"He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)"
I really enjoyed this walk it gave me quite a bit of time to reflect on family and what it means to be a father. It was quite encouraging and challenging.
To me this sometimes seems to be one of the most obvious qualification for leadership in the church. The idea of family, big or small. Your family, God's family. The prinicples of leadership in both are very similar. The things that should drive a father in the home should also drive a leader in the church.
A man must care enough to invest his life in his family. If a man is not investing in his natural children, there is no reason to believe he will care enough to invest in his spiritual children.
A father must have a heart of dedication. He should be willing to sacrifice, to even die for his children. This much is expected in a leader of the church. The issue of obedience of children is a moot point I believe when kids know how dedicated their parents are to their welfare above all else.
A father should desire above all else that his children know and desire to follow Christ. If he fails to have this desire for his kids, it will not magically appear for others.
A father must teach his children in Biblical truth, therefore setting a precedent for his leadership of others in the church.
Church leadership should never cause a man to lose his family. If it does, the whole point has been lost.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
1 Timothy 3:2-3
" Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. "
I linked these verses because I think they all had one thing. A leader in the church must be a "winner". Now before we go to far into worldly connotations associated with the idea of a winner, what I mean is a spiritual winner. One who fights the battles against the true enemies of believers "the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil". A man who is tested in battle, has on many occasions sent Satan and his minions away defeated. A man who, under God, "fights the good fight". A man who knows how to put on the Ephesians 6 armor of God and "Stand Firm".
All of the qualifications in these two verses (with the possible exception of teaching) have to do with controlling the desires of the flesh that generally wreak havoc on men. They go from lust, to violence, to anger, to greed, to selfishness, and even alcohol addiction. When put together, this becomes a pretty comprehensive list of the passions of the flesh that wage against men soles. Notice, that while the passions above are true of both sexes, some of the things that are unique to women are not listed here. This is a comprehensive list of men's struggles.
Men worthy of leading God's church have fought these battles and they are winners! They have "overcome this world". They are God's men. I think this is where teaching fits into this verse. Because these men have overcome the desires of their flesh, they are men capable of teaching with a clear conscience from a position of victory. God's leaders are winners.
I linked these verses because I think they all had one thing. A leader in the church must be a "winner". Now before we go to far into worldly connotations associated with the idea of a winner, what I mean is a spiritual winner. One who fights the battles against the true enemies of believers "the powers of the dark world and the spiritual forces of evil". A man who is tested in battle, has on many occasions sent Satan and his minions away defeated. A man who, under God, "fights the good fight". A man who knows how to put on the Ephesians 6 armor of God and "Stand Firm".
All of the qualifications in these two verses (with the possible exception of teaching) have to do with controlling the desires of the flesh that generally wreak havoc on men. They go from lust, to violence, to anger, to greed, to selfishness, and even alcohol addiction. When put together, this becomes a pretty comprehensive list of the passions of the flesh that wage against men soles. Notice, that while the passions above are true of both sexes, some of the things that are unique to women are not listed here. This is a comprehensive list of men's struggles.
Men worthy of leading God's church have fought these battles and they are winners! They have "overcome this world". They are God's men. I think this is where teaching fits into this verse. Because these men have overcome the desires of their flesh, they are men capable of teaching with a clear conscience from a position of victory. God's leaders are winners.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
1 Timothy 3:2-12
Before, I did a verse by verse meditation on these, I wanted to think about these verses in the big picture context. These verses are those that describe the qualifications for elders and deacons in the church.
I personally thought, I have no desire to be a church leader, but I do desire to follow God and so I do desire my life to match the scrutiny of these verses also.
As I started to walk it was hard not to tally a mental checklist as I went through the verses. This character trait (check), next character trait (uncheck), this trait (check back in a month). As I thought about it, regretfully I started to see it as a to do list I would put on my refrigerator. Must be gentle (Will do next week), hospitable (tomorrow), not a lover of money (Maybe I can buy a book about that at the store later today). Anyway it became rather daunting.
Instead of any answers all I got were questions in my head. "Is this possible?" "Does such a man exist?" How do you become such a man?
Then it hit me, you can't "become such a man". Such a natural man does not exist. If I treated this like a checklist of traits to add to my shopping cart, this task would never be acheivable and I would never become "such a man".
