“My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted?” (James 2:1-4)

James plainly concludes that favouritism among God’s people proves that we “are judges who can’t be trusted.” Favouritism does imply we are being influenced by public opinion. However, Galatians 3:28 says: “In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ.” It’s not ethnic, status or gender-driven.

A songwriter sang that we are all equal in God’s family as long as our blood is red. In Acts 10, Peter spoke excitedly when he saw God move among the gentiles too: “It’s God’s own truth, nothing could be plainer: God plays no favourites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as He says, the door is open.”

Acts 6:4 gives us good virtues to embrace for harmony to reign: “So, friends, choose seven men from among you whom everyone trusts, men full of the Holy Spirit and good sense, and we’ll assign them this task.”

BeEncouraged❤️ Freely received. Freely shared