Slobs for Jesus
Johnstown, PA- The ranks of open air evangelism have always been filled with an assortment of entertaining personalities, that aside from their associational standing in close proximity to “able ministers of the New Testament” (2 Corinthians 3:6) that preach “everywhere” (Mark 16:20), “many there be” (Matthew 7:13) that really never rise to or meet the standards of the Bible for a God called preacher in the open air. The news media, local police and governments, as well as most nominally observant people, whether lost or saved can see this clearly, when this wide assortment of religious devotees with an attitude to match, bother them, get in their way, and verbally accost them in the open markets, sidewalks and public events of this modern day ‘world-in-transit-to-hell’ society in which we live.
Amongst this assortment of falsely so called whatevers-for-God, are the religious activists, religious protesters, pro-lifers for jesus, the Ten Commandments Everywhere for jesus, We Have Our Rights for jesus, Missionaries-Preachers & Teachers to the Preborn for jesus, thugs for jesus, dancers for jesus, strippers for jesus, bikers, brawlers and broads for jesus!!! All of this nonsense and Holywood Comedy Sin-tral, is just one brush stroke after another in Satan’s artistic portrait make-over in the Devil’s desire that the lost world view every street preacher and open air evangelists as just a bunch of wackos and freaks, just one step above or below the sidewalk beggar with a tin cup in his hand. It is one Biblical thing to be to the world “fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians 4:10), and another Biblical thing to ”be a fugutive and a vagabond” (Genesis 4:14). But without exception, God Almighty, the Bible and the SPF are in agreement on this one thing, that all of the above demonstrators of religious “Tom-Foolery” all fit one basic characterization common to all of them. And that is apparent at the very sight of them, that they are without exception, Slobs for jesus; who for whatever mental deficiency each may have, it never actually dawned upon them, that “Christ…leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21) applies to open air preachers as well.
Having said such, it is utterly impossible to picture Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God wading into a crowd, bellowing out verses of scripture, 100 pounds over weight, dressed in his underwear with religious saying painted all over his under shirt and boxers, wearing a carpenter’s nail bag with ragged gospel tracts hanging out of the pockets; his beard untrimmed and his hair shagged and dirty, wearing muddy black tennis shoes with the laces untied. Additionally difficult, would be to imagine Christ with His twelve disciples parading down the street with twelve high flying banners, with James, John, Peter and Bartholomew all belching out the gospel through megaphones at one time while standing 15 feet from one another, with Judas and Luke the beloved physician holding giant posters of mutilated fetuses from some harlot’s abortion, screaming to the children in the crowd, ‘They are murdering God’s children!” At a local parade just recently, the Director was standing in the open street passing out gospel tracts while a young Spirit filled preacher from Michigan was preaching the gospel to a very attentive crowd. The young street preacher was doing a very good job, and had the crowd captivated and listening to every word he said, because you could see the seriousness and sincerity on his countenance, and he was earnestly pleading and reasoning with the listeners. The crowd could clearly see that the young man was not at all dressed like the typical young American youth, but was clearly “fashioned as a man” (Philippians 2:8) and not some teenage beach bum or high school socker player. In our small group of ministers, we had a single banner raised, and one preacher was holding a small scripture sign for people to read as the young evangelists preached, with three other ministers quietly standing by passing out gospel tracts to those who would receive them. Then suddenly, there came down the middle of the same road, five other “street preachers” carrying three banners; three having brightly colored religious sayings painted on their underwear, one about 150 pounds over weight, with his Fruit of the Loom under shirt too short to completely cover his pot belly, with two Slobs simultaneously bellowing out death and destruction on everyone, assumingly upon their fellow preachers as well since they made no attempt to stop and preach in any particular direction to any particular people. This circus act of religious vehemency, completely voiced over and drowned out their fellow preacher, as they crashed the young man’s sermon. One bearded preacher yelled at the SPF Director, “Isn’t anyone out ahead of us rebuking these wicked bunch of idolaters?” Answered the SPF Director, “well we were trying to preach here, and Brother Ickes is one block ahead of us, but I guess you guys are the only ones doing anything!” And some dare to find fault in our calling them Slobs????? And should we make proselytes to this stupidity?
