Modesty Lacking In The Body Of Christ

2 Corinthians 6:3 - "We put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not be discredited."

Stumbling block - anything that could cause someone to fall into sin.

I am deeply concerned about our actions before God and man. The way we react around our brothers and sisters and those who are in the world. It is very easy to watch how we treat one another in the body of believers that we know, but how are we when we are in the world. We have no idea how many saved brothers and sisters we walk past in the shopping mall, workplace or anywhere that is out of our comfort zone. People are falling into sin everywhere because of something that is missing in the body. Modesty. Not only in the women, but also the men.

In the world it is very normal for a man to walk around with no shirt on. They get hot, they take off their shirt. They do not realize how uncomfortable it is for a saved woman of God or they may not realize that there are many women who fall into sin seeing bare skin on a man. They do not realize that the chest on a man is very sensuous to a woman. For myself, as a woman, I don't want to see any man's chest but only my husband. The sad reality is that most men don't even realize that they are causing their own sisters to fall into sin.

It distresses me even more to know that women are even worse. My husband and I went to the bank together one day. The lady behind the desk was very helpful and if my husband wasn't saved, she would have been helpful in more ways than one. Her top was so low cut that her breasts were literally falling out. It was beyond cleavage. My poor husband had to talk to this women about business affairs and all she could do was poke her chest out at him. He was actually trying not to burst out laughing because of the body language that was exploding from her. Now this woman was not saved at all. Therefore no judgment was made towards her.

However, the women in the church today are even worse because their conduct is horrendous. The Lord tells us to judge those who are in the church. We are to encourage, teach, correct and rebuke daily. Unfortunately, correction is very rare in most of the churches worldwide. Husbands allow their wives to dress like whores in and out of the body of believers. It amazes me to how many husbands allow their wives to flaunt themselves with see-through dresses, wearing camisoles that should only be worn if under another top, short dresses that if they bent over you can see their behinds, the skirt that if it were any shorter, it would be worn as a belt, and tiny shorts that are 3 sizes smaller so that their butt cheeks are hanging out behind them. Basically clothes that are not even classified as clothes in the eyes of the Lord.

Then we have the churchy couples that will dress moderately for church and Christian gatherings. They will dress appropriately if they know that someone from church is going to be at the same gathering. Yet, if they go to the mall or away together, they dress differently again. Out come the cleavage tops and short items. What they don't realize is that the unknown person that they just pasted was saved and is struggling with sexual immorality and has just fallen into sin.

Husbands are wanting to kill their bothers in Christ when they hear that their brother has confessed to their sin of fantasizing about their wives because of the clothes they wear. (Or shall I say, lack thereof.) Yet if the husband had any love for his own wife he would not let the one he loves dress inappropriately. He would not be showing her off to the world in a way that is degrading to her or to the Lord. Her body should be for her husband and his eyes only. If she has any dignity at all she would let her husband know how uncomfortable it is for her to dress like a whore for all to see. But unfortunately this is not the case because in the mind of a lot of women they give off the impression, “Look what I've got, that you can't have”, and in the man's mind in most cases it's, “Look what I get to go home to every day and she's all mine”.

Sad, isn't it! You can look, but not touch. How disgraceful it is to the Lord to see his children behaving in such a way. Brother and sisters, this is serious. Women are standing on the stage worshiping the Lord, but the brothers are unable to enter into the presence of God because their hardest battle stands before them with a see-through dress. Their thoughts are far from God because their thoughts are too busy thinking what they could be doing to that woman on stage. They are undressing the women in their minds. That woman could be your wife.

Women, put yourself in this position. The church is having a working bee or a luncheon in the park. It's a nice warm day and everyone's working hard or kicking the ball around in the park. Men are getting hotter as the day goes by. Shirts come off. How would you feel if some woman was fantasizing about your husband. How would you feel if the person next to you was sleeping with your husband in her mind. The word of God says that if we have thought it, we've already done it.

Matthew 5:27- "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

Adultery is a big number in the body of Christ. Husbands and wives are committing adultery in the eyes of God. Can you even imagine how detestable this is to the Lord? Too many broken marriages are caused because men and women could not keep their hands to themselves. In James, the Lord says that everything we do starts as a thought. Temptation comes and instead of rebuking the thought from the enemy, they continue to feed those thoughts and eventually are acting upon it.

James 1:13-15 - "When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

The Lord also says that the wages of sin is death. Death meaning, to exist no longer on this earth. Instead the gates of hell welcome you with torture beyond what you can ever imagine. A place where the worm never dies. It could also mean a spiritual death where the spirit of God can no longer live in you.

It is our own evil desires that cause us to fall into sin. God gave us a free will, therefore we have a choice. We have the choice to know that when a thought comes to our minds, it is either from God or Satan. We all have the knowledge of what is good and what is evil. Sadly too many people think that if nobody knows what goes on in their mind, then they don't have to confess or repent of it. Then there are the prideful and stubborn rebellious people who do not even know the conviction of God, therefore they can not be saved, because a saved woman or man of God walks in repentance and works out their salvation with fear and trembling.

The Lord tells the older women to teach the younger women. This means the older women are to pass down their experiences and knowledge in Christ. Not necessarily older women in age and number, but in maturity in the Lord. To teach the newly saved women or those who have a lack of the knowledge of God. They need to know what the Lord requires from woman who serves the Lord Almighty. So I encourage you sisters to teach your younger woman, or you are going stand accountable before God for these young ladies.

Cowardliness runs in the body of Christ something fierce. Pastors and leaders are too afraid to confront the body, because they are afraid of losing numbers in the body or they don't like confrontation. They don't want to stir up the water. But what did Jesus say in Luke 12:51 - "Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." Jesus,  by no means came to bring peace, but to divide his children from the world. I encourage you pastors and leaders to do the same. I encourage you pastors and leaders to stand up in your calling as a man of God and confront your church and the believers in it.

Believe me I know how hard it is to confront someone or an entire group. I lived with this fear all my life, but now fear has no hold on me. I don't want to go to hell because I would not stand with the responsibility and the authority Christ has given me. When I am able to put myself aside and let Christ take control He brings the conviction or the rejoicing in the person or people He has me ministering to. We need to get over ourselves and stop letting fear come between us and the word the Lord has given us for the individual or body of believers the Lord has given us to encourage, rebuke or reprove. We are in more trouble with the Lord if we do not speak out.

If we have any love for one another we would be very careful about how we look when we walk out our front door or when company is around. Consider others more important than yourself. Ask your husband what would be more appropriate to wear for every occasion even if you are just going to the store to get groceries. If you are not married, ask the Lord or someone who has some modesty if what you are wearing is appropriate. If they have any love for you, they will be truthful.

I would crumble in shame if I was standing before the Lord only to find out how many people fell into sin because of my lack of concern for those around me. I think you would also feel the same way knowing that someone was unable to accept Jesus because they were too busy looking at your wife or your husband. How can we reconcile the world to God if we are too busy mixing the dress code of the world with the goodness and severity of the Lord?

Please think seriously about this. People in the church are walking into sin, not falling, but walking into sin because of the lack of modesty in the body of Christ today.

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