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| Rules, rules, and more rules |
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My wife and I were talking last night about all the rules we have been taught through the years. These rules are usually taught in the context of pleasing God. If you don't follow these rules, then you can't please God. Some are even taught that if you do these things, it will separate you from God.
These rules are not from one individual or through any specific teaching. We were a military family for many years and moved around the country. We have attended Baptist, Lutheran, Episcopal, Methodist, Four Square, Church of God, independent and nondenominational churches. Each has their own "rules" that apply. In some cases, the rules were more strict than others. In ALL cases, they were in place to help you feel closer to God.
My point of this post is this:
Rules are in place for man - not for God.
Breaking rules have earthly consequences (some times) and some of those consequences can be severe.
You can break every rule anybody can think of and it will never, ever separate you from God - never.
It was a high price He paid. High enough to cover all my sin. High enough to fix any rule I have broken. I may still have to suffer the earthly consequences, but the spiritual book says "paid in full".
I can't get "more of God" of "closer to God". He has given me everything I need and He resides within me.
I know many of you will disagree with me. This is where I am in my walk with God. I choose to follow rules because it helps me control my carnal self. However, it doesn't effect my standing before God. He has already paid the price.
Once again, let me say my point a different way. Many of these rules are good things to do. The issue is the condemnation we put on people when they don't do them.
Here is a partial list of the rules. As I mentioned above, these are things that I have been taught at some point in my walk that, if not followed, would separate me from God:
1. You must read your Bible everyday.
2. You must pray in the morning when you get up and in the evening before you go to bed. Keep a record of the prayers in your journal.
3. You must not drink wine for communion.
4. You must drink wine for communion.
5. You can't spill the left over communion juice (be it wine or not)
6. You can't give the left over communion bread to your four year old child to eat. (Guess it is better to throw it out than to feed the hungry kids.)
7. Skirts must be lower than three inches above the knee.
8. Skirts must be below the knee.
9. Skirts must be ankle length.
10. Women can't wear pants to church.
11. Don't ever write in your Bible.
12. You can't eat meat. (I personally think you need to be in a prayerful trance to enjoy tofu, but maybe that is just me.)
13. You have to eat fish on certain days.
14. You have to fast the first Friday of the second month.
15. You can't drink.
16. You can't smoke.
17. You can eat as much as you want and every church function has to have a potluck meal associated with it.
18. You have to be in the church every time the doors are open.
19. Don't go to the movies.
20. Don't listen to rock and roll.
21. Don't listen to rock and roll backwards.
22. You can't do drugs.
23. You can't trust doctors - it shows a lack of faith in the healing power of Jesus.
24. You can't enjoy sex.
25. You can't admit that you enjoy sex.
26. You can only enjoy sex if it is for the purposes of procreation.
27. You can only watch old movies.
28. You have to tithe.
29. You have to tithe plus give offerings.
30. You have to tithe, give offering, plus give alms.
31. You have to tithe on your income before taxes.
32. You have to be baptized as an infant.
33. You have to be baptized as an adult.
34. You have to be fully dunked in water.
35. You can only be baptized in the name of Jesus. If not, you have to do it over because it didn't take.
36. You can't have body piercings.
37. Ear piercings are ok, but only one per ear.
38. Ear piercings are ok - as many as you want as long as they are only in the ears.
39. If you dye your hair, don't ever tell anybody.
40. Don't express yourself through your hair color.
41. You can't be a homosexual.
42. You can be a homosexual as long as you only think about it and don't act on it.
43. You can't even think about doing it with someone of the opposite sex.
44. You can't even think about doing it alone.
45. Only women can wear sandals to church.
46. Only women can wear a hat in church.
47. Women are not allowed to speak in church.
48. Women are not allowed to teach in church.
49. Women can only sing in the choir if they have a male covering them.
50. Men can't have their hair longer than the top of their collar.
51. Dancing is strictly prohibited.
52. Dancing with the opposite sex is strictly prohibited.
53. If you don't dance, there is some sin in your life - probably pride.
54. We must have a very specific order of worship for each Sunday in the year as described in our Order of Worship book.
55. We must be flexible in our order of worship.
56. We have no order of worship to allow for God to work.
57. You have to say the sinners prayer during an alter call at church in order to be saved.
58. You have to say the sinners prayer out loud to be saved.
59. You have to say the sinners prayer, have someone else pray for you to receive tongues, and receive tongues to be saved.
60. You can't do anything to be saved. God has already chosen who will be saved.
61. My very favorite - you can't kiss your bride at the alter because we don't allow affection to be shown at the alter. We must be solemn.
I could go on, but that is enough. Have any of your own to add?
My conclusion: Make rules that are needed for order. Don't be surprised when people don't follow the rules. Don't ever teach that breaking the rules can separate people from God. Breaking the rules may make people FEEL like they are separated from God, but they are not.
8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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lol....
11. Don't ever write in your Bible.
I would be in sooooo much trouble!! |
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Gene |
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May 10, 2008 at 9:50am |
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I like 32 and 33 - especially together. There are two types of "rules" - those given by God and those established by man to interpret what God said or the Bible intends.