“Some indeed preach Christ even of
envy and strife.”
-Philippians 1:15
And though the Apostle Paul likewise endured these that “preach Christ of contention, not sincerely”, and testified that “whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached”, therein he did “rejoice” (vs. 18), our rejoicing in these slobs for jesus is more oft a controlled sneer, one step above a disgusted laugh. Though the open air evangelist must do what his localized, pastoral counterpart is too afraid to do, must it be a requirement for being a street preacher that we look and behave like we actually live and sleep in the streets as well as preach in them? Who taught these slobs to ”let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40) except open air preaching?
Not one time in the New Testament, in all the many incidences of open air preaching in both the gospels and the Book of Acts, not one time do you find any of God’s ministers behaving that way, looking that way, preaching that way or dressed that way. Not one time!!! Being “made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22) is not license or Biblical authority to act like a slob, dress like a slob, look like a slob and behave like one because some of the people in the streets are that way! In 2005 the SPF encountered a similar problem in Salt Lake City where the repeated question raised by the news media, countless nominal Christian churches, Mormons and even the liberal ACLU was a very logical and reasonable inquiry about why many of the street preachers looked like vagabonds and beggars, while the “sinful Mormon heretics” the street preachers were rebuking looked liked saints! This scourge of lazy, sloppy and beggarly elements within the ranks of open air ministries has so increased, that at the present time, regardless of the event, the SPF is continually amazed at how much better the sober crowds behave, act and look than the so called street preachers condemning them to hell. One must position himself solely in the midst of the absolute depraved and drunken crowds at Mardi Gras, the night before any Super Bowl, or Georgetown Road the night before the Indy 500 race, before you will find the crowd behaving and looking worse than some falsely so-called street preachers. And as the Director of the largest, single most ministerial fellowship of open air preachers in the world, this author is embarrassed to admit such in a public format open to public comments. Howbeit, the SPF intends to countenance such and tolerate such no further.
In continually searching for the reason and cause of such an expanding rank and file of obvious lazy, arrogant and stupendously ignorant slobs representing themselves by deed and appearance as anything but a God called preacher, there are three, common problems that all these circus hawking religious bull horns have in common. First, without exception each of these failures in the ministry fail in the one area where the ministry begins, and that is habitually failing or refusing to attend church regularly, or be an active member in regular attendance to any church. And because of such, they refuse to allow any oversight of their ministerial activities, nor will they subject themselves to any Biblical standards of conduct for their personal or ministerial lives. In abandoning all Biblical over sight or duty to work within the oversight of a church, they never sit still long enough to learn how to minister to anyone, care about anyone, or work with anyone “decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:20). That is why the police so many times view their activities by appearance as ‘disorderly conduct’. And because of such, these slobs quickly become authorities in dodging all responsibility for their conduct, since they run a hit and miss ministerial schedule reminiscent of some vaudeville carnival troupe that comes to town in the night and leaves in the night, and they never have to worry about the back lash and sorry, slobbish testimony they leave behind for the local churches to deal with when the slobs for jesus are gone. They use the excuse of being full time travelling preachers to justify staying out of church, when in reality, the majority of them (not all), are just lazy men that could never hold down a job, or a pulpit more than 60 days, who habitually sleep in every day until after 9 a.m. and enjoy a slobbish, hand to mouth existence while claiming to be living by faith. To this bunch is a collective assortment of astoundingly lazy, young men, who absolutely refuse to work like a man to support their families, who gravitate to this lying, false pretense of being “in the ministry full time” so they can be a Christian beggar to the local churches to support; churches that they themselves would not join or subject themselves to. These lazy young slobs, lay around their travel trailers at every rest stop or truck station, or back of some local church parking lot waiting for the next “big event”. They could not mow a lawn, paint a house, or work 40 hours a week if their characterless life or wife depended upon it. They stop at local churches only to get financial support, but have no intentions of remaining very long [most times only long enough to get an offering and escape the congregations scrutiny about all the above]. They have no intentions of living according to the Bible, minister according to the Bible, dress or work in according to the Bible. Therefore, they cannot join, be an active member of, or remain too long in any church.
