Egos and Idiots: Equality in the Church

"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

    Class segregation has been around as long as there have been egos and idiots. For as long as one person has felt the need to feel superior to another there has been a drive to segregate and suppress.  This passage reflects three segregated classes that were called into unity by the early Church.    

     The first was the religious fight between Jews and Gentiles.  Jews were God's chosen people who were entrusted with keeping the revelation of God while the Gentiles lived sensually indulgent lives.  Many of the Gentile leaders oppressed the Jews harshly causing the religious/political tension to rise.  For some Jews, the idea of sharing their heritage with unsanctified Gentiles was appalling.  It was almost as distasteful for Gentiles in leadership to have to humble themselves and learn the sacred text from Jews.  Did they have to come together?  The teachings were simple, within the body of Christ there could not be any difference between Jews and Gentiles.    

    Then of course there was the friction of the slave population.  Slaves and indentured servants had to earn their status as free men and women.  How is it that the Church could simply give equal status to the lowest class of citizens?  While the church did not have any legal authority to grant freedom from bondage, salvation to God brought equal status to all believers.  One of the principle teachings was that Christ paid a debt that the sinner could not pay.  In doing so, Jesus freed all believers from their bondage to sin.  While in the market there were places for people of noble status and places for slaves, in the Church everyone had to be treated equal.      

    Lastly we see the equality hurdle between men and women.  The traditional role of the man was to provide income for his family, to protect the home, to run the business of the community and to provide safety from foreign attacks.  Basic caveman stuff, check!  The right for women to vote did not come until 1920 and a woman's ability to be a sole provider did not come unto almost 1960.  Cultural norms kept women completely reliant on men for survival.  Still, the Church required men to share power with women.  Equal power.  

    So things have really worked out well for slaves, women and religious politicians.  Oh wait..what happened?  Egos and idiots.  It seems that the ability to act arrogantly superior did not stop at the Church doors. Neither did someone's ability to look down at others with contempt.  So what should we do today?  The body of Christ has to come to grips with the reality that a society that recognizes class by power and money has greatly influence our theology and practice.  Mostly, we have to teach our followers how to be the humble servant of Christ.   

       The greatest class divide that ever existed was between God and humanity.  Jesus bridged that separation as a humble servant all the way to the cross.  Egos and Idiots.  Let's get this together.       

Peace and Blessings,

CH Redden

We need #Reconciliation

Responsibility of Christian Leadership

"Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be known as children of God."

Matthew 5:9

     There are many voices being broadcast on social media concerning the racial tension across America.  Do you hear any Peacemakers?  During the sermon on the Mount Jesus mentions several characteristics of how Christians should handle themselves. How are you being heard?

The words you use are powerful and should be chosen carefully

Kind words can bring encouragement to a troubled heart. (5:4)
Gentle words can bring love to correction. (5:5)
Merciful words can relieve a heavy burden. (5:7)
Pure Words from a pure heart can remove the doubt of betrayal. (5:8)

     Mature Christians can use their position in many different ways to bring peace and these choice leaders will have the reputation of being children of God.  One of the best examples of a Godly peacemaker was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  When you read his sermons, you hear a seasoned preacher crafting his words in order to motivate people with a clarity and purpose.

Proverbs 10:20 says "The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver."  One of Dr. Kings most famous quotes is "We may not all have come here on the same ship, but we are all in the same boat."

We need #Reconciliation

     These are brilliant words that speak to every side of racial tension.  There are no emotional rants sparking outrage, no compliments omitting validation and no hidden agenda.  His message was clear; unless we both win, we both lose.  We are the body of Christ.  How can we go on fighting ourselves?  We need to come together in love and unity.  One body not fighting itself, but building itself up.  We need to work toward the healing of the many parts, so that the whole body benefits.

We are all in the same boat.  We need to live together in love.  I pray that God raises up mature Christian leaders who are peacemakers.

Peace and Blessings,

CH Redden

Be Honest

" A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight"    Proverbs 11:1

     When I was a young child a friend of mine taught me how to steal.  Neither of us ever had pocket change to spend as we wished, so he taught me how to sneak candy when the cashier wasn't looking.  It felt really scary, but he kept telling me it wasn't a big deal.  It became pretty routine to meet up with my friends and go get candy.  Pretty routine, until my mother found out.
     When you're a kid you really don't think about the second and third order of effect.  You pretty much live stimulus to response.  Take candy, eat candy, life is good.  Come to fine out, my mother understood this stimulus response process really well.  She introduced two new things into my life that I would forever associate with stealing.  The first was accountability.  She marched me into the convenient store and made me confess.  In front of everyone I had to say "I stole candy from you."  It was a second order of effect that I hated.  I felt so ashamed saying those words and so humiliated for what I had done. The truth of being caught and having to be held accountable would forever be associated with the thought of being dishonest.  The second event that mom administered was an ancient practice called "paddling."  It is a process where a parent would take a thin board and begin to stimulate the gluteus maximus in sufficient manner as to produce a different response from the child.  It worked, thank you Mom.
     Why is honesty so important to God?  It has everything to do with our faith in God as our provider.  Life is like a child with no candy watching all the other kids enjoying themselves.  You begin to reason your way into sin: "the store has plenty of money, they won't miss it, they charge too much for other items, they don't treat their employees right, I'm a good kid and I deserve candy like everyone else. I'll never get caught, I'll only take a little..."  So rather than trusting in God to be your provider you decide to be dishonest and cheat...just a little...on your taxes.  "It's no big deal, everyone else does it."  Then you begin to extend it to taking things from your office..."they do not pay me enough."  Then it is when a cashier hands you too much change, a product does not scan with a grocer, you wrongfully return an item to a merchant...and the list goes on.  Unfortunately, dishonesty has a way of slowly taking you down a path you can not backtrack.  A path of accountability and repercussions.
     When we live stimulus to response, we nurse our cravings and sear our conscience.  If we will add the second order of effect, getting caught and having to be known as being dishonest, it may keep us from the third order of effect of punitive action.  Ultimately it will keep us from having to confess to God that we did not trust Him as our provider, we took a short cut and became dishonest.
     Being honest has it's own rewards.  "The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. (Proverbs 11:3)"  It is the wisdom of purposely putting your life on a path that can not crumble underneath your feet.  The peace of mind you live with knowing all is well, regardless of any inquiry.  Do we really need a reward from God for being honest?  No.  The return of honesty in your life is its own reward.

Father, help us remember "when the wrong oft seems so strong, you are the ruler yet."  Your ways are beautiful and your paths bring safety.  In Jesus Name, A-Men.