I grew up in a Church that had an external idea about holiness. Ladies, for instance, couldn’t wear make up, colour their hair, shave their legs or wear jewellery. We didn’t get more holiness, just a lot of ugly women. A little bit of lipstick would have gone a long way.

The bride of Christ is the same. A little lippy helps. People who come to our churches look at our faces before they feel our heart. We do not need to turn them off before they can engage. We need to invest in what is externally attractive not religiously or culturally off putting? Put in the feel good and take out the cringe factors and people may start to bring their friends, and visitors may stay.

I went to a church recently where the sound was crackling, the biscuits were in an open packet, the seats were cracked, the overheads were woefully out of synch, the song leader self absorbed, the set up still frenetically happening after starting time, the communion speaker on a pet rant, the small congregation interjecting with comments, misspelled words on worship slides, off-key voices or instruments, cut and paste graphics, mindless testimonies, etc etc. It was face palm Sunday. Needless to say they were in slow decline. If the bride is to be attractive she has to work on it and put on some lippy. A good heart is more important but if we turn people away with our face, no one will ever know our heart. Maybe it’s time to hold up the mirror.

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