Jump Start # 1133

James 2:1 “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.”

  Favorites—we all have them. Favorite foods, favorite movie, favorite vacation spot, favorite song, favorite hymn, favorite verse in the Bible. We have our favorites. Some have a favorite place to sit in the church building. I have favorite places to preach. Our verse is dealing with another kind of favorite. It is liking one person to the exclusion of another and the reason the one person is liked is selfish, vain and with ulterior motives.

James describes a rich man that comes into the assembly. He’s dressed nice. Attention is poured upon him. You make room for the rich man. The wheels in our mind turn. Just think if this rich guy becomes a member here. Think of the boast it will give our contribution. Think of his connections. The wheels turn.

Then a poor man enters. He has nothing to offer but a pure heart that loves the Lord. His clothes are old and worn. The poor man is told to stand off in the distance or to sit on the floor. We don’t want others to think that our church is like that man. The rich man may not return if he notices the poor man. The rich man is honored the poor man is ignored. The rich man is praised, the poor man shunned. The reality is, especially from the book of James, the poor man may have more to offer in his genuine faith than the rich man.

James adds, “have you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives?” We grew up hearing the expression, ‘You can’t judge a book by it’s cover.’ Some publishers put amazing covers on books. The covers are designed by a team of artists and often the author of the book has little to do with the cover. Some books are given catchy titles, brilliant covers, but it’s the substance of the book that matters. Dumb books can look pretty on the outside. I know, I’ve purchased a few. Some books have great titles and the material goes down hill from that. I know, I’ve purchased a few. Some authors or publishers, have great chapter titles, but the substance is shallow and lacking. I know, I’ve purchased a few. What’s the book about? Is it a good read?

James is trying to prevent the nasty climate of cliques within a congregation. It happens. Often it happens very innocently but it is felt and the pain is great. We tend to connect more with folks our age and those with similar interests. Young mothers tend to hang together. They have a common bond, babies. Retired folks tend to connect. Their day doesn’t have to begin with alarm clocks, meetings, schedules and fighting traffic to get to the office by a certain time. They are finished with those things. Cliques go deeper and beyond just common interests. There is a mean spirit that runs through most cliques. It is that spirit that purposely excludes some. It invites only certain ones. It never talks to “those other” people. In stores, cliché people will spend long minutes talking to each other. All others are avoided and ignored. If you are on the inside, it feels great. If you are on the outside, you feel like a leper. Few realize that one of the main reasons folks drop out or switch congregations is because they do not feel welcomed. They are members but they forever feel like that leper. They are always on the outside. They feel neglected and hurt. Their suggestions are not heard. Their concerns are overlooked. No one cares.

Jesus was never this way. The lepers, the Samaritans, the tax collectors—they were a huge part of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was accused of associating with “those” people. He never backed down. He never apologized. He loved all and showed that to all.

I’ve seen the clique spirit. I even had a person asked me to preach about that once. They were on the outside and wanted to be on the inside. Sometimes the inside isn’t as grand as it seems. There can be a lot of gossipy judging that takes place on the inside. Sometimes the inside is more of a mess than those on the outside. Being a preacher I’m always invited into the inner circles. I’ve seen the cliques and know how they operate. It’s easy to get caught up in them. It’s easy to be one of them.

Shepherds must keep an eye on these things. They must work hard to make sure all the sheep are welcomed, included and loved. They must watch the attitudes between the rich and the poor. One is not better than the other. The spirit that the shepherds prevail will set the tone for what the rest are to do.

Preachers need to preach about what James is warning about. Hurt feelings because of favoritism is real. Favoritism is wrong.

Each of us need to check ourselves. It’s very easy to get caught up in favoritism. It’s easy to run from the “lepers” among us. It’s easy to develop and “in crowd” and an “out crowd.” Don’t do that. Practice the golden rule. Understand that God loves everyone. Those outside the cliques may have it together more than those in the cliques. That’s a shocker to some. I’ve sat in the homes and seen the discouraged tears of families that had made their minds up that they were leaving. They were not wanted there. No one invited them to their homes. No one included them in social things. No one wanted to talk to them. They got weary of being on the outside. I felt guilty and should have. I hated that I didn’t see it coming. But why should I? Those on the inside do not think about those on the outside. Life inside the cliché is good. Outside it is miserable. I realized that I was part of the problem. Why include those that I didn’t like? Some smelled. Some laughed weird. Some talked too much. Some had weird personalities. They were not like me. The thinking of a clique member. I was there. I was one. It hit me. James was pointing his finger at me. “I’m the one” as we sing. Guilty. I decided I was finished with church politics, church games, and church cliques. Years have past. I wonder about some of those families. Where are they? Did they hang in with the Lord? Did their faith crash and burn because of the attitude of others? God help us.

Some folks are better looking than others. Some are more talented than others. Some have more wealth than others. Some come from better backgrounds than others. Some have had a tough go at it. Some carry more baggage. Some come from broken homes. Some majored in dysfunction. Some have bounced up and down and in and out with the Lord. We are all different. Some are sharp and some are not. Some get it and some need work. Some grew up knowing things about the Bible. Others have never heard of these wonderful  lessons.  But one thing in all of these differences, we all need Jesus. We all need forgiveness. We all need grace. We all need Heaven. That fact alone, unites us. That fact demonstrates that we are similar. That fact connects us. We can be and we are One in mind, voice and hope in Christ.

Bless be the tie that binds us…that tie is Jesus! God’s people are the greatest people on the face of the earth. All of us. Stop the clichés. Enjoy the fellowship of a congregation and open your eyes and hearts to the wonderful hearts found in each person.

Roger