A VISITING COWBOY
By Dr. Hoyt W. Allen, Jr.
The following
article came to me
recently and I
contended that I
should pass it on.
It has been slightly
edited and a
conclusion added.
One Sunday morning
an old cowboy
entered a church
just before services
began. Although the
old man and his
clothes were
spotlessly clean, he
wore jeans, a denim
shirt and boots that
were very worn and
ragged. In his hand
he carried a worn
out old hat and an
equally worn out old
Bible.
The church he
entered was in a
very upscale and
exclusive part of
the city. It was the
largest and most
beautiful church the
old cowboy had ever
seen. It had high
cathedral ceilings,
ornate statues,
beautiful murals and
stained glass
windows, plush
carpet, and velvet
like cushioned pews.
The building must
have cost many
millions of dollars
to build and
maintain.
The men, women and
children of the
congregation were
all dressed in the
finest and most
expensive suits,
dresses, shoes, and
jewelry the old
cowboy had ever
witnessed.
As the poorly
dressed cowboy took
a seat the others
moved away from him.
No one greeted him.
No one welcomed him.
No one offered a
handshake or even a
smile. No one spoke
to him. They were
all horrified at his
appearance and did
not attempt to hide
the fact. There were
many glances in his
direction as the
others frowned and
commented among
themselves about his
shabby attire. A few
chuckles and giggles
came from some of
the younger members.
The preacher gave a
long sermon about
Hellfire and
brimstone and a
stern lecture on how
much money the
church needed to do
God's work. When the
offering plate was
passed thousands of
dollars came pouring
forth.
As soon as the
service was over the
congregation hurried
out. Once again no
one spoke or even
nodded to the
stranger in the
ragged clothes and
boots.
As the old cowboy
was leaving the
church the preacher
approached him.
Instead of welcoming
him, the preacher
asked the cowboy to
do him a favor.
"Before you come
back in here again,
have
(Continued)
(Continued)
a talk with God and
ask him what He
thinks would be
appropriate attire
for worshipping in
this church ". The
old cowboy assured
the preacher he
would do that and
left.
The next Sunday
morning the old
cowboy showed back
up for the services
wearing the same
ragged jeans, shirt,
boots, and hat. Once
again the
congregation was
appalled at his
appearance. He was
completely shunned
and ignored again.
The preacher noticed
the man was still
wearing his ragged
clothes and boots,
and instead of
beginning his
sermon, he stepped
down from the pulpit
and walked over to
where the man sat
alone. He said, "I
thought I asked you
to speak to God
before you came back
to our church." "I
did," replied the
old cowboy.
"If you spoke to
God, what did he
tell you the proper
attire should be for
worshipping in
here?" asked the
preacher.
"Well sir", said the
old cowboy, "God
told me that He
wouldn't have the
slightest idea what
was appropriate
attire for
worshipping in your
church. He says He's
never even been in
here."
Many people would
answer the question
today about "church
clothes" by saying,
"If we were going to
a wedding, funeral,
or to meet the
Governor or
President - we would
dress in our finest
clothes, wouldn't
we? Well, we are
going to meet the
King of Kings and
the Lord of Lords -
so we should want to
dress the very best
we can - right?" To
this, I will have to
agree. But this is
only an opinion. Now
if one chooses to
wear something
different, like John
the Baptist (Matthew
3:4), can we
scripturally
criticize him/her?
Now - one area that
a certain amount of
criticism may
surface is in the
area of immodesty (1
Timothy. 2:9). When
females begin
revealing "too much
flesh" and that is
an area of opinion -
it can lead to
problems It has
always been a good
practice to
encourage females to
follow the leading
of the Holy Spirit
in all manners of
dress. If even for a
second, one
questions the
modesty of her
attire, she should
avoid wearing it. In
most congregations
this is all that is
needed. However, the
Holy Spirit works
through the Word -
so one must be “into
the Word” to be
guided properly.
KYOWVA Evangelistic
Association * 1541
S. 7th Street *
Ironton, OH 45638
Web Page:
www.kyowva.com *
Email: kyowva@sbcglobal.net
Free Bible Course
Upon Request