Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Friends church has moved away from standard. Pants, earrings etc..... He stated it seened church was "closer to God" and more commited as well as fellowshipped more before all the changes. Anyone else experience this?

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Now that I've lost everything to you,
you say you want to start something new,
and it's breaking my heart you're leaving,
baby I'm grieving.

But if you wanna leave take good care,
hope you have a lot of nice things to wear,
but then a lot of nice things turn bad out there.

Oh baby baby it's a wild world,
it's hard to get by just upon a smile.
Oh baby baby it's a wild world.

I'll always remember you like a child, girl.
You know I've seen a lot of what the world can do,
and it's breaking my heart in two,
cause I never want to see you sad girl,
don't be a bad girl,
but if you want to leave take good care,
hope you make a lot of nice friends out there,
but just remember there's a lot of bad and beware,
beware,

Oh baby baby it's a wild world,
it's hard to get by just upon a smile
Oh baby baby it's a wild world,
and I'll always remember you like a child, girl.

Baby I love you, but if you wanna leave take good care,
hope you make a lot of nice friends out there,
but just remember there's a lot of bad,
and beware, beware,

oh baby baby it's a wild world,
it's hard to get by just upon a smile.
Oh baby baby it's a wild world,
and I'll always remember you like a child, girl.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

:lol

"He stated it seemed church was 'closer to God' and more commited as well as fellowshipped more before all the changes" meaning before the standards were dropped? I have sen this, and it is typical. If I may, "I was raised, all my life, around women with long hair who did not wear pants" (for example) "now you want me to fellowship with people who think differently. That man has an almost-beard, for God's sake, he is prolly a bank robber." :lol

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Yes.

For me, my Christianity went from abiding by standards to be "holy" (as defined by the holiness movement) to living incarnationally... meaning living in a spiritual oneness with Christ, through the Holy Spirit, and manifesting His personal reality in my very being. The only standards held are simple... love God with all your being... love others as yourself. If we live by those two principles we need not focus on earthly standards.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Less felloiwship happens because other churches ostracize your congregation. In many cases it takes time to assimilate in a different religious environment.
Man made standards give people a false sense of being closer to God. Works based salvation is a substitute for relationship.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

LOL!! About 30 years ago when we had left the UPC and were members of a large exUPC church I had a UPC niece and her family come to visit. They went to church with us and after service my niece, who was about 10 at the time, was traumatized because her Sunday School teacher that morning had a mustache or beard! She was literally crying. LOL. I guess she thought a really bad man was teaching her SS class.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

:thumbsup:thumbsup


.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I left the outward standards back in the 1970's. I have been serving God and preaching for about 30 years since then and do feel that it is much better to trust my salvation to Jesus Christ instead of how well I can perform.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

A church does not need to drop the "standards" entirely to experience all the above. They merely have to drop the attitude, to experience Christ more and drop someone's idea of standards or not be as strict on them to not be fellowshipped as much (or fellowshipped as much by certain churches

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

There's no deception like a great deception.

You got that right. And yet people continue to add to the Bible ;)

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

My friend in the church has been having some problems with it. Can be hard when something has been taught wrong for so long then changed to being ok. Sisters wearing big round earrings, pants, shorts on men. I think it's understandable for some to have a hard time with it.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Sudden change is never good even if it is towards something right. You can't pull the rug, so to speak, out from under people. You can't take people who have been taught a laundry list of things are sins for many years then in a short period of time tell them that it isn't.

A lot of teaching over a period of time has to prepare people to look at their Christian walk with a fresh set of eyes and not through the lens of what has been pounded into them for years.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I don't care what you say, I'm still not drinking coffee.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

not even disguised as ice cream? :icecream

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I think you need to ask yourself before you make a major change what is my motive? Why do I want to go this new direction?

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

One thing he said was he wished it was handled differently. Maybe a church meerting would have been order.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Agree with CC1. Surely there is some teaching incorporated with the change so as not to cause mass confusion. I think most of us would agree that observation of this sort has resulted in a lot of harm and distrust. I have always been a fairly independent thinker which comes from my raising before pentecost. I don't find this to be the case with a majority. They find themselves trying to figure out what to do now to stay in good grace with their pastor. It often exposes the spiritual weaknesses that have been prevalent all along.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I feel bad for this saint....especially because they are having to wrestle with this confusion. I do believe the church needs to teach the principles of modesty, separation, and holiness....in my honest opinion, there is nothing wrong with house rules either....that is to say, when the assembly is gathered together in service or for a function in the community, this is how we are to look...etc.

The biggest difference, in my opinion, is that there needs to be liberty granted in the other aspects of the christians life.....I always use the terms...house rules and life rules...there is/can be a difference.

I know the word "balance" often gets abused in the way it is used, but certainly it does apply to this type of situation.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

This is one reason why legalism is spiritual blood poison.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Almost all churches have "standards".