I then thought about C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity Here is a rather long quote from the book.
"Already the new men are dotted here and there all over the earth....Every now and then one meets them. Their very voices and faces are different from ours; stronger, quieter, happier, more radiant. They begin werhe most of us leave off. They are, I say, recognisable; but you must know what to look for. They will not be very like the idea of "religious people" which you have formed from your general reading. They do not draw attention to themselves. You tend to think that you are being kind to them when they are really being kind to you. They love you more than other men do, but they need you less......They will usually seem to have a lot of time; you will wonder where it comes from. When you have recognised one of them, you will recognise the next one much more easily. And I strongly suspect that they recognise one another immediately and infallibly,........In that way to be holy is like joining a secret society. To put it at the very lowest, it must be great fun..............To become new men means losing what we now call "ourselves." Out of ourselves, into Christ, we must go. His will is to become ours and we are to think His thoughts, to "have the mind of Christ" as the Bible says."
This is how I think we become these "new men". Set apart to lead Christ's church. Not to follow a checklist of character to do's, but to become more Christ like. To put on his mind. To be more, not to do more. As Paul prayed for the Ephesians "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" This is how you become "such a man".
I personally thought, I have no desire to be a church leader, but I do desire to follow God and so I do desire my life to match the scrutiny of these verses also.
As I started to walk it was hard not to tally a mental checklist as I went through the verses. This character trait (check), next character trait (uncheck), this trait (check back in a month). As I thought about it, regretfully I started to see it as a to do list I would put on my refrigerator. Must be gentle (Will do next week), hospitable (tomorrow), not a lover of money (Maybe I can buy a book about that at the store later today). Anyway it became rather daunting.
Instead of any answers all I got were questions in my head. "Is this possible?" "Does such a man exist?" How do you become such a man?
Then it hit me, you can't "become such a man". Such a natural man does not exist. If I treated this like a checklist of traits to add to my shopping cart, this task would never be acheivable and I would never become "such a man".
I then thought about C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity Here is a rather long quote from the book.
"Already the new men are dotted here and there all over the earth....Every now and then one meets them. Their very voices and faces are different from ours; stronger, quieter, happier, more radiant. They begin werhe most of us leave off. They are, I say, recognisable; but you must know what to look for. They will not be very like the idea of "religious people" which you have formed from your general reading. They do not draw attention to themselves. You tend to think that you are being kind to them when they are really being kind to you. They love you more than other men do, but they need you less......They will usually seem to have a lot of time; you will wonder where it comes from. When you have recognised one of them, you will recognise the next one much more easily. And I strongly suspect that they recognise one another immediately and infallibly,........In that way to be holy is like joining a secret society. To put it at the very lowest, it must be great fun..............To become new men means losing what we now call "ourselves." Out of ourselves, into Christ, we must go. His will is to become ours and we are to think His thoughts, to "have the mind of Christ" as the Bible says."
This is how I think we become these "new men". Set apart to lead Christ's church. Not to follow a checklist of character to do's, but to become more Christ like. To put on his mind. To be more, not to do more. As Paul prayed for the Ephesians "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being" This is how you become "such a man".
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
1 Tim 3:2
"Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach."
In a short note, this might be my last walking meditation in a while as I sprained my ankle (for the first time ever, never thought it would happen to me) while playing soccer with the boys. I realize what people talk about when they feel their ankle pop. Mine did and it was horrible. I get to write this while I sit home with a day off unable to walk. My wife encouraged me to rename the blog "Laying with Timothy", but then we both realized this was probably not appropriate!
The moment I read this verse, this thought popped into my head. "This is where desire meets reality." The last verse we looked at the nobility of setting your thoughts on such a high position, a position of such responsibility, a position of such service. It is good that men have these desires, but here Paul reminds Timothy, the desire is good, but it takes more then desire to lead in Christ's Church. Here is what it takes........