Secondly, these falsely so called evangelists in transit, to a man all have at least one extremely major sin in their secret life (some more than one), to which they cannot get the victory, and the guilt of their conscience drives them to an over emphasis of spirituality to cover a major collapse in their spirituality that they think no one sees or knows about. And because of such, open air preaching draws this flock of flesh pots like a magnet, because it affords these slobs an avenue to balance by appearance the giant failure in their Christian life, by “seeming to be pillars” (see Galatians 2:6-9) and giants of the faith, when in private they have great sins that they cannot beat (see vs. 10-11). Nominal church going Christianity doesn’t help over throw such a guilty conscience. It takes an overly public pretense of religion to overthrow the conscience about secret sins. By way of example, this preacher has over the last five years dealt with countless young, overly zealous evangelists, that are always completely over bearing and rude in their continual lashing out at sodomites, whores and drug addicts; the fervency of such rebukes never matches the spiritual countenance of the young preacher’s face as if it really did bother him that much, or was that offensive to him. And time and time again, those overly zealous young men are constantly attracted to the crowds that have the same problems they themselves fail in daily. They just preach against the secret sins in their own life. The ranks of open air preaching are full of young porno heads, pretending to be a Christian, whose conscience drives them to such guilt and despair, that their hearts stay in a continual ”excuse or accuse” mode (see Romans 2:15), where they either ”excuse” their own sin in a certain area, by openly rebuking “THE SIN…THEIR SIN” in someone else’s life, or they “accuse” others of the sin in their own lives under the superficial pretense of “rebuking” them. There is a difference between openly rebuking someone, and openly accusing someone, and these young ministers show off their seared consciences by accusing other young men of what they themselves are guilty of, unable to see that the countenance on the face of the accused is most often better than the countenance of the accuser. That is not open rebuke! In the same circus act, fell the preacher who though publicly made great shows of being the gallant street preacher standing in the byways to rebuke that other religion in town, he continually looked like he lived as a drunk in some alley way. His eyes were always puffy and blood shot, his face swollen and his speech slurred on many occasions, and his outward dress and appearance was always slobbish and unkempt. His wife had the typical hard countenance, with the coarse, brittle wasted hair of an alcoholic and the deep baritone voice of a smoker. Then came the day when the preacher’s wife was arrested for shop lifting liquor from the local ‘Do-Drop-In’, where she had stuffed the bottle in her ‘Christian Blue Jeans for Jesus’, and the jig was up. Their oldest daughter finally had enough. The preacher’s daughter had to put up with ‘mom and dad always drinking behind the scenes’, and mom always fallen down drunk at home, so that the daughter could never enjoy being a young Christian girl because she was always playing mom to her siblings when their mother was passed out drunk in the bed. Watching her mother stopped and pulled from the car by the police and arrested for stealing liquor was more than the young girl could endure without telling someone. So she told her closest friend and confident, who happened to be the SPF Director’s son. When the expected and immediate reaction of the SPF Director occurred, and “the street preacher” was confronted with the revelations, did the slob repent and clean up??? Nope, he threw his daughter out of the house for telling on him, and she retaliated by marrying into the religion he spent all his time preaching against! The drinking continued and the preacher eventually was found flat on his back in the hospital with suspected Epedimology [medical term for multiple blood clots in the brain caused by excessive drinking that softens the heart, producing numerous blood clots that lodge in the brain, leading to multiple strokes]. Such mysterious illnesses may fool the “physicians of no value” who would never suspect or at least would never state publicly a suspicion that the preacher was a drunk, but it waves a red flag to open air preachers who deal with drunks all their lives. Is there any wonder the SPF would call them slobs?
