Author: theministrymama

The Case for Biblical Modesty: God’s True Purpose

The Case for Biblical Modesty - God's True Purpose

Have you ever considered God’s true purpose for Biblical modesty? Let’s take another look at The Case for Biblical Modesty. This is Part 2 in a series, the earlier topic covered the importance of being discreet and chaste in our clothing styles, you can learn more about the heart of the matter, The Case for Biblical Modesty: Being Discreet and Chaste.

An Overview and Review of Titus 2

Titus chapter 2 begins explaining to different groups of people (men, women, & servants) how they ought to act and behave as Christians. In verse 3 it begins explaining to older women that they should be “teachers of good things.” In verse 4, we learn what good things the older women are supposed to teach younger women. “That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children.” The next verse continues explaining more subjects of their teaching. “To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.”
The two words that describe modesty in this verse are discreet and chaste.

Modesty by my definition is: the covering of your body as not to distract from Christ by being discreet and chaste. And when I talk about intentional modesty, it is something done with thoughtfulness and carefulness.  Our clothing is an outward reflection of the clean heart that Christ made when He forgave our sins.

The Importance of Modesty Explained

The first step is understanding what modesty is. The second step is understanding why God emphasizes it’s importance.

Let’s look at the end of Titus 2:5, it says, “that the word of God be not blasphemed.”

The word blaspheme has been defined as:

  • to speak injurously toward another’s good name
  • defame
  • revile
  • to be evil spoken of
  • impious (lacking in reverence or respect) against God

Jesus was accused of blasphemy by his enemies, this was one of the accusations against Him when they wanted to stone Him. The biggest problem the Pharisees had with Christ was His claiming to be God. They believed that He was showing a lack of reverence to the God of the law. The only problem was, Christ being God Himself, could never be irreverent and the miracles and preaching He gave never once contradicted the law. Their accusations were false and they simply became the excuse to crucify Him.

Did you know taking the Lord’s name in vain is also considered blasphemy? According to Titus 2, when women are not discreet and chaste it is equal to committing the 3rd commandment. (Exodus 20:7) Many of us would never take God’s name in vain, but if at any time we dress immodestly it is just the same.

Modesty’s purpose is that “the word of God be not blasphemed.”

Intentional modesty  identifies you with the word of God. It displays an identity of belonging to Christ, like a logo identifies a brand. Immodesty on a Christian cheapens the “brand” of the name of Christ as well as the word of God.

The importance of the word of God is that it is a revelation of God Himself, proven in John chapter 1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” To blaspheme God’s word is to blaspheme God. It is very serious to take the entire context of Titus 2 seriously, but most specifically to this article, our modesty seriously.

Matthew Henry said, “Every godly man’s endeavor must be to stop the mouths of adversaries.”

To stop the mouths of adversaries, we must be consistent in our life and consistent in our modest dress. Unsaved people are watching Christians, choosing by what they know about the Bible and what they know about people who say they believe the Bible (God’s Word) and making decisions every day. They decide whether Christianity and God are something worth believing in.  Immodesty becomes a distraction or stumbling block for unbelievers.

What does wearing immodest clothing do for the Christian?

  1. It causes others to put a question mark in their mind of whether a person is genuinely associated with Christ.
  2. It causes both saved and unsaved people to speak evil of you because your clothing does not match the profession of Christ that comes out of your mouth.
  3. It shows a lack of reverence or respect toward God in your heart and attitude.
  4. It casts doubt and defames God’s good name because dressing and acting immodestly tempts you to act impulsive and to commit sin. Many sins of comparing, pride, sexual temptations, etc. are associated with immodesty. The majority of Satan’s work is to defame the good name of God.

It has been said that we are the only Bible that some people will ever read. Our clothing tells the meaning of our Bible to us and shows the sincerity of our beliefs.

Choosing to be modest does the following:

  1. It protects God’s word, therefore protecting God and His name from ill-use.
  2. It confirms in the heart of unsaved people to believe the Bible because you are dressing according to the beliefs of the Bible.
  3. It encourages righteous living, because it is discouraging you from temptation and sin and unto God and holy living.
  4. It places God at the top of your priority list and shows Him reverence and respect.
  5. It can be a reflection of your clean heart.

Disclaimer: Wearing modest clothing does not give you a clean heart. Accepting God’s gift of salvation and choosing to repent from your sins, allows God to clean your heart. Many modest women are also guilty of gossip, self-righteousness, and other sins, making their hearts dirty again. Modest clothing will only work if it is a reflection of the discreet (self-controlled & temperate) godly woman.

As you notice there is no list of clothing here in this article labeled “good” or “bad.” These articles are meant for you to learn from God’s Word, His standard for modesty, and allow Him to work in your life and in your closet. The Holy Spirit will direct you, convince you of what to wear, convict you of what not to wear, it’s that easy… all you have to do is ask God for wisdom!

