Do not despoil the pulpit

If something is said not to be done, what has to be done should be instructed clearly and properly.

Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Here Peter speaks about inner ornamentaion instead of outer ornamentaion. But, today in most of the Indian churches, pastors instruct about outer adornment instead of outer adornment using the same verses.

That is, Peter talks about the inner gentle and quite spirit instead of jewelry ornamentaion. But today’s pastors say that real adornment is not wearing any jewelry instead of jewelry. Both of the statements are very different. There is nothing wrong with a woman adorning herself with jewellery. But the true meaning of the scriptures is that the best adornment is the adornment within.

Peter would have said that lips should be covered in praises to God rather than lipstick if he were still with us today. What does this mean, no lipstick at all? That’s not it.. The beautiful lips that God wants are the lips that praise! But today’s pastors teach that wearing lipstick is a sin and not wearing it is holy makeup. Isn’t this false teaching? These are the problems that come from a wrong understanding of scriptures.. This is the typical formation process for cults.

In 1 Timothy chapter 2, Paul says that women should adorn themselves with peace and modesty instead of expensive clothes, and he goes on to talk about the outward matter of ‘modest clothing’. But he does not list what constitutes decent and modest clothing. Because everyone’s nature teaches her what modest clothing is. This applies not only to women but also to men.

Pauls says, “I am writing you these instructions so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household,” in 1 Tim 3:14,15. Therefore, it good to instruct believers how to behave inside and outside of the church. But, it is agonizing when these instructions are prioritized and preached as sermons in the pulpit.

There are so much more for a believer to learn, that would transform his life. Instead of teaching them the foundations, help them to move forward beyond the elementary teachings of Christ, to be taken forward to maturity, says Hebrews 6:1-3. Nonetheless, how long are we going to keep preaching about cleaning the outer surface of the vessel without even laying the foundation properly?

If I open Facebook, there are sermons rounding over and over about instructing not to wear shoes, not to use cellular phones, not to wear leggings and jeans inside the church. The painful part is that, those preachers are celebrated as brave ones in Indian churches. Seeing this, many more might rise like them to spoil the pulpit.

Instead of splurging the pulpit, if you preach the Truth correctly, it will guide people to become modest and disciplined.