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Month of Prayer and Giving Day 4- Dress for Success

Month of Prayer and Giving Day 4- Dress for Success

“And in the hearing of all the people he said to his disciples, ‘Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honour at feasts, who devour widows’ houses and for a pretence make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.’”
Luke 20:45-47

Steve Burton – an evangelist employed by the church at Dunstable with additional support via Grace Baptist Partnership for his work at Leagrave – is a winsome young man who attracts a lot of commendation and not too much criticism.
There is that one thing. It’s been suggested that since he is on staff, he ought to dress smarter. Now, please understand, this is not a defence of slovenly servants. That’s not an apt description of Steve at all. Nor is this an agenda driven article promoting stylish servants either. I’ve got something else in mind.
Steve doesn’t believe in an artificial distinction between ‘clergy’ and ‘laity’. He wants people to view him as approachable and real. Not first and foremost as an employee but as a brother. I like that. And, he seems to be alright with the fact that my dress habits are different than his. It’s not an issue.
What is an issue is his desire not to be side-tracked by peripheral matters. He wants, as they say, to keep the main thing the main thing. He doesn’t want to get bogged down in other things that could cause him to lose focus on the gospel and people.
He desperately desires for his heart to be guarded against pride – even about his more casual dress! – and other sin. He wants to cultivate an increasingly close walk with the Lord and to be protected from coldness of heart.
He genuinely cares about people – even poor and socially disadvantaged people. No, especially those kinds of people. And he is determined before the Lord not to place unhelpful barriers between these kinds of people and the only gospel that saves.
I guess you could say he is aiming to dress for success – gospel success!
Please pray for Steve as he continues his evangelistic work in Dunstable and Leagrave. Please pray that he will be able to balance this work well with his part-time study at London Seminary. Please pray that he will not desire to be fitted in to any external mould but that he will continually be conformed to the image of Christ.
“Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”
3 John 8
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