Day 41 “Do We Display Prejudice in Our Church?”
Passage: Acts 6:1b

“ …the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.”

Devotion:
As the church grows, so grow the problems. In New Testament times there were two classes of Jews, those who remained in Palestine and spoke Hebrew, and those who had lived outside Palestine, spoke the Greek language, and observed Greek styles of dress and custom. These Grecian Jews were looked down upon by the Hebraic Jews as not being “real Jews”. As a result their widows were “being overlooked in the daily distribution of food” despite the communal nature of the church. (The new church was now providing for the widows – this had previously been the responsibility of the temple.)

We are sometimes guilty of similar prejudices. How often do people or new ideas get rejected because they are different or challenge the way we are accustomed to doing things – especially in worship. I have attended various churches around the country and I am always interested in the unique style each displays. While God has allowed great latitude in the way we choose to worship Him (how we do it is a lot less important than why we do it), it never ceases to amaze me about how “right” each church feels it is in the way it does “church” – or worse, how “wrong” others are.

It is always a challenge to observe the instruction of Matthew 7:13-14 “enter through the narrow gate”; while being cautious of it’s warning – “spacious is the road that leads to destruction”; yet remain scripturally open-minded and welcoming.

Question to Ponder:

Are you guilty of rejecting other people because they don’t fit your idea of what a real Christian should be? Do you need to re-think your prejudices?

Does the way you think church “has” to be done, need some flexibility? How so?

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