While Christ of course, gives all of his believers freedom to make choices, free to make mistakes, free even to decide to choose sin against him. Here is something I believe in which he does not want to give Timothy and for that matter any church freedom. Here Paul spends the next 10 or so verses be very specific on the qualifications for leaders within Christ's church. Here the rubber hits the road. It is great to desire, it is better to deliver. Believers who desire to lead in the church need to deliver a godly character. Here Paul tells Timothy what that looks like and he leaves little room for Timothy to move within his established desires. Here is what a leader after my heart looks like, the only type of leader who should follow after me in leadership. This is what I hear the Lord saying through Paul.
In this verse, Christ through Paul eliminates all "wordly" standards for leadership. Even all "churchly" standards that regretfully mingle in ever so gently into our evaluation of individuals. He never talks about money. Being a "VP" of a company has no bearing to the Lord.(Though management skills are valued) He's not a fishing buddy of the pastor or someone who has a great sense of humor (Even though the church needs more who do at times!) God says, your standards, because of your nature tend to be flawed. My standards are never flawed. Use Them!
One more noble thing about this process is the noble task of being one who selects God's leaders. As Timothy is hearing this, I imagine him reading with a great sense of almost foreboding responsibility hanging over him. This is quite a list. Does such a man exist! Either way it is my responsibility to do my do diligence in searching for them. Finding the men who will lead God's church along with him is a task of utmost importance. A task that will forever effect the church and forever effect him as he serves with these men.
In a short note, this might be my last walking meditation in a while as I sprained my ankle (for the first time ever, never thought it would happen to me) while playing soccer with the boys. I realize what people talk about when they feel their ankle pop. Mine did and it was horrible. I get to write this while I sit home with a day off unable to walk. My wife encouraged me to rename the blog "Laying with Timothy", but then we both realized this was probably not appropriate!
The moment I read this verse, this thought popped into my head. "This is where desire meets reality." The last verse we looked at the nobility of setting your thoughts on such a high position, a position of such responsibility, a position of such service. It is good that men have these desires, but here Paul reminds Timothy, the desire is good, but it takes more then desire to lead in Christ's Church. Here is what it takes........
While Christ of course, gives all of his believers freedom to make choices, free to make mistakes, free even to decide to choose sin against him. Here is something I believe in which he does not want to give Timothy and for that matter any church freedom. Here Paul spends the next 10 or so verses be very specific on the qualifications for leaders within Christ's church. Here the rubber hits the road. It is great to desire, it is better to deliver. Believers who desire to lead in the church need to deliver a godly character. Here Paul tells Timothy what that looks like and he leaves little room for Timothy to move within his established desires. Here is what a leader after my heart looks like, the only type of leader who should follow after me in leadership. This is what I hear the Lord saying through Paul.
In this verse, Christ through Paul eliminates all "wordly" standards for leadership. Even all "churchly" standards that regretfully mingle in ever so gently into our evaluation of individuals. He never talks about money. Being a "VP" of a company has no bearing to the Lord.(Though management skills are valued) He's not a fishing buddy of the pastor or someone who has a great sense of humor (Even though the church needs more who do at times!) God says, your standards, because of your nature tend to be flawed. My standards are never flawed. Use Them!
One more noble thing about this process is the noble task of being one who selects God's leaders. As Timothy is hearing this, I imagine him reading with a great sense of almost foreboding responsibility hanging over him. This is quite a list. Does such a man exist! Either way it is my responsibility to do my do diligence in searching for them. Finding the men who will lead God's church along with him is a task of utmost importance. A task that will forever effect the church and forever effect him as he serves with these men.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
1 Tim 3:1
"Here is a trustworthy saying, whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task."
I spent three days walking on this verse and nothing really hit me about it. There were several things I was thinking through, but nothing really came to me. I wondered why Paul felt the need to declare another statement trustworthy as he had done about a chapter earlier. I wondered what was so noble about the task. ( The coming verses explain much of the nobility of the desire so I will not spend time with that here). I also spent time thinking about what it means to aspire to this role. Is this a calling or simply a desire to serve. I think both.
Then something hit me as to the nobility to this desire, ignobility! There are so many ignoble things in this world to pursue and regretfully most men, even many in the church, pursue these desires. They have said no to money, no to power, no to pleasure. They have refused to focus on filling their storehouses with earthly treasure. They have and are working to beat lesser pleasures, lesser gods into the ground. They have rejected what man values for what God values. This is noble!
