E 12
Seriously, Who Do You Think You Are?
Acts 6:
The title is not meant to be offensive in any way at all. The opening verses of this chapter caused me to compare the situation happening within the early church, to possible attitude problems we may be seeing in our own selves, or possibly in our churches.
Let’s read the last verse of the previous chapter to get the setting.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
The ‘megachurch’ of that day was learning ‘how to do church’. They were evangelizing constantly. To do that, they met in the temple area, sharing the news of the risen Lord to as many as would listen. Numbers of people responded and the church grew daily.
But the ‘teaching’ requirements that the new believers would require would have been tremendous. For this reason they met daily, in every house, teaching.
I think we could safely say that their ‘teaching staff’ would at first have been made up of at least the 120 that were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
The new believers would all have had a solid Jewish foundation in Old Testament understanding. So as they became more familiar with Jesus, they would also have been added to the teaching staff.
But teaching the new believers in a systematic and orderly fashion was only one of the challenges. This mega church was ‘sharing all things in common’. They were eating their meals together.
Now how, I wonder, could 20 to 60 thousand people be gathering in one place and eating their meals together? Personally I think that meeting in one place was logistically impossible. I believe that since they shared even their own houses, that hundreds of ‘sub-groups’ automatically were formed. A systematic method of food preparation and sharing would have been essential. They likely had a very sophisticated method superior to ‘Meals on Wheels’.
Food would have to be purchased, distributed and prepared constantly. And everything seemed to be working very well until … 6:1 … in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
The problem that appears, … I might add, was not an unexpected problem. In an operation of this size, it is a wonder that problems did not show up earlier.
What is the problem? Someone is getting ‘overlooked’ in the daily food distribution. Hellenist widows.
Who or what are Hellenists? Here is a 'dictionary' description.
Hellenistic Judaism - Wikipedia
The Hebrews were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the Hellenists were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue was Greek. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. To identify them, Luke uses the term Hellenistai.
So there you have it. Although the Romans were in power, and their language was Latin, the leftover influence of the Greeks included a language that was still very popular in the time of Christ.
A certain percentage … perhaps a large percentage of the Jews living in the Judea area, and specifically in Jerusalem, had accepted the Greek language as their own language, and either had never learned the Hebrew language or at least did not make a practice of using it in their homes. As far as we know, these people intentionally spoke Greek in an effort to ‘fit it’ and not appear as a different or peculiar people.
So the ‘Hellenists’ were Jews, but at least they were not half-breeds like the Samaritans. (Luke will direct our attention to them in a later chapter.)
But for now let's look again at Acts 6:1 … in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
What I am sensing, is that there were more Hebrews than there were Hellenists. And I also think that the Hebrews considered themselves to be of a higher class, and perhaps ‘more important to God’ because they spoke only Hebrew and did so with pride and dignity.
Previously, God had removed Ananias and Sapphira from the congregation because they lied to the Holy Spirit. At that point, these two seemed to be the only ‘blemish’ in an otherwise pure church. But now this problem shows up. Perhaps it is not so much a ‘racial’ distinction as it is a ‘class’ distinction. The Hebrew speaking Christians considered themselves better than the Greek speaking Christians.
What about us? Can this be a problem within our churches of today? We might be quick to point the finger toward the UK and the ‘Downton Abbey’ group, thinking, We are not at all as upper and lower class minded as they were. But do we have situations within our own fellowship where one might think he or she is better than someone else?
What do you think about your heritage? Does it affect the way that you think? Let’s spend a few moments exploring the title of this session, Seriously, who do you think you are?
I will go first. What is my heritage? I was born Dutch. While living in Osoyoos BC I heard a good Christian brother and friend of mine say, jokingly, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.”
For 14 years or so, the church that I pastored was a part of a Mennonite group. At first I attended some of the quarterly pastors and wives fellowship meetings down in the lower mainland of BC.
There was a repeated topic that came up in those meetings, and that was the ‘problem’ of ethnicity within the denomination. Clearly, the desire of the leaders of the denomination was to create an atmosphere that would be comfortable to people of all backgrounds.
But in spite of their efforts the problem persisted. It seemed to be ingrained in their very nature. For instance, at the supper hour of one of these meetings in which ethnicity had been addressed, I could not avoid overhearing several of the wives speaking about some newcomers to one of the churches. They spent quite a great deal of time discussing the newcomer family name. I heard the last name … it was clearly one of the common names within the denomination. For almost twenty minutes the conversation centered on trying to establish which ‘line’ this family was from.
