Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension. Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.
— 1 Timothy 2:8–10 —
Lewis M. Chirwa: Central African Preaching Academy | Malawi
Order is very important. A community without order is a community in chaos. There is to be order in the church. In God’s lovingkindness, He seeks order among His children in worship. In this passage, we see Paul urging men to pray with their hands lifted and their hearts set right. As the heads of families, men must be exemplary in their prayer lives. Their prayers must not be characterized by anger or division but by love and unity. The point is not so much the posture of the hands but the position of the heart. Godly men of prayer who seek peace and unity bring order to our churches; modest women of good works help maintain it. Men, let your prayers model a right relationship to God. Paul also explains how godly women should adorn themselves. Their clothing should be respectable and modest. Their dress and adornment must not rob the church of its focus; women dressed in showy clothing, decorated with ostentatious jewelry and makeup, will detract from the church’s goal of worshiping God. But the internal beauty and good works of godly women greatly aid in bringing Him glory. Godly men of prayer who seek peace and unity bring order to our churches; modest women of good works help maintain it. Let us remember that God shares His glory with no one. He must be the center of our attention and our worship. Let us never allow fighting, disunity, or immodesty to take center stage in our churches. Let us do all for the glory of God as we worship in an orderly way.
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