PROTOCOL IN GOD’S HOUSE

PROTOCOL IN GOD’S HOUSE

Text: Ecc 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

Protocol - ceremony of how to behave in presence of dignitaries.
(Consider The faux pas - impropriety) of the woman who made headlines when she impulsively hugged the queen when the queen visited her home: Englanders were aghast at the photo of a commoner (American at that) daring to touch, much less hug their queen. Had this happened in a visit to Windsor Castle by this woman, she would probably have been jailed!


I There is a divine protocol
1. Jacob was aware of the need of preparation, as he readied himself and family for a trip back to Bethel.
Gen 35:1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
Note: In his first stop in Bethel, Jacob made no preparation; God readied him.

Protocol in Worship
Eph 3:21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Heb 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Mat 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Rom 12:16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

2. Moses learned at the Burning Bush.
Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.
5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Coming into God’s presence is not just an extension of business as usual.

II The protocol of dress
1. The symbolism of dress
A. filthy rags - Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

B. white linen - Rev 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
a. In all our activities, we dress appropriately for the occasion; work, play, weddings, funerals, etc. Our attention to dress on each occasion is in proportion to the importance of the event to ourselves.
b. What is ‘proper’? Bib overalls and gingham dresses? If that’s the best you can afford.. Show that you value your visit to God’s house by your preparation! Decency and Modesty are the main criteria

III The protocol of behaviour
Our text: Ecc 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil.

I Tim 3:15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

1. Topic of conversation always determined by host.
Do you go to church to talk business; Ball game; Golf; or to socialize with family?

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
I Cor 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

2. Actions determined by environment; formal, informal, etc.; hunting lodge or State dinner. - Some services are less formal than others, but remember you are to worship God in all of them.
3. Time for praise and rejoicing -
Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

4. Time of silent meditation -
Hab 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

5. Time to listen and learn -
I Tim 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

II Tim 2:2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

I Cor 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This is something that should be instilled in children from their very first attendance in Church.

I personally question the value of nurseries (except for visitors, occasionally.) because they only postpone the training, which is much harder in a child accustomed to 5 yrs. of playing in church, than in a babe.
Attend to a crying baby, but bring him back into the congregation. If he must have toys, make sure they make no noise when dropped and ‘wean’ them away early. Teach him/her to be respectful of the services and church property; Hymnals are not toys, and certainly not for teething.

Remember, there are others who want to hear the sermon, and may need to be saved. A little firm discipline in the beginning of church life, whether from birth, or whenever a child is introduced to it, will save both the child and parent from much aggravation for years to come.
And is it necessary to mention that there should be no whispering nor talking, even during the song service? If children have the proper discipline at home, this is not hard to do.

While children should not be allowed to disrupt services, they should not be used as an excuse to keep them home. Adults must learn to be patient with children “in training”. FOCUS on the service and not on the child.