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EDUCATION: Holt High School, Holt Mich., Lansing Community College, Southwestern Theological Seminary, National Apostolic Bible College. MINISTERIAL EXPERIENCE: 51 years of pastoral experience, 11 churches in Arizona, New Mexico and Florida. Missionary work in Costa Rica. Bishop of the Districts of New Mexico and Florida for the Apostolic Assembly. Taught at the Apostolic Bible College of Florida and the Apostolic Bible College of Arizona. Served as President of the Florida Apostolic Bible College. Served as Secretary of Education in Arizona and New Mexico. EDUCACIÓN: Holt High School, Holt Michigan, Lansing Community College, Seminario Teológico Southwestern, Colegio Bíblico Nacional. EXPERIENCIA MINISTERIAL: 51 años de experiencia pastoral, 11 iglesias en los estados de Arizona, Nuevo México y la Florida. Trabajo misionera en Costa Rica. Obispo de la Asamblea Apostólica en los distritos de Nuevo México y La Florida. He enseñado en el Colegio Bíblico Apostólico de la Florida y el Colegio Bíblico Apostólico de Arizona. Presidente del Colegio Bíblico de la Florida. Secretario de Educación en los distritos de Nuevo México y Arizona.

Saturday, June 7, 2014

REVERENCE FOR A HOLY GOD


"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly
fear: For our God is a consuming fire." (Hebrews 12:28-29)

In the Old Testament, “reverence” occurs as the translation of two Hebrew words: Yare’ (yaw-ray’), which carries the meaning of “fear.” This word is used to express the attitude toward God Himself (Psalm 89:7, Leviticus 19:30; 26:2). The thought being one of fear, awe and respect. The second word, shachah (shaw-khaw’), carries the meaning of “falling down” as in the prostration of the body. It is used to express the attitude and behavior toward another who is considered superior (1 Kings 1:31, II Samuel 9:6 , Esther 3:2,5). The thought with this word being honor, submission and obeisance.

In the New Testament “reverence” occurs as the translation of three Greek words, Deos, phobeo, and entrepo. Deos (de-os), which has the meaning of awe and Godly fear, is a feeling of profound awe and respect. Because of His majesty and holiness, God arouses a feeling of reverence in those who worship and serve Him (Hebrews 12:28). The second word, phobeo (fob-eh’-o), carries the thought of being frightened or alarmed, by analogy to be in awe of or to have a deep and abiding respect. This word is used to illustrate the proper attitude of subjection that a wife should have toward her husband (Ephesians 5:33). The third word, entrepo (en-trep’-o), sets forth the idea of a self evaluation of inferiority or superiority over someone else. In the consideration of reverence for God, the former always being the case. The mental imagery is of willingly setting the subject of consideration on a higher level while placing oneself beneath (Matthew 21:37, Mark 12:6; Luke 20:13, Hebrews 12:9).

Habakkuk 2:20, "But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him. Reverence means a respectful, submissive attitude of mind resulting in affection and esteem for the person to which it is directed.

Today there is no reverence or respect for the house of God. If we were invited to a state dinner at the White House, naturally we would wear our best clothes to the President's house. Right? So, then why do we casually wear whatever makes us "feel comfortable" when we are invited to God’s house? Why do Christians show disrespect for God’s house by wearing casual clothes, and make no proper physical or spiritual preparation to "come and dine" with the Lord?

In 1999, people publicly chastised Martha Stewart for wearing a pink pants suit to a White House state dinner. She disregarded White House protocol by wearing short pink pants. She should have known better. Formal clothes are appropriate for special occasions, especially at the White House. The White House social secretary later commented "I think she needs to read books on how to dress properly for such an occasion. A state dinner means a long dress to the floor." So why should anyone be upset by Martha's short pink pants? "The White House is different," said the secretary. "It's like a church and should command the same respect."
Christians today don’t dress with respect to worship in the house of God. Reverence for God is an important issue that is overlooked by many today. We seem to be of the mindset that being "under grace not under law" gives us license to worship and approach God anyway we like.  Nevertheless, appropriateness or suitability in clothes has always been defining to what to wear for the occasion or activity.

Clothes fall into several categories:

1. Active sport  (for participating in sports)

2. Spectator sports/casual (for sports events, school, street, and travel)

3. Informal (for church, business, and so forth)

4. Formal (for special occasions) 

Unquestionably, sportswear, or play clothes, are not appropriate for church just as they are not appropriate for a funeral, wedding, or other special occasion. Only immature or indifferent or ignorant people do not care about appropriate dress for church. Christians express their casual attitude toward God and the church in their dress and behavior. Their dress and their behavior express a spirit of casualness and convenience. 
For years, church etiquette required proper dress and proper behavior. But today anything goes. Churches often advertise: “Come as you are.”  In other words, dress how you want: shorts, flip-flops, ragged jeans, and so forth. It’s a very self-serving ploy to get us to their church by catering to our self-centered feelings. So, if we don’t feel like dressing appropriately for church, we don’t have to. We don’t have to reverence and respect God’s house. We don’t have to maintain dignity.
  
