and seek his divine blessings
on our activities? Incidentally, I do not know any religious group that does
not engage in prayer during their worship services, although I wonder how people
like John Shelby Spong who do not believe God is a person pray. How much good
would it do to pray to Aristotle's "unmoved mover?"
Giving is a vital part of our worship to God almighty. The church
at Philippi worshipped God through their generous giving. Paul said to the
Philippians: "But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of
Epaphroditus the things that were sent from you, an odor of sweet smell, a
sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18). Giving on the
Lord's Day during worship is not the only time we can give but it is an
appropriate to time to give. When the Corinthians met on the first day of the
week to worship, they laid by in store as God had prospered them (1 Cor. 16:
1-2).
Finally, our worship services must involve a study of God's
inspired word. Luke records what occurred in Troas. "And upon the first
day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached
to them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until
midnight" (Acts 20:7).
Jesus makes it plain that we must not worship just to be seen of
men (Mt. 6: 1-7). I close our study
today by citing some ancient proverbs. A French proverb says: "A fine cage
won't feed a bird." The French had another proverb: "All are not
hunters that blow the horn." In his drama, "The Merchant of
Venice," Shakespeare has one of his characters to say: "All that
glitters is not gold."
To have God's approval, we must do what he says in the way he says
do it.
Winford
Claiborne
The International Gospel Hour
P.O. Box 118
Fayetteville, TN 37334