Life Ministries

“Favoritism”
James - 1:26 - 2:6

    Shortly after the close of the Civil War, a former slave entered a fashionable church in Richmond, one Sunday morning at the beginning of a communion service. When the time came, he walked down the aisle and knelt at the altar. A rustle of shock and anger swept through the congregation. A distinguished layman immediately stood up, stepped forward to the altar and knelt beside this Christian brother. Captured by his spirit, the congregation followed. The layman who set the example: Robert E. Lee. Now there’s a monument I would like to see, Lee and an ex-slave kneeling in prayer at the altar of Christ.
    When anyone walks into a church they must feel like the only one who is getting honored is Jesus Christ and no matter what background that person is from they will respect the fact that God is center focus in his church and not people. Not the pastor. Not the leadership. James is instructing the church on how to do visitor and greeter ministry.  As a body of believers Jesus does not want the warmth or honor of our welcome to be determined by the status or apparent wealth of the visitor. James is obviously forbidding a practice already in progress. Only accepting certain people will not make a full church but a building that is not a church at all.
    If we are a partial disciple in a partial Church then it is true that we serve only a partial God. Being impartial is one of God’s attributes.
(1) Deut 10:17 “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.”
(2) Acts 10:34 Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.”
(3) Rom 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”
(4) Gal 2:6 “But from those who seemed to be something whatever they were, it makes no difference to me; God shows personal favoritism to no man for those who seemed to be something added nothing to me.”
(5) Eph 6:9 “And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.”
(6) Col 3:25 “But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.”
It is an attitude of Jesus’ -
(1) Matt 22:16 “And they sent to Him their disciples with the Herodians saying “Teacher, we know that You are true, and teach the way of God in truth; nor do You care about anyone, for You do not regard the person of men.”
    Don’t favor gorgeous over homely, thin over plump, well dressed over barely dressed, tattoo’s or pierced should not matter…and, church is not a singles bar…church is a good place to find a husband or wife, but don’t come for that reason. Don’t favor one color over the other, don’t favor clean over dirty…and do not favor finances or social standing. Those are some ways we show favoritism and there are others.
    James says in verse 4 that when we show favoritism we become judges with evil thoughts. Our evil intentions are at work and we are looking for personal gain. It is evil for a Pastor who does not preach repentance or confront sin because he is afraid he will lose a big giver or does not want to offend!
    James is showing us that when people come into the house of God knowing that they can get attention because of who they are and what they have, it is going to rob the house of God from being what it should be…a great equalizer. A comparable today would be how we would react to the President of the U. S. A. and a homeless person coming to our assembly.
    Church - It’s not a place to worship people, but to worship the Almighty God… Not a place to look at each other, but to fix our eyes on Jesus… Not a place for pride or prejudice.

Luke 18:9-14 – “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable:  “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’  “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’  “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”