Unity too?

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>There is no such thing as "personal Holiness."  You is or you
>isn't, it is that simple.  Who determines if you are in or out?
>
> This is what I have been going on about y'all. Standards are
>not Holiness. Holiness is a clear conscience before God that YOU
> are dedicated to HIM!

Well Said Bro. Tim!  I like it. You made a lot of good points.  

I am a member of a UPC church, but I have trouble with some of the so-called 
"holiness standards" that some of our preachers put forth to the 
congregation. If the Bible speaks we should speak, but where it is silent, 
we too should be silent. 

It's no wonder that we are often called legalistic, in many cases we are!  
If a person is truly walking with the Lord filled with the Holy Ghost, the 
Holy Ghost will guide us into all Holiness.

I see nothing wrong with a pastor requiring people who attend service to 
dress modestly.  We shouldn't be going to the house of the Lord in shorts or 
see-through blouses.

My personal preferences is that men wear proper fitting, conservative 
long-sleeve shirts with loose fitting full length "trousers" (old fashioned 
word).  I like to see women in proper fitting (not tight) full length skirts 
or dresses, with proper fitting, conservative long sleeve blouses that are 
not open below the collar bone. All of these itens should be solid materials 
and no translucnet or tranparent in any way. But these are my prefences and 
not standards that I would require of a congregation, although I set such an 
example.

However on Jewelry, Hair, Modesty, etc. I would speak out on because the 
Bible does.  I don't believe that a born again believer has any business in 
decorating the body with gold, jewelry, trinkets, or otherwise. I think that 
a woman should keep her hair long and a man should have his short. However 
the Bible does not say that a woman cannot or should not cut or trim their 
hair, nor does God's word say that it must be a certain length, it just says 
"long". Anything else is a tradition or made-made rules.

It is amazing to me however how the Holy Spirit convicts and teaches one who 
is filled with the Holy Ghost. I have seen men that wore earrings and pony 
tails have them almost instantly dissappear without anyone in the church 
saying a word after being filled with the Holy Ghost.  

True holiness is within, not without. If we are truly holy in our hearts 
then it will show on the outside.  We cannot become holy by appearing holy 
on the outside. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for such beliefs.

As far as "Holiness Standards" which is really saying we have a dress code 
at our church. . . Okay, but speak where the Bible speaks, and where it 
doesn't, keep silent. We shouldn't add to God's word with our vain 
traditions or our concept of how people should be.

Bro. Stan Hallett
The Apostolic Voice
www.apostolic-voice.org