Thirdly, without exception these ministerial slobs have always failed to sit still long enough to be taught the Bible by anyone, which is a pre-requisite for being an “elder” (Titus 1:5-9), to whom the Bible assigns the over sight of the church and the ministry at large. This third attribute of the more slobbish side of open air activists and protesters and general thugs for jesus (the SPF dares not call them preachers any longer), is why so many such irresponsible transients flock to street preaching ministries, because it affords them a place to hide their ignorance of the Bible as it applies to themselves personally, while enabling them to escape a continual inspection by observant Christians. Even the very new Christians can quickly observe that these slobs apply very little of what the Bible says to themselves personally, while dumping it all over everyone else on the street. The failure to sit still and be taught the Bible, leaves these transient individuals as the sole authority in their own lives, which they can only maintain by moving on whenever their errors are called into question. Subsequently, each of these three deficiencies builds upon and feeds the other two, so that these poor, self guided fools’ fraudulent entrance into the ranks of open air preaching becomes a spiritually lethal snare to them, from which there really is no escape until their laziness, ignorance and secret sins catch up to them, to expose them as the fraudulent slob they really were. Truly the time has come, during the greatest revival of open air preaching in over two hundred years, that the truly God called street preachers must expose and remove such from our ranks, and “note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed” (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15).
“From such turn away.”
We need to remember that we’re “ambassadors for Christ” and that folks out there actually know the difference, or at least, know what to expect a saved man to look like, what he’s supposed to do and/or not do, etc.
When I was lost, I had a saved man preach to me for a year and a half who was a chain smoker. I, who didn’t grow up in a Christian home nor went to church, knew full well that a “Christian” wasn’t supposed to be a smoker, confronted him and asked him why I should listen to him with a smoke dangling out his mouth while preaching the Gospel to me. Well, it definately shamed him and he apologized for his addiction.
I never forgot how it made me feel as a lost man – I try to be careful to have an “outward appearance”, “void of offence” “before the wicked”. May the Lord help me and my brethren.
Thanks brother, please keep teaching us. Keep ‘em coming!
Amen,Amen,Amen!!
Joh 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
This is why nobody really gets to know them and why they could never be in a church with elders that could watch over them, unless they could submit to a local church. Hanging out at “events” does not qualify as knowing someone.
Eph 5:13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
This blog has turned on the light and made truth manifest.
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
True fellowship is done in the light.
1Jo 2:10 He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.
And because the Director loves these men, he speaks the truth and brings the light of scripture to the subject. This should result in repentance and works meet for repentance. One such work should be to submit themselves to the elders in a local church to receive instruction. Some of us love to talk about the scriptures, even in disagreement sometimes, but the scriptures nonetheless, because its the scriptures which bring light.
Ps 119:105 ¶ NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Most people will not go to a brain surgeon if that doctor wore a dirty T-shirt with mustard stains on it no matter how many degrees he has on his wall. That guy is not operating on my brain if he doesn’t have enough sense to look like he knows what he is doing even if he does know what he is doing.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
This verse in Samuel is usually a rallying call for those that would not try to look decent. Unfortunately, this verse is an indictment against those who will not clean up. When we are out street preaching, are we trying to convert God or men? Men right? Ok, so if we are really trying to reach men, why is it we cannot learn from this verse that man looks on the outward appearance. That is what it says right?
Also, are we not representatives of our Father? Do we not want the world to know that our Father is a King? Should we not try to look like our Father is taking care of us? Why do we insist on embarrassing the Lord? I can get dressed up to honor a bride and groom in the family at a wedding, so why cannot I at least look decent when serving my King, Saviour and Lord? I can, and by his grace I will. He has been so good to me, the least I can do is represent him with integrity, and honor, and cleanliness. Is it too much to ask or provoke my brethren to do the same?
Heb 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
There are two ways to receive instruction. To receive it or to forsake it. There are two outcomes as well.
Pr 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.
Pr 9:9 Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.
Pr 10:17 ¶ He is in the way of life that keepeth instruction: but he that refuseth reproof erreth.
Pr 12:1 ¶ Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.
Pr 13:18 ¶ Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
Pr 15:32 ¶ He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding.
Pr 19:20 ¶ Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
On and on it goes. A word to the wise is sufficient.