Col 3:1-3 tells us to set our hearts on things above where Christ our hope sits. This is noble. This is where we are to set our vision and striving to be men who can lead the church these men have truly set their hearts on things above. They have decided not to store up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. They have openly said I forsake the pleasures of the world to the greater reward. They have said as Jim Elliott did "he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
I wanted to come back and share two other thought that hit me about the nobility of this desire. First, is the understanding of the great scrutiny you are about to go through. Following this verse, Paul spends the rest of the chapter outlining the standards such a man match up to. By desiring such a task, you desire the scrutiny that comes with the process. You in essence are saying, open my life up bear, and test it.
Secondly, leading in the church in the first century (and still today in many countries) means the first to suffer persecution, danger, and possibly death for Christ. You put yourself on the frontlines as a symbol for the church. For those who desire to destroy the church, the leader is often the first mark. We have seen that here even in Mexico as pastors have been threatened by Narcos who see that they have Americans in the congregation and think they can get money from the church because of them. You are saying, I can stand for Christ through pressure.
I spent three days walking on this verse and nothing really hit me about it. There were several things I was thinking through, but nothing really came to me. I wondered why Paul felt the need to declare another statement trustworthy as he had done about a chapter earlier. I wondered what was so noble about the task. ( The coming verses explain much of the nobility of the desire so I will not spend time with that here). I also spent time thinking about what it means to aspire to this role. Is this a calling or simply a desire to serve. I think both.
Then something hit me as to the nobility to this desire, ignobility! There are so many ignoble things in this world to pursue and regretfully most men, even many in the church, pursue these desires. They have said no to money, no to power, no to pleasure. They have refused to focus on filling their storehouses with earthly treasure. They have and are working to beat lesser pleasures, lesser gods into the ground. They have rejected what man values for what God values. This is noble!
Col 3:1-3 tells us to set our hearts on things above where Christ our hope sits. This is noble. This is where we are to set our vision and striving to be men who can lead the church these men have truly set their hearts on things above. They have decided not to store up treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy. They have openly said I forsake the pleasures of the world to the greater reward. They have said as Jim Elliott did "he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
I wanted to come back and share two other thought that hit me about the nobility of this desire. First, is the understanding of the great scrutiny you are about to go through. Following this verse, Paul spends the rest of the chapter outlining the standards such a man match up to. By desiring such a task, you desire the scrutiny that comes with the process. You in essence are saying, open my life up bear, and test it.
Secondly, leading in the church in the first century (and still today in many countries) means the first to suffer persecution, danger, and possibly death for Christ. You put yourself on the frontlines as a symbol for the church. For those who desire to destroy the church, the leader is often the first mark. We have seen that here even in Mexico as pastors have been threatened by Narcos who see that they have Americans in the congregation and think they can get money from the church because of them. You are saying, I can stand for Christ through pressure.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
1 Timothy 2:11-14
"A woman should learn in quiteness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner."
Wow! You read verses and sometimes a first you are a little taken back as to what to do with them. My first inclination it do what I have heard at times, declare this a local verse that only pertains to the issues in Timothy's congregation. Regretfully to do that seems to allow believers to much freedom to decide what Scripture is allowed to come out of its original context and which Scripture should stay in its place. All Scripture is originally local, but then likewise universal in scope.
Something that did jump out at me from these verses, which had never happened before in reading, is the organization of God. This chapter addressed to Timothy is littered with God's great desire for order and organization. He is a God of order and those who try to deny this simply do themselves harm. He started off the chapter urging Timothy to first pray for rulers so that societies might be peaceful and dignified so that the gospel might spread fruitfully. He has spent the last couple verse cautioning against things that destroy fellowship and order in worship. This verse continues the theme of God's great desire for order in the church.
No doubt, their is a local issue here. There obviously are women with the congregation causing issues by their behavior in meetings. This might even be linked to wealth of some wome as hinted at in the last set of verses. Anyway, their behavior is leading to a lack of local order. God desires that within his body, all of his attributes will be reflected in the world. One of these is his desire for order. That is not being done in this congregation.
