DECENCY AND ORDERLINESS IN A BIBLE CHURCH

Matt. 21:12-14; 1 Corinth.14:40; 1 Tim. 3:14,15

The distinction between the sacred and the secular, the pure and the profane, Christian fellowship and communal fraternity are increasingly getting blurred.

However, God expects His temple (both the human and material) to be kept decently and in order (1 Corinth. 3:16,17; 6:19,20). A true child of God ought to know how to behave in the house of God.

While decency and orderliness in any assembly commands the Divine Presence, disorderliness and deficiencies invite divine punishment.

“This, and this alone, is Christianity, a universal holiness in every part of life, a heavenly wisdom in all our actions, not conforming to the spirit and temper of the world but turning all worldly enjoyments into means of piety and devotion to God.” – William Law.

P1. Disorderliness and Deficiencies in a Backslidden Church

1 Samuel 2:12-18, 22-24; 1 Corinth. 3:1-4; 16,17; 5:1-6;11:17-22; 14:26-40; Revelation 2:18-23; 3:1-4

God frowns on anything that defiles His temple:

• God has always been jealous of His name and the sanctity of His temple
• The Spirit of God does not, and cannot thrive in a disorderly, carnal, and sinful environment
• Those who create disorder and frustrate the forward-march of the Church incur the wrath of God

“Soul worship is the soul of worship, and if you take away  the soul from the worship, you have killed the worship. It becomes dead and barren after that”– Spurgeon.

P2. Decency and Devotion in a Bible Church

1 Tim. 3:14,15; Psalm 29:2; 96:7-9; Eccl. 5:1-5; Hebrews 12:22-29; 13:17; 1 Corinth. 14:40

Decency and reverence should characterise our worship:

D – Decent not distracting dressing

E – Exhortation not entertainment and exhibitionism

C – Cooperation not competition and conflicts

E – Edification not extravagance and enmity

N – Newness of life not nonchalance and naughtiness

C – Compassion not callousness and confusion

Y – Yielding to authority not youthful exuberance

“Saints are described as fearing the name of God; they are reverent worshippers; they stand in awe of the Lord’s authority; they are afraid of offending Him; they feel their own nothingness in the sight of the Infinite One” – Spurgeon.