Thanks Bro. Ron, Prov. 25:11 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. My observations have often brought questions to my own spirit of some of the senseless and seemingly inappropiate conduct by some of these, “But of these who seemed to be somewhat, (whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter to me: God accepteth no man’s person:) for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me”, Gal. 1:6. Their “manner of life”, and more times their “manner of dress” certainly could not be as one having understanding, I Corn.14:20 “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be MEN”. I suppose that the “image” they want to portrait is not the one of the “inner MAN” being renewed day by day (2Corn4:16), and thus changing and bringing us from glory to glory, being predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, (Rom:8), but the “image” of one who has a form of godliness but denying the power therof, (2Tim3:5). From such TURN AWAY. It’s no wonder that people pay no attention to some of these circuit, I mean circus riding preachers dressed in their black garb from head to toe. I find it hard to understand why a blood washed saint almost always wants to be seen in black garb anyway. I am not saying that if one wears black he cannot be a saint, but hold on a minute. Black is associated with darkness, white is associated with light. In the book of revelations you find John writing about the saints being in “white” no less than 12 times in ONE BOOK of the bible. My kids ask me from time to time why I always seem to wear something of white. My reply to them and to you men is this. If I am going to be “clothed in white raiment” Rev.3:4-5, have a “robe of white” upon me, (Rev. 6:11), be “arrayed in white linen” (Rev 19:8), and come back with the LORD upon my own “white horse”, (Rev.19:14), I just figure I might as well get used to it. I’ll just “practise now for what lies ahead”. From the “Highway Men” on their Harleys to the stages of almost every hardrock and satanic band you will see the dress of “darkness” or black clothing with writings and sayings. Why should I or we being made free from darkness (Rom. 6:22) SIN,and having escaped the corruption that is in the world (1Pet5:4), want to be so close to that which we were once in bondage to. I remember my old life to closely resemble these same “images”, BUT NOW are “ye light in the LORD”, walk as “children of light”(Ep.5:8). I served the devil, looked like the world, talked like the world, and thought like the world long enough. My friends, its “HIGH TIME”(Rom.13:11),to WAKE out of sleep and PUT ON the whole armour of God (Ep.6) and make no provision for the flesh (Rom 13:14). May we always give glory and praise to the one who Loved us and gave Himself a ransom for all, and lead a sober and holy life that we would not “Hinder the Gospel” (1corn:9) and serve our flesh, but walk in the light as he is in the light that the world might see in us the “light upon a hill that cannot be hid.” Bro. Bill
All I can say to what has been written is Amen (Ron) and Amen (Dave) and Amen (Bill).
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
George
Has anyone EVER confronted these “slobs” as you say to their face?
I for one have wore Christian Tee-Shirts for decades and if that is offensive just think what the ‘prophet community’ thought of Isaiah (nude and barefoot) or John the Baptist. I doubt John would be allowed in many Baptist Churches today, just by dress alone. Also note that Jesus did not have nice clothes before he was put on the cross, for the Romans had to dressed Him in purple as a king. YET WE POLISH THEIR TOMBS EVERY SUNDAY.
And something tells me, if we were living in that theater we would have kept at arms length from them.
Brethren if appearance is godliness, than Beverly Hills and Wall Street should be the New MECCA for Christianity. Did our Lord not teach us “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment”
I would like the names of these men/brothers/“dirty T-shirt, with mustard stains, vagabonds, beggars and fools” because I for one have NEVER been told of this?
Is this a Matthew 18 without telling the brother of this particular sin? Personal I don’t see anywhere we can conclude how one dresses is sin unless we ourselves are consumed with appearance and what others may think.
Image, if you were standing at the Jordon River and there you saw John who looked and dressed like a mad man (“dirty T-shirt, with mustard stains, vagabonds and beggars fools”) standing in the river telling the Pharisees dressed in their godly robes yelling “Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”……..judging by appearance who would you think is of God?……..Selah……
Balancing out the forum, admonishing ALL that there are more much more meatier issues to disfellowship over.
