Clean Spiritual Underwear

When I was a child, the leftover phrase from the 50s and 60s from mothers to “always wear clean underwear” was frequently quoted out of banter than practicality. The notion behind it was that if something untoward happened, one would not be caught with dirty underwear. It seems to me that if something bad did happen, the cleanliness of one’s underwear would be the last concern. However, the tongue-in-cheek, mother-knows-best phrase was an overly simplistic way to remind folks to be always be prepared by taking a basic action albeit an unintentional precaution.

I follow Discover the Book Movement (DTBM) on YouTube and have listened to many of Dr. John Barnett’s sermons. They are all very informative and insightful. However, a particular sermon, The 25 End of the World Signs, spoke to me in a way the others hadn’t. Dr. Barnett discussed the state of the world prior to the rapture and Tribulation. There will be famines, earthquakes, lawlessness, and civil unrest. The Book of Revelation provides a litany of things that characterize the End Times, many of which are occurring today. What struck me about his comments was being prepared for Christ’s return for his church. Sure, we all like to think we’re ready for that magical moment, the twinkling of an eye, when believers will be snatched up and transported to Heaven. It’s easy to think about that moment eagerly - to escape this fallen world and be with our Savior forever. 

But are we really ready to meet Him? As Dr. Barnett probed, are we doing what we are supposed to be doing, what he commanded us to do? Like our mothers and grandmothers admonished us, are we wearing clean spiritual underwear? Certainly we could argue that as long as we’re saved, as long as we’ve accepted Christ, we are going to be caught up in the clouds and taken to Heaven and what we’ve done and are doing isn’t necessarily a factor. Okay, okay…hold on. Don’t start lecturing me just yet. All I’m saying is according to the Bible, believers, true believers, will vanish during the rapture. What they’ve done in terms of Christian service isn’t a factor in that. Agreed?

Okay, that said, as I was listening to the sermon, which I’ve listened to several times, I was struck by Dr. Barnett’s observation regarding lawlessness, debt, and missionary work. He posited that excessive debt, the obsession with financial planning, and the need for both parents to work to sustain a desired lifestyle is part of the lawlessness recounted in Revelation and is a contributing factor preventing many of us from missionary work and serving the church. An intriguing theory and one that could certainly be debated. However, giving it credence and operating on the assumption it contains a modicum of truth, it seems reasonable and highly credible. I considered that. I thought about my life - how I spend my time and money, the former being finite and unalterable. Like the majority of Americans, I’m a Primer. That is, I love Amazon Prime. Having grown up during the 70s before the Internet and online shopping, I didn’t have nearly as much stuff as I do today. Mostly that is because acquiring possessions required trips to stores, markets, shopping centers, or malls. The proliferation of package delivery hadn’t begun. UPS and Federal Express were primarily used by business deliveries, not residential. 

Today, I have a house full of stuff. Getting stuff is easy. Just a few clicks of a mouse or touch of a screen and Jeff Bezos and company will happily deliver my heart’s desire in just two days. Not to pick on Amazon, but every company delivers today - even groceries! What a lazy society we have become all in the name of instant gratification. Stuff has become an idol for many of us. Regardless of what we desire, possessions occupy our lives in a way they never have. I’m guilty. I love books and have more than I will probably read in my lifetime. We’re not to blame, though. At least, not completely. Like a speeder, we’re just keeping up with traffic, unaware of what we are doing. It’s inadvertent, part of society, the way things are. Certainly, Jesus will understand. He gave us our marching orders at the Great Commission and we failed. But, hey, we’re believers, and we’ll get into Heaven, so all is good, right? 

Getting back to the antiquated phrase about wearing clean underwear, our mother’s advice was overly simplistic yet unilaterally applicable. A ridiculous phrase even its time, it is not without merit. One should be prepared in the event things don’t go as planned - so one isn’t caught with dirty underwear, which would be an embarrassment - a least for mothers. A more relevant application was made in the sermon. Are we doing what we’re supposed to be doing? Will we be embarrassed when Jesus returns because our spiritual underwear is dirty? Sure, if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior and have received salvation, we will go to Heaven just as the Bible states. But once we accept Christ, we have a job to do - to make disciples of all nations, to baptize them, to not get caught up in this world. 

In this country, we are born into a society that is structured around an accepted norm. Children spend the first eighteen years of their lives going to school in preparation for more school (college) so they can get good jobs and have rewarding careers. This translates into making money - enough to afford all the stuff society tells us we should want and have. It dictates we spend most of our day working, following personal pursuits, and binging season after season of mindless entertainment. We fritter our lives away, caught in the tidal pool that is modern society. Now, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with school, college, possessions, or owning things. Arguably, those things are necessary to a certain extent in order to maintain existence. 

However, one thing I have learned, particularly from a gentleman on YouTube, is that we don’t need nearly as much stuff as we think we do. Robin Greenfield is an extreme minimalist. What he owns fits into a backpack. He has no debt, forages his own food, and lives in a tiny house no bigger than a U-Haul trailer. While that’s not something most could, or would, do, it makes the point that most of us own too much stuff. Most of us are driven by society’s unseen current to succeed. We spend our time and money pursuing the American Dream, which is comprised of things - big houses, expensive cars, and brand name clothing. We spend our time matriculating, often acquiring substantial debt in the process. But as Greenfield has demonstrated it’s not the only way. Robin’s story gave me pause. I have too much stuff, too many pairs of shoes, too many clothes, too many glasses, plates, containers, books, and so on. We all do.

Combine the distractions of this world with Dr. Barnett’s observation, and you’ve potentially got dirty spiritual underwear. Each day we get closer to the rapture and meeting Jesus in the clouds. Are we doing what he commanded us to do? Are we living the way we should - loving others, feeding the hungry, clothing the poor - or are we too busy saving for retirement, keeping Amazon in business, and acquiring more debt so we can have everything we want? Will we be embarrassed when we meet Jesus? Will our heads slump? The Bible states today is the day of salvation. Indeed it is! We must take heed, examine our lives, fulfill Christ’s command, and live accordingly.