THE BEACON - Electronic Edition - 8/27/03 A Harlot's Attire "And there a woman met him, with the attire of a harlot, and a crafty heart" (Prov. 7:10). Nothing hurts a child of God more than being accused of dressing like a harlot when they don't realize they are doing so. People often make vain attempts to justify sin by claiming ignorance. If someone doesn't realize that they are dressing in a provocative manner, does it mean it is not sin? Of course not. It may not be the intention of a saint to dress immodestly, but if they are, it is still sin if they are clothed in a lascivious way (Gal. 5:19). So what can Christians do to make sure they are not dressing like a harlot? They need to understand what dressing like a harlot means and avoid it. To begin with, a harlot has seducing on her mind. Therefore, she must dress in such a way that advertises her body. The clothing is to be revealing. Here is a short list of how one reveals their body for show: 1. Clothes that are very tight. This means the contour of the body is clearly revealed. Remember, dressing like a harlot is not being nude. The seductress first lures people with her body to entice them to want more. Tight clothes are a signal that says, "look at my body." 2. Clothes that reveal flesh. We are not talking about someone not wearing socks or a long sleeve shirt. The flesh we are talking about are parts of the flesh that are not meant for the eyes of everyone. This would include shirts too short. When someone cannot comb their hair without revealing a midriff, then it is too short. Of course, some have it showing without even lifting their arms. Then there are tops with the neck line cut way too low. Also, we have the shorts and short skirts and skirts with slits that go to the thigh. Finally, we have the see through material that people like to wear. The question is, if everyone dresses like a harlot, does that mean it no longer exists? No. Our society is bombarded with advertising that uses sex-appeal. They use people that dress like a harlot to sell everything from cars to gum, and from clothing to music. The reason for this is, sex sells. I am told that a movie that doesn't require a provocative scene for the story line, will often have one added just to get a higher rating. Why? It draws people in. Society has made a distinction between a harlot and one who dresses like one. In God's eyes, both are sin. Itdoesn't matter if an innocent, naïve child just wants to dress like Brittney Spears - it is inappropriate dress. Somewhere along the way, people have grown accustomed to dressing like a harlot and think it is perfectly fine. As stated earlier, when the majority is doing it, it's difficult to see the harm. The lust of the flesh (1 John 2:16) is one of Satan's strongest tools. Men that lust after women because of the way they dress, are often considered to be dirty minded. That may be the case, however, in the Proverb passage that speaks of the harlot, we are told that she tries to seduce young men who come by (Prov. 7:6-8). Let not the innocent, who dress immodestly, be unaware of how they can tempt the onlooker who is also naïve. There are two misconceptions about harlot attire that need to be addressed. 1. It is wrong to think that as long as no one touches you, that your attire is okay. Jesus spoke about the sin that occurs just by looking and thinking about a woman (Matt. 5:28). 2. It is wrong to think that as long as you cover the basic parts of your anatomy, it is okay. Remember when Adam and Eve covered them-selves with fig leaves, it wasn't enough. God gave them skins to cover them up (Gen. 3:21). It is important that we understand what this article is not saying. It is not saying. 1. That you should be ashamed of your body. 2. That you should always wear four layers of clothing, even in the summer. 3. That you shouldn't dress nice. What is being said is, to dress the way God wants is going to take an enormous effort. People who don't care if they dress like a harlot can go to almost any store and buy whatever they see. Christians can't do that. It is almost like shopping in a harlot's closet. Just what do we expect to find in the world? The world is offering worldliness and we can not conform (Rom. 12:1-2). Keep in mind that when Jesus was teaching of the kind of example we ought to set, He didn't say, "Let your bodies shine before men, so they can see your good form." He did say, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Let us open our eyes and make sure that we dress modestly. - by Chuck Bartlett __________________________________________________ Understanding The Message Did you hear about the fella who was discussing his recent visit to a church service? Someone asked him, "What did the preacher preach about?" To which he replied, "I don't know. He didn't say!" There could be at least a couple of reasons why a person could attend a religious meeting and come away without having received a meaningful message. First, it might be that the listener didn't do his job well. Perhaps he was distracted by other thoughts, and