The Church used to uphold high culture, it has rapidly declined into low culture. The Church has gone from Christ-centered to man-centered. It use to be that we did not applaud after someone sang in the church service. Then after some churches began to substitute entertainment in place of holy worship, applause became a standard response to any performance in a church sanctuary (auditorium).  In other words, the church was no longer a sacred place of worship, but a place of pleasurable entertainment.

Clearly, the house of God is no longer a house of prayer; it is a house of entertainment:  Christian rock music with strobe lights, dramas, movies, book discussion groups, sports, dance, Christian comedians, dinners and other recreation to have a good times. 

Whatever happened to Bible study?  Today Christians will read every book except the Bible.  Instead, they want to read the latest “Christian” bestseller. You will find the most ungodly books in a Christian bookstore. But, the purpose-driven, commercial-driven, entertainment-driven, and money-driven church of today has been exposed by God.

Pentecostal worship has been characterized by informality and spontaneity. We are not a church with formal liturgy. Freedom in worship has been God’s special gift to Pentecostals. But informality can sometimes fall into unintended irreverence and disrespect for the things of God, His people, and His place of worship. Behavior in the sanctuary should always be respectful and reverent towards God. Those who have not been taught such reverence sometimes treat it as a place to play, run, shout, and socialize.

Word definitions:

1. Sanctuary: Derived from the Latin word sanctus meaning sacred, holy.  A sacred or holy place.

2. Auditorium: The space for the audience in a church, theater, or the like

3. Reverence: To regard or treat with reverence; venerate

4. Respect: Show esteem or respect for

Notice that the definition for auditorium excludes sacredness or holiness. When churches renamed the sanctuary to “auditorium,” this exclusion of sacredness or holiness hastened the secularization of the church and it's decline. The church sanctuary (auditorium) is no longer a place of prayer and holy worship.  The church sanctuary is an auditorium for the false worship of unholy, carnal reveling. Instead of the Church transforming the world, the world has transformed the Church.

I saw a card that a church mailed out inviting people to their church it read: “At our Church you’ll find: 

1. High-Energy ministry for all ages.

2. Coffee and donuts!

3. A casual atmosphere. Don’t worry about wearing the right clothes, come as you are!

4. A place to make friends and made a difference.

On the card is a picture of the pastor and his wife dressed in t-shirts.  Their casual attitude toward the Gospel is reflected in their casual dress. They lack dignity, reverence and respect for God and His church. In the past, the Word of God and culture dictated that we honor the house of God by appropriate dress and appropriate behavior: reverence, respect, dignity.

Unfortunately, church culture has been lowered to appeal to carnal tastes in a foolish man-made effort to trick sinners into coming to church. In order to increase attendance and increase tithes and offerings, pastors and churches today teach that we should throw out reverence and respect to make sinners feel comfortable coming to church. We should not make sinners feel uncomfortable by asking them to show reverence in God’s house. Thus Christians do not have to show reverence in God’s house. Man’s willful law dictates: Thou shalt not show respect in the house of God. Thou shalt not honor God with reverence in His House.

Simply put, self-will overrules God’s will. Thus man’s law overrules God’s Law to reverence His sanctuary. The sanctuary of God’s house is to be a refuge from the carnal reveling of the world. The sanctuary of God’s house is to be a holy place of prayer. We must reverence the sanctuary of God’s house. This is not a suggestion. This is God's command (Matthew 21: 13; Isaiah 56:7, Leviticus 10:3, 19:30).

Clearly, God commands us not to profane holy things, including His house. God must be reverenced. And those who reverence God must reverence His house. Jesus made it perfectly clear by His words and actions that the temple must be a house of prayer.

What would Jesus see and hear if He went into our churches and looked around? Would He see and hear carnal reveling, dramas and other entertainment, sports, and other profanation? Or would He see and hear praying, Bible reading, sacred songs, pure gospel preaching, and reverent worship? 

Would Jesus angrily rebuke us and throw out the loud bands, strobe lights, coffee and donuts, ungodly Christian books and other entertainment that desecrates the holiness of the church into a casual and irreverent auditorium? Would Jesus angrily rebuke us: “My house shall be called the house of prayer; but you have made it a den of entertainment?"

There must be cleansing of the house of God and a revival of reverence. How can we expect the world to reverence and respect God if we the church don't set the example. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (I Peter 4:17).



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