In the ranks of open air evanglism, regardless of style of delivery or one’s thought concerning such delivery, of all the ministers within the body of Christ, those who take to the open air, dutifuly fall within the reach of what the Apostle Paul said were “fools for Christ’s sake” (1 Corinthians 4:10); and whether these fools “preach Christ of contention, not sincerely” (Philippians 1:16) or no, “fools” they be still to all concerned, if they truly be preachers, for “the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness” (1 Corinthians 1:18). As such, the Bible reigns with this preacher in how to answer a fool Biblically, and there are certain fools that the Bible commands we “answer not according to his folly, lest thou be like him” (Proverbs 26:4), and then there are certain fools that you “answer according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceits” (vs. 5). Those who take pride in their ministerial underwear fall within the former when they are found in public undressed so in the eyes of those who know better for “Christ’s sake”. Just as much as the prohet Elijah was smart enough to know the folly and lack of honour to God in “confronting” the angry wife of political wimp (see 1 Kings 19:1-3) in either the public or political arena, so too does this Preacher know the “shame” and folly of trying to argue with a preacher in public or private while he is dressed in his underwear, refusing to admit that it is his underwear simply because he painted a verse of scripture on it! “Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words” (Proverbs 23:9). There would be no difference in the judgment of arguing with another preacher’s wife in public or private about the folly of her wearing her black and red bra and panties in public because she had verses of scripture written across them for a witness for Jesus!
The SPF and its Director has taught for years concerning “the appearance” of such antics being the self justification for wearing such by those who are clad therein. The Holy Scriptures, as well as this preacher’s judgments upon such has nothing to do with “the appearance”, for the appearance is obvious. It appears to be a “Christian preacher” printing either Bible verses or religious sayings on his underwear and wearing it in public as part of his street ministry activities. That is the appearance by everyone’s eye sight including SPF Director. We have left the appearance to be simply what it is, and our judgment and the judgment of the Bible has nothing to do with the appearance. We have simply stated the righteous facts of what these fools are doing, and that is simply wearing their underwear in public thinking they do God a service since they paint scriptures on their scivvies so people will look at their underwear and ‘come to Christ’.
The philosophying of Brother Ruben about Isaiah “walking naked and barefoot three years” (Isaiah 20:1-4) has nothing whatsoever to do with being “made able ministers of the New Testament” (2 Corinthians 3:6), for he failed to note that God commanded Isaiah to do this “for a sign and a wonder upon Egypt and Ethiopia” (vs. 3). Anyone having read the passage and preached to the sons of Ham in Africa would understand why God would go to this extreme to reach a certain race of people who historically run around naked and barefoot all their lives, just to warn them that “the king of Assyria” would shorlty “lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, TO THE SHAME…THE SHAME…THE SHAME OF EGYPT” (vs. 4). Hey Official Street Preacher, you are commanded by Jesus Christ to not allow “the shame…shame…shame of thy nakedness to APPEAR” (Revelation 3:18)!!! This preacher’s judgment upon your underwear is basely solely upon what the Bible adamantly says about “THE APPEARANCE OF THY NAKEDNESS”. For one of the greatest lessons in the New Testament about “the appearance” of nakedness, was illustrated very clearly right in the middle of Christ’s betrayal, where the Bible matter of factly stated that a young man who “followed Christ” (see Mark 14:51, 52), was only wearing his “linen cloth cast about his naked body”. That is what the Bible and every department store calls underwear, “linen”. Today, the young men still think it is okay to wear the “linen cloth” in public, “cast about their naked bodies” while “following HIM” (VS. 51), as long as you write some religious saying on it.
Now contrary to Brother Ruben’s assertion, nothing in the article “concluded how one dresses is sin”. Nor did the article say anything about “appearance is godliness”. We just stated the plain, observable facts, You are wearing your underwear in pulbic while preaching the gospel. The SPF and this preacher has taught for years that “great is the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16), and that godliness is defined in the Bible as “God manifest in the flesh”, yours or Christ’s! But my dear brother Ruben’s desire to know the names of the men/brothers who were in their “dirty underwear”, is not for public consumption on this blog, or anywhere else. We will leave the consciences of those who wear “their linen cloth cast about their naked bodies” in public to identify themsleves. Brother Ruben has begun that open testimony of having “wore Christian T-shirts for decades”. We make light of the Mormon’s and their ‘holy underwear’, because they deceive themselves into believing because they vainly sanctify their underwear for religious reasons, it makes their underwear special. Howbeit, the same street preachers who wave the Mormon’s underwear in public to shame and rebuke the Mormons for believing their Christianity makes a Mormon’s underwear special, now get mad because the SPF calls the street preacher’s hand for doing the same thing. At least the Mormon keeps his “linens” under his clothes!