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Everyone has standards. When I go to work, I am expected to have a certain uniform, when I enter certain restaurants they want me to be wearing footwear and a shirt, and some still require socks. If every one else can expect higher standards than what we normally have, why complain about the higher standards of the church?

Oh, the MACDONALD'S-HAS-UNIFORMS-SO-THE-CHURCH-SHOULD-TOO argument.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Apples and oranges, Jay.

McDonald's doesn't tell you that you'll go to hell for not wearing the uniform.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Jay I think some of the problem is that you choose to work at a certain place that requires uniforms. They pay you to work for them in the uniform of their choice. If you do not want to wear the uniform, then you don't get to work there.

A restaurant has the option of not serving you if you go in without certain clothing. This came about because they were losing revenue because other customers find it offensive to look at feet while they eat. Let's face it...most feet are not attractive. :heeheehee

However, a church is an assembly of people who regularly meet in a building that is paid for by the people by pooling their money together in whatever form the Pastor (president) wants to call it...whether it is the 'tithe' or the 'offering' or whatever. The people are neither getting paid to attend, nor are they paying to be spiritually fed so this cannot be compared to being at work or at a restaurant. To give to a local assembly should not be a 'tithing' commandment...but more like a NT freewill giving as the Lord has prospered you type of giving. For a local assembly to attach a 'uniform' code, then treat another person like an alien from outer space because they do not adhere to someone else imposing a higher standard is more like a dictatorship rather than a freewill, loving congregation to fellowship with.

I'm not talking about some wanting to be outrageously flamboyant in dress and makeup either. That is another matter.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Your point would amost be worth considering if you it were not for 1 major fact. You don't see McDonalds employees wearing their uniform everwhere. You would think something is wrong with a person wearing their uniform every where.

It's not scriptural to use your opinions as a basis to judge someone's salvation.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Right. They just will not hire you. Pentecostals who want to work there cannot because the females will not wear a pant's uniform.

I'm thinking specifically about the case where the woman sued McDonalds because she would not wear pants.

However, isn't it the same concept in reverse in some churches if a woman will not wear a dress? Can you sue a church for discrimination in treatment if a female gets reprimanded by the pastor if she comes to church in slack suits, trims her hair and wears makeup and jewelry? Wouldn't it be true that if one can sue a corporation for discrimination, then one can sue a church because they become incorporated when they apply for and obtain a 501 c 3 tax-exempt status?

Not that it would be the Christian thing to sue a church for that unless they caused gross defamation of your character to where your children even suffer for that defamation.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

The Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders have uniforms.

They should wear them all the time!

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

...and get kicked out of the squad if they deviate from the rules. :thumbsup

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I've got standards for my wife, (has nothing to do with God or the church), but boy I have a problem get her to abide by them. Some of them have to do with dress,..... no, no, no, not long dresses! :heeheehee

Thought about "disfellowshipping her," but changed my mind! After 50 years I wouldn't find another one like her..... so I'm gonna do everything I can to keep her and celebrate 51 years soon! :thumbsup She..... ROCKS! :yourock

Been Thinkin

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

AYR, the problem with that analogy is that they hired her knowing and agreeing that she would not be required to wear the slacks as long as she wore a black skirt. McDonalds was the one who broke the contract, which opened them up to a lawsuit of religious discrimination. Had they just said that she was not what they were looking for (no other explanation needed or given) there would not have been a problem. This was not the case.

People who wish to hold a lesser standard than the church are not forbidden from attending as long as they are not stirring up strife within the congregation. They will just not be used for anything other than the general maintenance of the church (church cleanings, fundraisers, etc.)

Yeah. Sounds about right.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

That just sounds terrible. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

I thought about it, and would have to say that many of those who are not lining up are likely to simply be attending with little commitment anyway (not true in all cases). And often it is the actual church members who do the fundraising and church cleanings anyway, so there would be little point to my above post. Please feel free to disregard it. It was a post made in error, though done with careful thinking (not all thoughts, no matter how carefully considered are accurate).

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Unfortunately...Causes me problems all the time. :girlytantrum

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Lining up to... what Jay?

Your comments did look/sound bad but...I think you spoke more truth than you realize.

Our culture relies too much on looks and appearance. Look at what the church would be missing out on spiritually if John the Baptist walked into the church wearing animal skins and he was 'used' in the capacity of general maintenance because he did not look like his 'suit and tie' pentecostal counter parts.

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Of course! But DID John the Baptist walk into an actual church? I'm not recalling that he did...he was out in nature, as most everyone else at that time, if I remember right. Our culture has changed and become what it is, so of course our way of clothing ourselves and the things we eat have changed as well. They responded to what they knew. Hmm...I think I'm saying something now that I'll need to chew on later...

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Quite true. However if that is the case, then how come when it comes to culture and women's dress, it is preached that God's Word never changes?

Re: Friends church droppped "standards"
 

Should a man who is full of the Holy Ghost be 'waiting tables' because he doesn't line up to man's dress rules?