“Are You Dressed Right”
By
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
SCRIPTURE: 1 Peter 3:12 “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil”.
PRAYER:
OPENING:- It is amazing how God will allow you go all around something to bring you to a certain point. I was studying on the Seven churches of Revelation thinking I was going to teach on how we today are acting and operating like them in some kind of way today.
In my mind I thought I was going to teach how like:
The Church of Ephesus and lost our first love. We have become so busy with doing stuff but have lost the desire to be pleasing unto God.
The Church of Smyrna and how we deal with persecution and how we need to be encouraged and stay faithful.
The Church of Pergamum and have become the worldly church by assimilation and accommodation of the world.
The Church of Thyatira and how there are all kinds of false doctrine coming from the church and how we have been infiltrated with pagan traditions that are held in higher esteem then the Word of God in many cases.
The Church of Sardis and how we have become spiritually dead unable to transform lives and help sinners be reconciled with God.
Then I felt I was going to talk about how we need to be like the Church of Philadelphia and be Spiritually Alive.
Then bring out how we are like the Church of Laodicea and are Lukewarm more concerned with wealth, pomp, pretense and are blind, wretched, poor, and naked, operating with a form of godliness and we need to repent, or God said he would spew us out of his mouth.
When God said down in my spirit are you dressed right. Are you dressed right I said!
So, I thought He wanted me to teach on the Amour of God and how your lions must be girt about with truth, how you must have on the breastplate of righteousness, our feet shod with the preparation of peace, having the shield of faith, the sword of the spirit and the helmet of salvation. I said to myself ok I can preach on that. When He had be go back to Ephesians 6:11 which says “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. He began to deal with me in my spirit and say see that is how we are to dress to be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. I have given you what you need to be able to stand against Satan and his attacks, but are you, are my people dressed right.
So, I did as James 1:5 says, “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”. I began to ask God what are you trying to get me to understand.
Understand the church is not the building of brick and mortar, the church is not the beautiful mega structure and expensive audio and visual equipment. The church is not the ecclesiastical attire. These things are not the church. The church is you and me. What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.
Then He had me go to the Old Testament in 1 Samuel 16:7 which says, “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 hear”.
Then to the New Testament in Matthew 23:27 which says, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness”. Also Ephesians 5:3-5 which says, “But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God”.
Then He had me look at the Churches in Revelation again that He had the problems with and said look at how they were acting, look at what they were doing and see how they were spiritually.
Ephesus had a form of godliness on the outside they looked like they had it together, but their hearts were wrong. God is not worried about the outside appearance, He doesn’t care if you were a collar or not, He doesn’t care if you have a blue robe, red robe, black shirt, purple shirt, a pointed hat, a cross around your neck and a staff in your head, if your heart isn’t right and dressed in Love. On the outside you are decorated, whit washed tombs but on the inside full of dead men’s bones. Is your heart Dressed in Love.
Pergamum had assimilated and accommodate the world so much that they allowed sin like idols, immorality, cults and heresies to remain among them. John 4:34 says “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work”. That’s what Paul meant when he said in Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus”. What kind of mind are you dressed with, the carnal mind that receiveth not the things of God or a Spiritual mind that is dressed to do the will of God. Is your mind Dressed in Christ and to do His will.
Thyatira was a tolerant church that allowed the wrong doctrine to be taught. They allowed themselves to be indoctrinated by the spirit of Jezebel and infiltrated by idolatry, sexual sin and pagan traditions. He that hath an ear let him here what the spirit saith unto the churches. Are your ears dressed right with the Word of God or are they dressed in every diabolic, traditional, and paganistic doctrine.
Sardis, the spiritually dead church was dressed in mediocrity and complacency. Today much of the church is dressed in mediocrity and complacency ok I give my tithes and I sing on the praise team and I have a high position in the church, but have no compassion for lost souls, fail to spread the Word of God to others, live life outside of the four walls of the church totally contrary to the Word and Will of God. We need to be like David in Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me”. We need to say Lord revive us again. This is self-introspection - Are you dressed in the right spirit.
Laodicea, The Lukewarm Church more concerned with wealth, prosperity, and things of the world. They were dressed in pretense and pomp instead of compassion and relationship. Are you dressed in compassion for the lost and relationship with God or are you dressed in religiosity and propaganda. Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees. Are you dressed right.
CLOSING:- Society today dictates that tolerance is to accept and agree with whatever someone or something believes is ok regardless, if it goes against God, God’s Word, Natural course, or Moral standards. Not to accept it, not to agree with it causes you to be labeled as a bigot, hater, a closed minded individual that is stuck in the dark ages.
But God dictates that we love unconditionally, but uphold a standard of Holiness, for God said be ye Holy for I am Holy and Holiness without no man shall see the Lord.
The question is Are You Dressed Right.
Are your dressed in complancency and toleration. Are you dressed in mediocrity and traditionalism. Are you dressed in false doctrine and paganism.
Or
Are you dressed in a clean heart.
Are you dressed in a right spirit.
Are you dressed in the same mind as Christ.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be dressed right.
So, I will say like David said in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting”.
Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.
