Knowing how to dress for church can sometimes be a thorny issue. Some require shirt and tie. Others encourage less formal dress, wanting to make everyone feel welcome. Some wedding venues require you to dress according to their standards, otherwise, they won’t let you come in. The idea of doing things a certain way in order to be accepted brings to mind God’s way for people to approach Him. Under God’s covenant with ancient Israel God gave certain rules for transporting the Ark of the Covenant. King David once directed the Ark be carried on a cart, contrary to the way God had told Moses. As a result, God slew the men guiding the cart. We learn from 1 Chronicles Ch 15, that David later did it the right way, after learning the hard way that in approaching a holy God, he had to follow the instructions God gives. From this we learn we cannot choose our own way to find favor with God—as many people try to do today. We must come in the way God has specified. We must come by faith in God’s Son–Jesus the Christ. He is the one God chose to bear the sins of all humanity. It was He who said, “Everyone who believes in him [the Son Man] will not perish but have eternal life.”
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