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:5-6

And like I said in my last article, “It’s amazing how God’s Word can teach us just what we need to be what He wants us to be. If this topic bothers you, then please pray and ask God “Is there something in my life that I need to change?” Then listen… you might be surprised at what He has to say!” God will give you the wisdom on how to be modest if you’ll only ask!

The next article (#3) in this series is Modesty: It’s Appearance For All.

25 Things About Ministry I Didn’t Learn in Bible College

I was reading a book about 25 things a pastor did not learn in seminary… but the book was good in many ways but lacked in many ways regarding likeness in faith and practice and  Biblical ministry philosophy. So, I’m not going to do a book review as planned, but share with you all a list of 25 things I didn’t learn in Bible College! Some of these things are funny, some serious, just read and maybe you’ll find some similarities between us.

25 Things About Ministry I Didn’t Learn in Bible College

  1. How to make church flower arrangements. I learned floral work from my grandmother that worked as a florist for 15 years.
  2. How to talk to women and teen girls about immodesty. Uh… Awkward.
  3. How to entertain your children when you spend hours at the church.
  4. How to be a supportive Sunday School helper. For me it’s easy to teach, but much harder to sit back and let someone else be the leader without taking the reins away from them.
  5. How to plan 20 different activities for the preschool through Kindergarten age group when you’re teaching Sunday School or Junior Church. These kids get bored fast and the class always goes faster than planned! I’ll have no boredom on my watch.
  6. The how-to’s of delegation.
  7. Saying “no” nicely.
  8. Secretary skills. This was something I learned when I was hired as a church secretary.
  9. Developing a working visitation ministry. Also something I learned to do as a church secretary.
  10. When it is the right time to “sit on the ministry bench” for certain times of your children’s lives. Being pregnant, having a newborn, having a toddler, our son’s asthma, have all been reasons I have had to stop performing in certain areas of ministry.
  11. How to be an aggressive planner and organizer. College is a learning process, but planning for home, meals, ministry activities, and self can be a little overwhelming when you transition to single life planning to family ministry planning.
  12. The time and effort involved in organizing and leading a children’s Christmas play. I only helped do this once, and it was a lot of work for the lady that put our Christmas play all together.
  13. The quick turnover rate there is among visitors and members within a church.
  14. What to do when nursery workers consistently skip their duties.
  15. The importance and how-to of maintaining ministry friendships.
  16. Loving and respecting your pastor even with all of his faults.
  17. Maintaining the unique dynamic between yourself and fellow staff families.
  18. The value of sticky tack!
  19. Great meals for lunch and evening on Sunday. This is so hard because you leave in the morning, eat lunch, take a nap/rest, get up and go back to the church early for choir or other responsibilities, then service, then home again. Where do you fit in the evening meal?
  20. That church work allows you to work in so many areas of ministry. Every church need is a ministry of some sort.
  21. How to use a roaster. Okay, so no previous experience for me with this one…
  22. The know-how of setting up a church anniversary celebration. Is it like a banquet or a birthday party? or a little something in between? Other ladies have taught me how to celebrate God’s gift of the church and it’s important yearly anniversary.
  23. How to deal with the weirdos! Eek! They’re in every church. You know it’s true… you’re thinking of someone in your church right now, aren’t you? Ha ha! Here’s some good advice, smile and back up slowly and look for your exit and bolt! No really, I’m only kidding.
  24. That all day on some Sundays you may be so busy serving in nursery, preparing for a meal, or taking care of the needs of others that you will be unable to be a part of the church service.
  25. And last but not least; The blessings that would come from serving God with every day and moment of our lives!

Obviously Bible College can not replace good old experience. I did learn some wonderful things and was very thankful for the specific classes that were geared toward women’s ministry where I went to school. I have files of notes and helps on many other areas that have been useful to me. And many of these things I did not learn will, Lord willing, become future articles and how-to instructions that I will be able to share with you all in the future.

I hope you have a happy day!

How God Provided: Meat for Our Freezer

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

As a ministry mama, I don’t work, I stay home with our four kiddos and my schedule stays full as it is. Sometimes I really want to do more to make money for our family so we can update a few things here and there but every avenue that I have attempted at home has left me with expending too much time, neglecting the kids, and getting little in return. So, I have come to grips with the fact that God does not want me to work even in doing something from home so I have also accepted that at this time I cannot be the one to add to our bank account. So, God does it for me!

A friend of mine works at Trader Joe’s and received some meat, and she was so kind to share some of it with our family. It was a simple gift from heaven, a few texts, and a knock on the door. Simple delivery. I love when God’s gifts are so quick and obvious!

God provided:

  • 2 packages of chicken thighs

  • 2 packages of ground turkey

  • 12 packages of chicken legs

  • 17 pounds of beef

So, as God filled our freezer He also provides for our finances. The meat added up to around $96.00. We will be able to save money in our groceries now and maybe we won’t get to replace some of the things I would like to, it may just buy some new shoes for the kids or something like that.

We never seem to run out of needs and God never stops running out of solutions to provide for them. He’s a good God that loves us so tenderly. I am so thankful that I am His child!