It would be skirting an issue to not talk about roles here. Yesterday, in my bible class with the boys. I established 4 principles for Manhood. I took these from Raising A Modern Day Knight and I think they are wonderful. 1) Reject Passivity 2) Accepts Responsibility 3) Leads Courageously 4) Expects a Greater Reward. When discussing point 3 with the kids, the book and I used 1 Corinthians 11:3 "the head of every man is Christ, so man is the head of the woman." While explaining it carefully to avoid misinterpretation, I made the point that men were created to be leaders. Every man is created in some aspect to be a leader. Men need to embrace this.
I have a feeling that within this church men are not embracing their roles. When their is a power vacuum caused by men vacating their roles within the church or the home, naturally the women in these areas will step in and satisfy them. This is a problem in Timothy's church. Men need to reestablish them. While this verse does seem to be an indictment on women (actually rather harsh), I think implicitly it is critical of men. The first point above is "Reject Passivity". No greater show of male passivity has been seen then what was experienced in the garden of Eden. Here Adam sat by and watched passively as Eve chose to give into temptation. So while the Scripture says that Adam was formed first (putting him in a leadership role) he was also not first to stand up to Satan. He allowed his wife to sin, by being passive in leadership no setting guidelines for his family and his faith in God's command.
This church is suffering in the same way and I believe Paul is trying to remind Timothy of the natural order created by God. While the verse seems to be very critical of women, (No one ever accused Paul of tiptoeing issues), it is actually very critical of the lack of God ordained structure that this church is displaying.
Wow! You read verses and sometimes a first you are a little taken back as to what to do with them. My first inclination it do what I have heard at times, declare this a local verse that only pertains to the issues in Timothy's congregation. Regretfully to do that seems to allow believers to much freedom to decide what Scripture is allowed to come out of its original context and which Scripture should stay in its place. All Scripture is originally local, but then likewise universal in scope.
Something that did jump out at me from these verses, which had never happened before in reading, is the organization of God. This chapter addressed to Timothy is littered with God's great desire for order and organization. He is a God of order and those who try to deny this simply do themselves harm. He started off the chapter urging Timothy to first pray for rulers so that societies might be peaceful and dignified so that the gospel might spread fruitfully. He has spent the last couple verse cautioning against things that destroy fellowship and order in worship. This verse continues the theme of God's great desire for order in the church.
No doubt, their is a local issue here. There obviously are women with the congregation causing issues by their behavior in meetings. This might even be linked to wealth of some wome as hinted at in the last set of verses. Anyway, their behavior is leading to a lack of local order. God desires that within his body, all of his attributes will be reflected in the world. One of these is his desire for order. That is not being done in this congregation.
It would be skirting an issue to not talk about roles here. Yesterday, in my bible class with the boys. I established 4 principles for Manhood. I took these from Raising A Modern Day Knight and I think they are wonderful. 1) Reject Passivity 2) Accepts Responsibility 3) Leads Courageously 4) Expects a Greater Reward. When discussing point 3 with the kids, the book and I used 1 Corinthians 11:3 "the head of every man is Christ, so man is the head of the woman." While explaining it carefully to avoid misinterpretation, I made the point that men were created to be leaders. Every man is created in some aspect to be a leader. Men need to embrace this.
I have a feeling that within this church men are not embracing their roles. When their is a power vacuum caused by men vacating their roles within the church or the home, naturally the women in these areas will step in and satisfy them. This is a problem in Timothy's church. Men need to reestablish them. While this verse does seem to be an indictment on women (actually rather harsh), I think implicitly it is critical of men. The first point above is "Reject Passivity". No greater show of male passivity has been seen then what was experienced in the garden of Eden. Here Adam sat by and watched passively as Eve chose to give into temptation. So while the Scripture says that Adam was formed first (putting him in a leadership role) he was also not first to stand up to Satan. He allowed his wife to sin, by being passive in leadership no setting guidelines for his family and his faith in God's command.
This church is suffering in the same way and I believe Paul is trying to remind Timothy of the natural order created by God. While the verse seems to be very critical of women, (No one ever accused Paul of tiptoeing issues), it is actually very critical of the lack of God ordained structure that this church is displaying.
1 Timothy 2:9-10
"I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."
As I read through this, verse I hesitated to dive in as we are moving into a discussion on gender roles in the church. It is funny how you don't even want to think, little lone talk through some of these verses sometimes. Despite that, I memorized on.
