This, again, is another response to an e-mail that I received, this time it was about “open air” or “street” preaching. It has been slightly altered to help explain what we were talking about without revealing the identity of the person who asked the question. Please Share.
Sorry it has taken me so long to get to you Brother. That is a pretty loaded question with many rabbit trails to the answer but let me try to sum it up a little bit.
First of all, I can NEVER see myself preaching about exact items of clothing and naming them. Perhaps once in a great while I will use some radical example and call out a “leather mini-skirt” or something fairly crazy to make a point, but to actually name types, lengths, material styles, that are and are not “biblically appropriate” while trying to reach the general public that I am assuming are generally lost...Not going to happen!
That is one of many portions of doctrine that need to be TAUGHT by preachers and teachers and prayed over until individuals are persuaded by the Holy Ghost. Preaching in open air is intended for many things. Declaring salvation, demonstrating Christ and denouncing sin, to name a few. If one of the primary sins that someone thinks needs to be preached on and gotten straightened out in America today is the exact articles of clothing that people, (especially women) are wearing, then they are either very shallow or very blind. It amazes me that we overlook things like abortion, adultery, pride, hatred, to get straight to “dressing the lost”. If we believe in salvation by the blood and sanctification by the blood and the in filling of the Holy Ghost into a willing, clean vessel, then to preach on such things to raw and rank sinners on the streets seems defiant to our beliefs.
We believe that we should preach against ignoring God and against not responding to Christ and against rebellion and witchcraft and such things because then a sinner may see their wicked ways and be drawn to the savior. After salvation they are to be taught, loved on and preached to in the local congregation that they might be fed and learn to pray up to and surrender to sanctification and all things that they didn’t fully receive at salvation, (if there were any, and there usually are, it is normally because they were not taught and do not understand). This is where the wearing of apparel mostly comes in to play. Once they have been touched by and responded to the atoning and life style correcting blood then and only then are they a candidate for the Holy Ghost.
If this is what we believe then the preacher that preaches to the heathen, about the item by item lifestyle changes of sanctification without them ever being saved, seems to be preaching as if he (the preacher) can TEACH sanctification and the blood is unnecessary. I realize that I have made some sweeping statements here and these statement are quite generalized and I even know some very dedicated and studied open air preachers that differ slightly with me on this but these things are not for the novice to dive into.
Please hear me correctly. I for one believe very strongly in modesty. I teach very strongly on it. It is a pillar of a God fearing society. But we have got to stop getting the cart before the horse. Worse yet, sometimes we spend all day decorating the cart, not realizing that the horse has already run away. At the end of the day all we have is a cart that is “fixed up exactly the way we want it” and no way to make any other progress than that!
I know that when I make comments like this it get backsliders and rebellious church members all frothy and excited, but I do not say these things to tear down the church, I say them to re-build the decaying and crumbling parts of it. If you use my teachings and comments to help you defy your pastor or run from God or ignore truths then you are abusing them.
I hope this helps a little bit. I know it is not what you are used to nor is it what you have been generally taught or told. But you asked the question and I did my best to give you an answer that I think in the losg run will do you the most good. We love you here at HMA Brother and we pray for you and your ministry. God bless you.
Your humble servant,
Rev. D. Todd Sloggett
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