33. FOUR (4) BRIEF LESSONS FOR THE BODY OF CHRIST

(The Faith Forum Series – Batch 2)

I’ve been thinking: Based on my observations, there are some lessons that need to be taught in the body of Christ and should the Lord permit, I think my situation positions me perfectly to teach them.

These lessons are not for all but for some who have been thinking and behaving in a certain kind of way, which is not consistent with scripture. These lessons are therefore for whom it may concern, as follows:-

LESSON 1 – God hates it when we have RESPECTER OF PERSONS (which is sin) and practice partiality.

There should be no respecter of persons in the body of Christ. We have a tendency to condemn some people (although they are Christians) and to praise, recognize and acknowledge others, although they are equally imperfect and equally beneficiaries of God’s grace.

We tailor our response, according to who the person is, how popular they are and how highly we esteem them in our prejudice-filled mind, completely writing off some (although they are sincere), while applauding others, who may not even be.

We operate with a double standard, as in short, we shut our ears and our eyes to the contributions of some, what God is clearly doing in their lives and the message he has given them for the Church’s edification because we don’t like them, think they are nobodies or because we have relegated them mercilessly to the perpetual doghouse because of who they are or who we think they are while being receptive of the very same or similar contributions by those with fanfare, who we like, who are popular with the masses and who we think to be important, simply because of who they are and how highly esteemed they seem to be by our friends and others.

Ironically, often times, such people that we have received (while writing off others) have made the same or similar mistakes and are as imperfect as those we have written off or even worse.

LESSON 2 – God has a tendency to do some of his greatest work, through NOBODIES, WRITE-OFFS, those in the perpetual DOGHOUSE in the minds of others and those who seemingly have no value.

He has a tendency to go to the very bottom of the barrel and to select the people who others have disregarded…and to use them…MIGHTILY.

LESSON 3 – Only God is deserving of all the GLORY.

To glory in one’s self, talents and achievements is evil and so is a love of attention, praise, recognition and to be seen and heard of man. Only Christ is deserving of centre stage and to always be on the radar of people’s minds.

LESSON 4 – God will establish his PURPOSE in the lives of his children, no matter what people think.

What people think of others is immaterial if God purposes to use them. He does not care what you think or how much you don’t like them or may have dismissed them or how low down the pedestal you may have demoted them.

If he has purposed to use a person in a particular way, he will establish such purpose and will silence the naysayers in the process. See, we don’t get to determine a person’s value. God is the one that does that. We don’t get to determine how God will use any one of his children and how he will gift them. God is the one that will do that.

IN CONCLUSION

If we call ourselves Christians, we would do well to humble ourselves in God’s sight (because pride is at the root of our flawed way of thinking) and to repent of our wicked ways, which displease the Lord. We can only look down at a fellow brother or sister if we have pridefully elevated ourselves (like that Pharisee who was full of himself and whose prayer God refused to hear), up to a position above them. We can only create tiers in the body of Christ and cliques, when we foolishly think that some are better than others, more spiritual than others, of more value in God’s sight than others and more deserving of God’s time and blessings and favour, than others.

(Written on 02nd September, 2020)