Monday May 16, 2011

Read 2 Peter 1:1 again. Read Acts 16:11-40

When we meet people for the first time we ask their name.  Quite often the very next thing we ask the other person is what they do for a living. Once we know what they do, we can peg them on the clothes line of our experience. Rightly or wrongly we form, or at least start to form, our opinion of that person by what he or she does.  By knowing their occupation, we have a better understanding of that person - or so we think.  But a person’s vocation or employment is no key to their real identity. It should never be used to grade a person or form a judgement about them.

At other times we’ll look at, what used to be called, their breeding stock. If they come from a line of respectable people we  form a positive opinion about that person. If they come from a line of unrespectable people we immediately put up our guard. But again, we can’t and shouldn’t form an opinion about a person from their background.

Sometimes we look at a person’s socio-economic standing. Those who are in the higher echelons are considered more trustworthy and respectable. Those in the lower notches are often treated with caution and weariness.

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ we need to jettison all such associations with a person’s identity. As believers we should never make a decision about a person based on their employment, their social class standing or their economic means. We shouldn’t do it for others and we certainly shouldn't do it for ourselves.

Consider the church at Philippi. This church plant began with the most unlikely mix of people. Modern day church plant theorists would label this group a certain tragedy and wasted effort in planting.  Within that early church we have a wealthy upper class foreign tailor or supplier to the nobility (only they wore expensive purple cloth). We have a young foreign slave girl from the depths of the bottom of the social pile who has no experience or means of income whatsoever. And we have a Roman citizen family man from the blue collar industry, namely the gaoler. Ordinarily in this society these levels of people would have nothing to do with each other yet God threw them together into a church that would impact Europe with the gospel.  Interestingly it is this church at Philippi that Paul dearly loved and wrote the warmest and most affectionate letter to. It is this church that had no internal wrangling or dire sinfulness. It is this church that came to Paul’s aid again and again. This church partnered with him in his gospel work.  It all began because 3 Christians refused to judge each other based on social, vocational or economic means. These three believers loved each other in Christ Jesus.

Let us never judge an individual or a family on the basis of economics, social standing or vocational engagement. These things are never true markers of a person’s true identity. Similarly, let us never judge ourselves by these markers. And let us never strive to find our identity or self worth in these things.

Prayer:-

V Pray that the compassion children we support through the partner church will grow spiritually and physically each day. Pray that God would use our support to glorify Himself and to bring many into the kingdom. Pray that these children and their families would know the love of God in Christ Jesus.

V Pray for the Bible College students in Myanmar. Ask God to provide for the daily needs of Grace College and RBC. Pray that the teachers will be wise in their teaching and that the students would grow in knowledge and depth of understanding. Pray that the students who work in churches on the weekend would have great impact for Christ  in their villages.