Change Your Garments

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”

(Genesis 35:1-3) NKJV

The clothes that we wear to church shouldn’t be an expression of pride in accomplishments or an indication of status, but they probably shouldn’t be the same clothes that we wear every other day.

We can help ourselves prepare to meet the Lord in worship by wearing different clothes. When we went to churches where the men normally wore suits, getting dressed for church was part of a ritual which put us in a churchy state of mind. The clothes and the deliberate preparation made us mindful of how we have sanctified ourselves to meet the Lord, or not, which is also a good thing to be mindful of. It helps us to be contrite and to have humility.

The problem is that those clothes are expensive and dry cleaning costs money. Even the best dress shirt can be ruined in an instant if there’s a tiny blemish on the collar. How can we wear a shirt with a stained collar? Everyone will notice. Before we know it we’re spending ridiculous amounts of money on clothes for the wrong reasons. Thankfully suits and ties are not the expected standard at most “normal” churches these days.

Come as You Are – Navigation

Section	Title	Scripture
1	Introduction	James 2:1-4
2	Holy and Profane	Ezekiel 22:26
3	Change Your Garments	Genesis 35:1-3
4	Wash Your Clothes	Exodus 19:10-11, 14, 17
5	Come Out From Among Them	1 Corinthians 6:17
	Salvation	Romans 10:9-10

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