Brethren, if it is okay for the preacher to wear his under wear in public to witness for Christ, then it is likewise okay for the preacher’s wife to wear her bra and panties in public for the same purpose. Reason how depraved!!!!
Six things doth the LORD hate: yea seven are an abomination unto Him.
A PROUD LOOK,
A LYING TONGUE
and hands that shed innocent blood,
AN HEART THE DEVISETH WICKED IMAGINATIONS,
FEET THAT BE SWIFT IN RUNNING TO MISCHIEF,
A FALSE WITNESS THAT SPEAKETH LIES,
listen to this one Mr. Mcrae
AND HE THAT SOWETH DISCORD AMONG BRETHREN…..repent and get right with God!
Your pride has blinded you from the will of God being done in the body of believers.
Cry out to God and ask Him to save you from yourself!
You seem to be your own worst enemy.
larry Keffer
Well as with throwing a rock into a pack of dogs, the same is true with slobs. Throw a verse of scripture into a bunch of street preaching slobs and the one that gets hit, belches first! One can read and re-read the article and never find any kind of a “look” contained in words, a proud one or a humble one. Words don’t have looks, just meanings. There is no lying in the article, just a clear statement of observable facts. No imagining anything. No mischief! And discord is not a reference to the angry response and “maligning by self conceited Brethren, who run their own ways, and give liking unto nothing, but what is framed by themselves, and hammered on their anvil”. Men who walk around in public in their underwear have lost all sense of shame, so that when this old man simply says, “The Streetpreacher doesn’t have any clothes on” (Mark 14:51, 52), their troubled heart can do nothing to get around their guilty conscience but excuse how proud they are of their “linen cloth cast about their naked body”, by accusing the author of the very thing they are now shamed over…..PRIDE! These guys are so proud of their “Fruit of the Loom”, they can say nothing, and do nothing but accuse the author of being proud.
Mr. Keffer, this preacher is not proud of that article at all!! He is ashamed, truly ashamed of the men who have so far removed themselves from scriptural holiness that they do not know how to be “found in fashion as a MAN” (Philippians 2:8). “I speak this to your shame!” (1 Corinthians 15:34). -RM
Wow, this has taken an interesting turn. I would like to comment about Ruben’s comment about John the Baptist. With all due respect Ruben, (and I do respect your works for God and have told you as much) regarding this subject it seems odd to appeal to John the Baptist as a proof case for the new testament preacher of the gospel. First, John was a forerunner preparing the way for the “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world” in fulfillment of Isaiah 40. He was a voice of one crying in the wilderness. That part I am sure we can agree on. But there can be no correlation drawn between him and the new testament preaching, Holy Ghost filled preacher on this side of the cross because he was not sent into all the world to preach but rather the nation of Israel went to him. He did not go to people, they came to him. If someone came over to your home or your yard, then they should have no expectation as to your dress because after all, they came to you. The world is not coming to us, we are going to them. If we are going to go where they are, should we not want to represent our Lord properly? I mean, this is just common sense let alone biblical wisdom. We are trying to reach people who do look on the appearance.
1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.
I reiterate what I posted earlier, that lost men do look at the outward appearance. We are trying to reach lost men. The mustard stain comment that I made was a hypothetical. Nobody would let a man operate on their brain if that man didn’t even have enough common sense to care for himself or how he presents himself to others he would want to trust him for their care. Likewise, it seems the world would expect a preacher to appear to care how he presents himself and to appear that he is worthy of listening to.
You also made a comment about Jesus not having nice clothes because the Romans had to dress him in purple as a king. How does this infer that Jesus did not have nice clothes? Purple is a royal color and therefore as you said they dressed him in purple “as a king”. This would only allow us to logically conclude that Jesus did not have any purple clothes NOT nice clothes. As a matter of fact, the scriptures would disagree with your claim.
Joh 19:23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
A seamless garment would have been of great value. This would have been out of the ordinary for anyone but those of great stature. I am confident that this would have been given to him by someone of means, but how he got it is neither here nor there. He had a very nice coat. Jesus represented himself not as rich, but with dignity and respect.