I was left thinking “It will never happen. They will never get past this. An outsider will never feel accepted if they do not have the right pedigree”.
So why do we do this? Do we actually think down deep in our soul, that we are ‘better’ in some way? And there are many other areas beside our racial roots where ‘being better’ shows up.
Which is better? Being a man or woman, a child or an adult, being rich or poor, weak or strong, wise or simple, this race or that one, boss or employee, master or slave?
What is the basis for treasuring, for holding dear, for placing great value on, for appreciating greatly, our place in life?
What does scripture have to say about your place in life?
Let’s begin with Man vs Woman
For this, let’s go back to the Garden of Eden. At that point there was only one man and one woman. So which was better?
After they had sinned, God spoke to them about it. We read in Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
This ‘announcement’ is a result of the sinful fall of man. God is not saying something good about the arrangement. He is saying that from that day onward this would be the arrangement, the result of sin. The woman’s ‘desire’ for her husband, actually carries the meaning in a negative sense. It does not mean that she will desire him, love him and try to please him. No, the result of the fall applies to this verse and it really means that she will desire to ‘get’ him. To control. To entrap. To outsmart him.
But the other result of the fall is, he will rule, he will enforce, he will mis-treat, he will ‘boss’ her around.
And so, who is better, male or female? What does God say? There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
There is no ‘better’.
As the human race developed something else became the issue. Who had a better name, more strength, and a better family situation? At that point in history there was no church. And there was no Israel. But there were two types of people. Cain’s descendants, for the most part, were unbelievers and God rejectors. Adam’s descendants through Seth were God fearing believers.
But what about pride? Was there a temptation to boast a bit about one’s lineage?
Did the human race develop purely by chance? The Apostle Paul did not think so. He said, God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, Ac 17:26
So God did it? Yes, He did. And according to that verse, it looks like there is no room to brag about your lineage.
I am Dutch, Canadian, living in the 21st century, enjoying modern technology, enjoying a free democracy, living in a peaceful, scenic area … all because of God? Then what do I have to boast about? How does this make me better than a believer in Africa, living in a war torn country, trying to make a living in a dry environment, in a collapsed economy?
God determined all of these details according to His own eternal purposes.
So what do I have to be proud of? I am a Canadian! I am a male! I have dutch background! I have a comfortable home! I am my own boss! No! I have to say with the Apostle Paul, By the grace of God I am what I am, I Co 15.10
We have talked about man vs woman and discovered that in Christ there is no distinction. They are equal. As a matter of fact there is no male or female in the eternal picture.
Let’s talk about child vs adult. Which is better or greater in the kingdom of God?
And by the way, of the millions, perhaps billions of aborted babies … they are ALL in heaven. When you arrive in heaven, do you think you will be more important than they?
Jesus talked about children and their value. In Matthew 18 we read, 1 ¶ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
God loves you … He loves little children … But in heaven there will be no old, wise person … and no foolish, immature young person
We talked about Man-woman, child-adult. How about Rich vs Poor?
When we put God first in our lives and walk by faith, ... does He bless us with the desires of our hearts? Is our wealth a sign that God is blessing us? Should we expect a little honor and respect because we are ‘well-off’?
James speaks about this very directly. 1 ¶ My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:2-5)
So why do we sometimes seem to show greater respect to wealthy newcomers to the church? Are we perhaps thinking about our church budget and how much better it would look if we could add a couple of good tithers?
Paul says riches don't matter one way or the other. He said there will come false teachers … 5 who suppose that godliness is gain (money and blessings). From such withdraw yourself.
6 ¶ But godliness with contentment is great gain,
7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. I Tim 6:5-8
And then Paul talks about his own perspective regarding money or the lack of it …
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Having a comfortable amount of money is not a sign of being more spiritually obedient to God, and so He blesses you and makes you wealthy. It is most likely the path that God chose for you and He expects you to be a good steward of His money. He holds you accountable.
Which is greater, to be Man or woman, child or adult. Rich or Poor? What about slave or free? Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
How many long, tortuous years passed in America before slaves were to become equal with any other citizens? Racism and class distinction prevailed even in most, if not all of the churches in the south of the USA. What a horrendous stain on the garment of the Lord’s bride.
