DEVOTION / Don't let a sin of the early Church infect you
In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:1-4).
Acts 6 discrimination
Overlooked.
That word stood out for me recently when I read Acts 6 as part of my daily Bible reading. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem were discriminating against the widows who were not fully Jewish. They overlooked those women; they shortchanged them at the daily fellowship meals.
Overlooked. The Greek word has a picture of judging by placing two things side by side. In that comparison, one item is judged better than the other. The lesser item, then, is allowed to be overlooked, neglected.
Only a few weeks separate this overlooking from the remarkable birthday of the Church when the Spirit brought 3,000 people to faith in Jesus on Pentecost. Yet, in the newborn Church, the cultural sins of favoritism, bigotry, and prejudice against anyone who was not fully Jewish remained.
The Apostles acted quickly to address the sin of overlooking that threatened to infect their church. They appointed a team of grace-loving men to administer the food program in an equitable manner.
My discrimination
Overlooked.
These verses brought me to evaluate how I am tempted to overlook the needs of other Christians. "How do you discriminate against Christians who don't share your political views," I challenged myself. "How does prejudice impact the Christians you choose to talk with after worship? How does favoritism impact whom you invite to join your Bible study?"
James' command came to mind, My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism (James 2:1). Don’t show favoritism, he says. But he also provides the reason for not showing favoritism: our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. God's son has given us his Transfiguration glory, his Easter glory, his eternal glory. His journey to the cross has guaranteed that his glory has become ours.
The bottom line: How could I allow myself to overlook others, to discriminate against them, when my glory-giving Savior refused to overlook me? God’s grace brings us all to love as we have been loved.