have curb appeal.  First impressions are important!  As John MacArthur so aptly put it, the church is designed to appeal to the seeker's "fleshly interests."  Although the church growth movement is out of the scope of this article it's important to understand that the immodest getups being paraded up and down the aisles of churches all across America is a result of this movement. 
 
As I mentioned above, first impressions are important in our user-friendly churches.  Thus, Christians feel they must keep up with the latest fashion trends so that seekers will feel right at home.  Regrettably, sleazy stars like Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton, plus Victoria's Secret designers set the trend for females of all age groups.  Young and old alike dress like hookers instead of Quakers.  Anything to win souls for Christ!
 
The problem with the "Christians are cool" approach is that followers of Christ aren't supposed to be cool; they're supposed to be holy.  But few pastors preach on holiness these days.  Even though we serve a holy God and are called to be holy as He is holy, the message of sin and repentance has been diluted to appeal to the "felt needs" of today's self-absorbed audience.  People want to leave the church feeling good about themselves.  No one wants to hear anything "negative" anymore. "That's what liberalism is," says Gene Edward Veith, "changing your theology to fit whatever the culture is." 
 While the U.S. Congress dithers over how best to stop illegal immigration, the Mexican people may have already decided the issue this past weekend. Mexicans went to the polls Sunday to pick a new president, only the second presidential election in the last 75 years that could be characterized as a truly free and democratic contest.

The problem is, our culture is morally bankrupt.  Still, the Church bends over backwards to blend in with our hedonistic society.  Is it any wonder that professing Christians find purity and righteousness passé?  The fact that many churchgoers don't care what God thinks about their character and behavior is obvious by the way they dress, the way they talk, what they watch on TV and see at the movies, the books they read, and the music they listen to. 
 
So, is a Christian's behavior and character important to God?  Absolutely!  Here are two examples of what He requires of His people: 
 
"Among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity…because these are improper for God's holy people" (Ephesians 5:3).
 
"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (1 Peter 3:12).   
 
How does one become righteous, you ask?  Try changing your priorities.  Stop worrying about what the world thinks of you and start caring about what Jesus Christ thinks of you.  In other words, put aside your worldly desires and obey the One you profess to believe in. 
 
"When I stand face to face with Jesus Christ and say, 'I will not obey,' He will never insist.  But when I do this, I am backing away from the recreating power of His redemption.  It makes no difference to God's grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light.  But 'Woe is to me' if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21)." ~ Oswald Chambers
 
Copyright by Marsha West.  All rights reserved.
Revised 2006
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