Respecting Elders and Young
- Thread starter bobinfaith
- Start date
Similar things Still happen like that nowadays, with both male and female.
A message I heard a couple of days ago asked this question to everyone, 'SeFch your heart and ask yourself 'when you are with a group of people who do you approach to have a chat with? Is it people who are wearing smart expensive clothes people who are wearing poor looking clothes, or do you approach both?' I thought it was a fabulous question.
The clothes I wear are chosen for modesty, cheapness and comfort. But then I am ancient.
Hello Cosia;
I blue-lighted the question in your post which is appropriate regarding Respecting Elders and Young. Here's why;
Years ago I read a story of a pastor who disguised himself as a walk in homeless person to a Sunday church service. He sat in the back and when the congregation greeted each other before service, sadly he was ignored and no one approached him.
When the service started, he walked up to the front of the sanctuary in his shabby clothes. The congregation was taken aback by his appearance as he approached the front. The pastor took off part of his shabby outer appearance and to the surprise of everyone they recognized their pastor.
The pastor made his point. Many of the members weeped and felt so guilty. Unfortunately, people do judge by appearance as well as being fashion conscience in order to be accepted. How much more for an elderly or young because of their appearance?
I know that the inner cup of a person's heart should only matter, but if that were the case then the Bible would omit passages such as
Matthew 6:28-29, 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
So if we cross paths with a person whose clothing is an issue, how should we receive them whether elderly and young?
I would have loved to have seen that bobinfaith
We had a pastor once who taught his congregation a similar lesson. He worked hard in witnessing. One evening he visited the beach. There was a group of youths sat there. They were very noisy and taking drugs. He sat with them talking a long while in a very friendly way. He shared the gospel with them and told them God loved each one of them greatly.
Then he invited them to church.
That weekend the church was packed as usual. Then the youths turned up and walked to the front of the church. Their hair was long and untidy, they had flip flop sandals on and tatty shorts and t,shirts. You could hear the gasps and whispers. The pastor greeted them and they sat down. The people, instead of being happy and praising God, were totally shocked.
They came off the drugs and one of them married one of my friends and he became a pastor himself.