The first thing I noticed as I began the verse is that the wording is identical to the start of verse 8, "I also want". This puts this statement on par with the statement before it. Its like saying I want a hamburger and I want a milkshake. They all make up the same thought that composes a meal. Likewise this verse, isn't really so much about women's roles, but like verse 8, about worship.
The goal focus of these verses is avoiding hindrances to worship. Verse 8 wants men to engage in worship together and put aside all disputes and anger. Verse 9 also wants women to engage in that same worship, but they need to avoid the desire to outwardly adorn themselves. I personally think Paul understands what men and women both struggle with. He understands in the church, and definitely in Timothy's church, that men often struggle with disputes and disagreements which often lead to anger over issues within the church. I think Paul is also making a statement here that women's desire to adorn themselves outwardly can also be a hindrance to women in a worshipping community.
This made me reflect back to a discussion Paul had on communion where he warned the church, not to show favortism of people of higher rank during communion. This is essence harms any sense of unified worship that is celebrated through the taking of the Lord's supper by elevating some over others. Likewise, in our day, and I would guess in Paul's day we see women trying to define themselves and their station in the world by dress. I don't think Paul is saying that women can never dress nicely, (I love it when my wife puts on a beautiful dress for a nice date). Instead I think he is saying that there is no place for this within a worshipping body. The adorning (which cannot be done evenly by all) seperates people into groups. I have seen this in church before.
Now in no way, am I trying to equate nice clothes with sinful behavior, but I know that we tend to try to define ourselves by what we wear. I know many (in and out of the church) like to look down on others not dressed as nicely. This is a defnite trap of money. God I believe is saying that in this church, and any church, women can sometimes unknownly impede worship by putting a focus on the outward appearance.
I think Paul ends the verse by confirming that within a worshipping body of saints the only thing that should make women (and men) stand out is our deeds done in the faith. I tend to reflect on the many crowns that can be awarded to a believer at the day of judement. These are the only adornments Paul believes should distinguish one believer from another within the worship.
As I read through this, verse I hesitated to dive in as we are moving into a discussion on gender roles in the church. It is funny how you don't even want to think, little lone talk through some of these verses sometimes. Despite that, I memorized on.
The first thing I noticed as I began the verse is that the wording is identical to the start of verse 8, "I also want". This puts this statement on par with the statement before it. Its like saying I want a hamburger and I want a milkshake. They all make up the same thought that composes a meal. Likewise this verse, isn't really so much about women's roles, but like verse 8, about worship.
The goal focus of these verses is avoiding hindrances to worship. Verse 8 wants men to engage in worship together and put aside all disputes and anger. Verse 9 also wants women to engage in that same worship, but they need to avoid the desire to outwardly adorn themselves. I personally think Paul understands what men and women both struggle with. He understands in the church, and definitely in Timothy's church, that men often struggle with disputes and disagreements which often lead to anger over issues within the church. I think Paul is also making a statement here that women's desire to adorn themselves outwardly can also be a hindrance to women in a worshipping community.
This made me reflect back to a discussion Paul had on communion where he warned the church, not to show favortism of people of higher rank during communion. This is essence harms any sense of unified worship that is celebrated through the taking of the Lord's supper by elevating some over others. Likewise, in our day, and I would guess in Paul's day we see women trying to define themselves and their station in the world by dress. I don't think Paul is saying that women can never dress nicely, (I love it when my wife puts on a beautiful dress for a nice date). Instead I think he is saying that there is no place for this within a worshipping body. The adorning (which cannot be done evenly by all) seperates people into groups. I have seen this in church before.
Now in no way, am I trying to equate nice clothes with sinful behavior, but I know that we tend to try to define ourselves by what we wear. I know many (in and out of the church) like to look down on others not dressed as nicely. This is a defnite trap of money. God I believe is saying that in this church, and any church, women can sometimes unknownly impede worship by putting a focus on the outward appearance.
I think Paul ends the verse by confirming that within a worshipping body of saints the only thing that should make women (and men) stand out is our deeds done in the faith. I tend to reflect on the many crowns that can be awarded to a believer at the day of judement. These are the only adornments Paul believes should distinguish one believer from another within the worship.
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