I think it you can work with the eleven God given rules, the rest is of small consequence. |
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| 13. You have to eat fish on certain days...well, maybe I don't like fish! |
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ohhhhhhhhh my, I'm laughing! Raised Southern Baptist from back in the day when women couldn't wear pants to church and dancing was a sin.......still laughing!!!! Cause I look at these rules and think about allllllllllllllllllllllllll that I've broken, LOLOLOL In fact, I've broken almost all of them!!!!!!! hehehehe, and God still loves me, hehehehehe what about tattoos????????? There's one!!!!! |
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| Princess, I stopped myself at 61. Yep, tatoos was one of those rules, too...until I met a bunch of Bikers for Jesus who had more skin covered with tatoos than not. |
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Kathy |
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May 10, 2008 at 6:01pm |
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| Great post, Voice! |
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| This is Great! What a hoot. Yeah I have seen and lived through many of these rules. Thank Goodness we have migrated past most of them, cause I broke most of them too. |
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| You forgot the one about women not wearing makeup. That would truly be scary some days. |
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| Shellie, maybe that is where the veils got started ;^) |
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ok, no makeup.........scaryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, lololol
What's sad is alot of these stick with us......when it became "acceptable" for women to wear pants......I was uncomfortable for a while
Ahhhhhhhh........another one, men and long hair! My husband had long hair to the middle of his back and a pierced ear. He ran the sound at church......that's what he used to do for a band and I sang in the band (pre-christian days)....and the little women at church loved his hair and one day a guest speaker came ( he had long hair)......here's my hubby up above us in the sound booth in the back corner and the speaker says " Well, I see where y'all put the long-hairs!"
Our pastor later said that my hubby really shouldn't have long hair! I looked at him with his short hair and dress suit and said " My hubby can reach people who will not even look nor speak to you because of how you look to them"......The youth minister was there and amened me, LOLOL |
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| Princess, you are right that these things stick with us for a long time. Some times I catch myself telling my kids things are suppose to be done a certain way, but I stop myself and ask why... |
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Cathy |
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May 10, 2008 at 7:48pm |
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| 15 and 16 !!!! I'm out !!!! |
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Cathy |
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May 10, 2008 at 7:58pm |
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| Crap! |
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What about Country and Western backward????
I'm reminded about a book by Christos Yannaras, "The Freedom of Morality". He spends much of the book dealing with the "rules of the church" being based in the sociology of the group, and then drops the bomb...we are to live by the hardest rule of all, love. Then he proceeds to bring understanding about how love for God not only supersedes all other rules, but takes us farther than any group of man made rules can start to take us. Love becomes the proto-rule that moves us into fellowship with the Father. Cool huh?
I was also really amazed at how man of these rules i have broken, by accident, on purpose, or more often out of real rebellion......sigh..... |
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| ...and above all these, love...selah. |
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LOL.. reading you all was tooo much fun!!
Cathy -you sinner- I LOVE YOU!! |
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| Good point Voice! (it is clearer now too, thanks) |
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| Dude, you have no idea how many more I could add to that list. I think what Jesus told the Pharisees: "You tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.....You hypocrites, you shut up the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. ..You travel over land and sea to win a single convert and when he becomes one, you make him twice a son of hell you are." Matthew 23:4-15 I truly wonder how many we/I have prevented from entering the Kingdom of Heaven? That is a sobering thought! This is a fine post! Keep preaching grace! For whom the Son has set free, You shall be free indeed! |
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| i could vouch for with others. i do agree |
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| Todd, it is sobering, isn't it? |
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Wow. To quote Brian Reagan (pronounced reeee-gan), a pretty famliy-friendly comedian, "Those are some rough rules." And in Tootie's words, from Facts of Life... "I'd be in troub-leeeee." Number 40 is the funniest to me, because, well, I do express myself with hair color, and cuts, and extensions... etc.... I like to change it up, since it's one of those things that's "temporary" and won't harm myself or others. :)
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Keep the Rule and the Rule will keep you, Voice. Or if you want to put it on a t-shirt: Servo regula quod regula mos servo vos...I think
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Amanda, I am trying to convince my kids that I should dye the tips of my hair blue or green. I think it would impress the guys on Capitol Hill - whatcha think?
MD, touche! |
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Rob |
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May 28, 2008 at 3:03pm |
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| SOOOOO very well said! Just know that there are a whole lot of us out here that have discovered the same thing you have! |
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| Rob, Amen. I suspect you are not talking about my desire to dye my hair ;^) I am in a church now that walks in grace. It is a beautiful thing. |
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| Actually the verse that says for the older women to teach the younger to dress modestly is a good one please star :0) |
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| Totally agree. There is nothing wrong with that at all. My point is that if you don't follow that your actions will NOT separate you from God. |
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| I think you should do it. It's temporary. Besides, though your kids may be "embarrassed", their friends will think you're the coolest dad ever. :D As of yesterday's post to this, I added highlights... and I'm planning on some summer "color." :D |
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