Connect Beyond Labels
Welcome to “Going Deeper with the Word” In this segment, we welcome people of all backgrounds, religious or not, to review the Word of God. The Word of God provides guidance, direction, and instructions for living our lives and walking with God.Â
We just talked about connecting beyond labels. Now, I want us to go deeper into the Word of God together.
Let’s review examples from God’s Word that can lead and guide our steps and back up the principles we learned in today’s message. I will read scripture today from the Amplified Bible.
Let’s start off with James 2:1.
My fellow believers, do not practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality [toward people—show no favoritism, no prejudice, no snobbery].
James 2:1
In this verse, we clearly see an example of why we should not treat anyone differently. It makes clear that even as we walk in our faith, we must also be very careful not to use this faith against others.
Our faith does not make us better or more important than others, and it certainly doesn’t make us more loved by God.
Let our relationship with God me a model for how we should treat others, regardless of their beliefs. God loved you every moment you did not believe in Him.
Can you think of someone in your immediate circle that you would consider a believer, but who treats certain groups of individuals with disdain? Do you find yourself in agreement with this disdain? If so, would you be willing to allow God to help you transform your heart from disdain to one of respect? If no, why not? “Let us know in the comments”
Let’s have a look at another place in the Bible that speaks to the idea of meeting people where they are.
Most certainly I understand now that God is not one to show partiality [to people as though Gentiles were excluded from God’s blessing], but in every nation the person who fears God and does what is right [by seeking Him] is acceptable and welcomed by Him.
Acts 10:34-35
In this verse, we read Peter’s confession regarding how God accepts different groups of people. He admits realizing that God shows no partiality to any group defined by society.
We see his realization that –every nation— is included: anyone who fears God and does right by Him is accepted and welcomed by God.
I can think of any number of faith-based communities that teach differently: that only certain groups are welcomed by God.
The truth is that God’s love is universal and complete for every human on earth.
Have you ever been part of a faith community that actively shunned or rejected a particular group or community? Were you a participant of that rejection or an observer? If you were faced with an opportunity to collaborate with this community, would you reject or welcome that opportunity? Explain why.“Let us know in the comments”
Let’s look at one last passage.
There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority].
Galatians 3:28
In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes of the importance of the fact that all are one in Christ. He proceeds to provide a number of labels that may be associated with how that group or community is treated.
He then reminds the Galatians that all are one in Christ Jesus and none are more. We can glean from this that no one can claim a spiritual superiority over another when we are all one in Christ.
Have you ever been taught that a particular group of people is inferior or superior to you? Write down the labels or names of these groups and what you were taught. Reflect on how you feel about each one of these groups today. If you feel inferior or superior to a group, will you bring before God your reasoning and ask Him to reveal the truth to your heart? “Let us know in the comments”
Thank you for your time today as we kick off this brand-new series, Living in the Light. I’m so excited to talk about all the ways that we can be walking in the world with God’s light dwelling within us.
Today, we just scratched the surface of this idea – to help us understand what we need to do to connect with others where they are, regardless of the labels that society places on them. I invite you to consider ways that biases live in your heart at this very moment.
If you are unsure, ask God to reveal the biases you feel and to demonstrate the truth to you. Don’t worry if you know you have biases and feel some level of guilt, regret, or embarrassment. Remember that hatred is taught. If we are taught something that is not true, we have no reason to think it is anything but true until we can obtain the appropriate wisdom.
In this case, God wants all of us to treat each other with dignity, respect, and love. In some cases, only He can facilitate that connection when we have been taught to feel otherwise. God is willing to meet you where you are to help transform your heart to foster acceptance to all.
Have an amazing week, and we will catch you next time.
Bless you.