he daydreamed away the time while the preacher was trying to make his points. If this is the case, then more effort needs to be made to listen carefully, and to follow along with the sermon. It sometimes helps to take notes, and it certainly is helpful to look up Scripture references in your own Bible. Concentration is the key - and this is up to each individual hearer. Try to emulate the noble Bereans who "received the word with all readiness of mind" (Acts 17:11). Often, though, the problem of a person not understanding the message lies with the speaker. It is the task of every preacher to work hard, prepare, plan, practice, and perform his duty in such a way to make his lesson plain and understandable. Paul, though discussing the miraculous manifestation of tongue speaking, made a point that is applicable here. He asked: "If the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?" (1 Cor. 14:8). If the preacher doesn't make his points clearly, and if people leave the assembly with doubts as to what was meant, then he has failed in his work. The Jews who were returning from the captivity provide a great example for all of us (Neh. 8:1-8). "Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding ... and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law ... (Ezra) read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading." Do you see the important combination of their attentiveness coupled with Ezra's careful work to make them understand? We all must do our part to make this important teaching/learning process work. - by Greg Gwin ____________________________________________ Trends . . . Most adults do not have a lot of confidence in churches. Less than half (43%) said they have a lot of confidence in churches; 37% said they have "some"; 13% said they do not have much confidence in them; and 4% said they have no confidence in these religious bodies. The remaining 3% did not know. When asked to rate their own church on various aspects of ministry, there is not a single attribute among those tested for which at least half of all church attenders describe their church as doing an "excellent" job. The elements of their church experience which people find most satisfying are the friendliness of the people in the congregation (46% said this is "excellent"); the care and concern demonstrated by the church staff (45%); the preaching (44%); the music in the worship service (44%); and the buildings and physical facilities of the church (43%). The aspects of church ministry which received the lowest ratings were the quality of teaching in church classes and the programs for young people. - via Barna Research Online 1 Timothy 3:14-15 "These things write I unto thee . . . that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." _____________________________________________ Some quotes worth pondering . . . "Trust not the world. It never pays what it promises." "Always put off until tomorrow what you shouldn't do at all." "Integrity means being good when nobody is looking." "There are no idle rumors - rumors are always busy." "To get to heaven: turn right and keep straight." ______________________________________________ News from Collegevue . . . August 24, 2003 We are thankful for blessings that allow us to assemble together today to study from God's Word and worship Him. Let us never take for granted this great privilege that we have - realizing that there are others who do not have it so. Thanks for being here today and being a part of this time of service to God. We especially greet all of our visitors, and we invite you to come again real soon. If you have questions or need our help in any way, please let us know. Congratulations to Sarah and Roger Toombs and their family in the birth, early on Thursday morning, of Damon Micaiah. We thank God for a safe and healthy delivery, and we pray his blessings on this family. "Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them . . ." (Psalms 127:3-5) Continue in prayer for those who are sick, including: Kermit Abner, James Sanders, Coletta Poole, Cindy Andrews, Lucille Vick's brother, Joyce Calahan's mother, Shirley Dark's father, Vicky Kincaid's mother, Mike Holt's father, Dorris Rader, and others. Keep in mind our fall meeting, November 9-14, with different speakers from this area. Keep your calendars clear so that you will have no conflicts during that week. Ladies' class meets on Thursdays at 10am. The children's Bible drill classes will meet today at 5:40. Do you pray regularly for the church here and every member, the elders & deacons, class teachers, etc.? Pray! Figures for the week of 8/10/03: Sun.: AM, 169: PM 142; Wed., 151; Contrib., $3383 ______________________________________________ "The Beacon - Electronic Edition" is sent out weekly from Columbia, TN, and contains articles and information taken from the most recent "paper" bulletin of the Collegevue Church of Christ. We hope you will use this material in any way you can that will glorify our Father. Please give proper credit to the respective authors. - Greg Gwin ggwin1@bellsouth.net