“A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9)
I once heard a very funny story that goes:
One day, a man borrowed a fry pan to fry something, let’s say chips. He hurriedly used it, washed it, and returned it to the owner immediately without any delay. When he returned it he put a very little insignificant looking dish in the fry pan. The owner of the fry pan asked “what is this for?” His response was “The dish? O, as I was using your fry pan it gave birth so I thought I should return it with its child.” Seeing it as an expression of appreciation, the owner said “O, thanks a lot.” Saying this he took both the fry pan and the dish.
After a while the borrower came again and borrowed the fry pan. This time he didn’t return it early, in fact he didn’t return it at all. When the owner was anticipating the return of his fry pan, he waited for five full months and as the fry pan was not returned, he lost his patience. He went to the borrower and angrily demanded for his fry pan but the borrower said “what fry pan?” “The one you borrowed from me the other day, have you forgotten?” retorted the owner. “O, that fry pan! I had forgotten. You see, as I was using the fry pan, it died.”
This little looking issue resulted in a very big quarrel that was so hard to settle though the whole village where it happened got involved. Why? The owner accepted the profit of the stupid fable and now it was time to bear the loss of it he became angry and started to appeal to reason that such a thing couldn’t have occurred. If he knew this, then why did he accept the dish? Though he was right in his stance against the stupid fable, his acceptance of the insignificant looking dish made it a bit tricky to settle the dispute. This is a very funny story, and I haven’t stopped laughing since I heard it. Funny, but it explains the unholy romance of the church with the world most acutely.
The traditions and ways of life of the world were pressing the church to accept them, the church resisted for a while and later saw it as harmless to compromise her stance. Women never wore trousers keeping to the commandment “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman’s garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.” (Deuteronomy 22:5). An abomination is what the Bible declares any woman who puts on trousers and any man who dresses like a female, for example wearing of kilts by men, to be. The church had snubbed this commandment in recent years, shunning reason, scriptures, human dignity, instructions, and the way of life of the saints in bygone years. It meant nothing to us for the church judged by sight and not righteous judgment (John 7:24) not minding that God had declared that any body who acts this way is an abomination to him.
Now the world is also demanding homosexuality and everybody is crying “ABOMINATION!” because the Bible says “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” (Leviticus 18:22). Like the evil in dressing like the opposite sex this too is to God an abomination. If in the appeal for women to dress like men and men like women we snubbed the injunction that says such is an abomination, why appeal to it now? We snubbed reason, scriptures, human dignity, instructions, and the way of life of the saints in bygone years, and now we wish to appeal to them. Why the double standards? The church by virtue of her acceptance of things contrary to scriptures do not have a good stand point to withstand the evil of the present times. If we must be able to resist this evil as Christians and as a church we must shun and reject all unbiblical ways of life and mode of dressing which includes:
*Wearing of trousers by women and wearing of feminine dresses by men or unisex clothes by both
*Not covering of the hair by women during worship/prayer or in church or covering of the head by men, wether it is the skull cap of the pope or the hat of a cowboy, for the Lord says “my house shall be called a house of prayer.”
*All forms of artificiality whether it be make up, artificial hair, artificial nails, or jewelries, which are an expression of ingratitude to God.
*Women speaking or even asking questions in church.
*And any other thing contrary to scriptures. Let us make a concerted effort in this regard to find out things that may displease God and amend our ways.
If we don’t act on this things, all our protest against homosexuality or abortion, or anything else will be as meaningless as the cry of a fowl laying egg. We don’t stand a chance against the evil of the present time if we don’t amend our ways immediately while it’s still funny. Remember “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9)
May the good Lord help us to live lives pleasing to him and to be good soldiers for him, denying ourselves of anything that will have a negative effect on our warfare. Amen.
Header Photo from: www.lecreuset.ie
