March 21
(Acts 6:1 NIV) “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.”
(James 1:27-2:1 NIV) “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.”
The rapid growth of the early church brought with it some problems. The church was called to compassion, and began to provide food for widows who had no other source of income. But in the distribution of that food, some widows were being favored over others, based on their nationality. And so we see, that from the very beginning, the church has struggled with favoritism and factions -- factions which place the emphasis on what group you belong to, rather than on what Lord you belong to. Favoritism is not a product of our times, but of our human nature -- and God calls it a sin. The apostles did not ignore this complaint, but took positive and creative action to see that legitimate needs were met. If the church today is to grow biblically, it must not show favoritism for one group over another. In fact, factions are usually a key factor in the slow death of churches. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day
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