Today’s culture is made up of hierarchies, idols, heroes, and, on the opposite end of the spectrum, those who just aren’t considered that cool. In fact, we are so used to this system of “ranking” that it can even creep into organizations where it most certainly does not belong.
The Lord’s church is not a place for hierarchies. There is no room for human “rankings” in the Lord’s church. In fact, if proof is in order, we need look no further than James:
Jas 2:1 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
Jas 2:2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
Jas 2:3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,”
Jas 2:4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
Jas 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?
Jas 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court?
So, you may be thinking, what is this guy on about? Since when does this happen regularly in the church? Well, to that I would say that, indeed, the Lord’s church are some of the finest people on earth. Still, I will give two examples of “issues” that might be problematic to the Lord’s church.
- Single people. It is indeed true that there is a stigma about single people in the church. I’m not sure why, since Jesus mentions that this is a possible lifestyle (Matt 19:11-12) and since Paul discusses the fact that being single might even have some advantages (1 Cor 7:31-34). There are many job postings for preachers that list marriage (and often kids) as a requirement for the job. I’m not saying this is necessarily wrong (they are paying the person after all) but it is strange that neither Jesus nor Paul (based on those standards) would qualify for that particular preaching job.
- Concern for the World. It is understandable that we are concerned for the world we live in, however, a deeper concern for this world than for the one to come can be problematic. I sometimes feel as if the church thinks that they can “perfect” this world with a few more quality politicians or laws passed. The Bible teaches that God is in control of governments and that this world is wearing out like an old garment, that it is ran by the “prince of the air”, and is going to burn with fervent heat at the end of time. I think we should let go of trying to “fix” the world and embrace and strengthen the church (Christ’s Kingdom). Our brothers and sisters should come before political parties and politicians that promise (falsely) to reform this world.
I hope this article has spurred some thought, and I hope that you will comment below if you have any thoughts on these controversial topics. Have a great week and I’ll talk to you soon!
Jay