Also, you commented on Joh 7:24 – “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
Let me ask this. How do you use this verse in a discussion about the physical appearance of a man’s clothing or lack thereof? This verse has nothing to do with dress. It is talking about Jesus having healed a man on the sabbath and the problems he was getting from the Jews over it. He was telling them not to judge how his healing “appeared” to them but whether or not it was righteous for him to make a man whole on the sabbath. This has nothing whatsoever to do with how one dresses. This is an example of the dangers of wresting the scriptures. You cannot take a verse out of its context to make it say what you want it to say. When you quoted the verse, you used it to rebuke Ron for judging the “appearance” of people, when the verse has nothing to do with the appearance of people but of his works. Anyway, even if it did mean what you claim it to mean, that would be something that we should be doing amongst ourselves as followers of Christ. How does this affect the wisdom of trying to reach the world with the gospel, when the world (man) does look at the appearance. They are looking at our appearance and if it would be a stumbling block to them hearing the gospel, why wouldn’t we remove it and make ourselves appear as someone worth listening too.
Also, you mentioned Matthew 18. What does Matthew 18 have to do with this? As Ron pointed out, the original post said nothing about sin. And Matthew 18 only has jurisdiction over a matter when ” thy brother trespass against thee..”. Since it has never been implied to my knowledge anywhere that anyone has trespassed against another personally in this matter (Nobody has wronged another, in other words), Matthew 18 has no relevance whatsoever.
And finally, and again, John the Baptist has nothing to do with this as he is not an example of the new testament Christian who is told to go to the world, because John had one nation coming to him where he was. Isaiah has nothing to do with this as he was specifically told to do what he did as Ron outlined already. Here is a thought. Why did God have to explicitly tell Isaiah to go naked? Because he would never have ever thought of doing so otherwise. In other words, the prophet would have never imagined to do such a thing. It was something so out of the ordinary, that he had to be told to do it, and it was such an odd thing, it became an illustration to prove a point. So I guess my point is that this proves the opposite of what you are trying to use it for. John 7:24 has no relevance to this, and neither does Matthew 18. What is wrong with trying to provoke one another unto good works? Is it so hard to try to reexamine one’s position? Are we too set in our ways to learn anything new?
Our Saviour is dressed completely to his feet.
Re 1:13 And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.
We are going to be like him one day. What do you suppose he will have us wear when we are with him? White robes.
Re 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.
Re 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
Re 7:13 ¶ And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
Re 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Do you know what robes are used for even today? Usually we call them bath robes now and we wear them sometimes at night. Why? To cover our nakedness. The Lord will make sure we are clothed right forever. Should we not represent him that way now?
We are also called ambassador’s of Christ are we not? Can you imagine an earthly king/president/Ayatollah/prime minister etc. dispatching his representatives in a way which makes them the worst attired group on earth? Unlikely. Of course we do not always have to look the greatest and be dressed to the nines all the time, but can’t we represent the Lord as best as we can when we are on official duty acting as his ambassadors to the world (which is what we are doing when we preach publicly- we are on official business). Now I know that there are many hypocrites who dress well also. Dressing well is not the point. Representing the Lord Jesus Christ is. Hypocrites eat and sleep too, but we do not avoid those things just because some hypocrites do.
Anyway, I have not said any of these things with malice or unkindness in my heart. I have tried to write with a spirit of instruction and brotherly love so I hope it can be received in the same spirit.
PS. Brother Larry, I think you were making a point that God hates those that sow discord among the brethren. That is true, but you do realize that this must preclude those that are trying to admonish or instruct another? In other words, just because someone doesn’t like what they hear, they cannot automatically claim the verses you have quoted. If this were the case, you could never rebuke a brother as we are instructed to do. If he didn’t like your rebuke, could he just claim that you are sowing discord? Of course not. The sentiment of Proverbs 6 has to do with sowing discord among brethren for no good reason other than for causing conflict. I am sure that was not the intention of Ron. Whether or not you agree with him, if his intention was instruction, then his intention is therefore not to sow discord and thus Proverbs 6 is wrongly applied to this matter. It is an easy shot at Ron, but it is wrongly applied in this case I believe. However, you may believe that was his intention and if it was, you would be correct. I guess Ron could answer to that, as it was his blog not mine.
PSS keep the videos on youtube coming, I am a subscriber.
In Christ, Brother Ickes