I pray that we have been ‘washed’ of that ugly blemish.
Another area that can produce a dangerous pride in the church is that of the Strong versus the Weak.
And by Strong we mean enlightened and by Weak, we mean ignorant.
In Paul’s day there was an issue in the church that had to do with do’s and don’ts.
Some thought it was a sin to eat a meal in a pagan temple 'restaurant' or buy meat from a market that advertised it as having been dedicated to some idol. Most likely that meat was sold at a discounted price. But some Christians resisted the temptation to buy the discounted meat, thinking it to be a sin.
Other Christians, from their educated point of view, said, ‘Idols are not real gods. They are nothing. Eating that meat is perfectly OK'.
Paul stated that the Christians who would not eat meat that had been offered to an idol … had a weak conscience. He called the others, the ones who had no problem eating the cheaper meat, strong.
Here is what Paul had to say about weak versus strong.
I Corinthians 8:7 ¶ However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
Now, translate this situation to differences of opinion within our own fellowships. Who is weak? The one who gets offended over something you do which they think is a sin. But you KNOW there is nothing wrong with it.
Does that make you a better Christian? What is your attitude toward the weak Christian? Could it be, “Oh, just get over it already!”
That attitude is sinful. It is judging a brother or sister in Christ. And if you had your way, and you could talk them into doing what you are doing … and then they were to do it, fearing that this thing is probably a sin … Paul says, to him it IS a sin. And you would have been guilty of causing that weaker brother or sister to sin.
Here is Paul’s statement concerning this … from the Philips Translation: Yet if a man eats meat with an uneasy conscience, you may be sure he is wrong to do so. For his action does not spring from his faith, and when we act apart from our faith we sin. Romans 14:23
The tendency in human nature is for the strong to think that they are better than the weak. But that is human nature, not the new nature given by God.
I have talked about these issues that can and do show up in the church, who is superior, Man or woman, child or adult. Rich or Poor. Slave or Free. Strong or Weak. Let’s look at one more.
Wise vs simple (I include laborer versus professional, expert versus inexperienced, educated versus the uniformed)
If we are to be honest, we tend to listen to and respect a believer who has credentials. And, in some cases, the longer the list of credentials, the more we are inclined to be ‘wowed’ by the person’s words.
To give credit where credit is due, for a person to gather a long list of degrees following their name, represents a fair amount of time and work. But the credit really belongs to God. We make a huge mistake when we elevate the person with the degrees to a place where we listen to them over the word of someone else whose learning, knowledge and experience came by faithful studying and applying the truth to a daily life of faithful service to God.
And for the person with the ‘degrees’ to think himself better or greater than others is a sin.
Paul indicates that we have adopted these bad ideas from the world. And he tells us straight … “ Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 1Corinthians 3:18
In a way, Paul is saying, ‘perform intellectual suicide’ in the eyes of the world … just take the big step and declare that you believe that Jesus is God, our Saviour, the creator of the world, and the soon coming judge. The world will call you a fool. But God will say, ‘That was very wise’.
Paul has a lot to say about this issue. The Corinthian Christians were displaying a very poor attitude towards one another, so Paul had to put things into perspective. He said, 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. First Corinthians 1:26-28
How does it feel to think that you were not called by God because of how wise you were, how successful, how strong, or how beautiful? Mostly God has called the average, the weak, the unimportant to Himself. God wants to be the one who does a miraculous work of transformation in our lives. Why? So that people who knew us will be amazed and recognize that God must have done this.
So here is a list of cautions that the church of Acts was in the process of learning. They would learn not to discriminate against the Hellenists by overlooking the widows among their number. But in the process, they would be forced to really consider who they really thought they were.
Here are the verses:
Paul said, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”. Romans 12:3
Two of the disciples fell into the trap of thinking that they were more important than the others. Matthew gives us that story. “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (Matthew 18.10) They hoped for a special ‘appointment’ in Jesus’ new kingdom. He set them straight.
Were these two richer, smarter, stronger or wiser than the others? If they really thought they were, they were mistaken. Paul said, “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Galatians 6.3
To the Philippian Christians Paul gave this advice. And this advice is what the Christians in the book of Acts had yet to learn. And we need to learn it as well. He said, 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2: 3-8
But what about Paul himself? Wasn’t he ‘wise’ before he became a believer? Was he not well educated? Did he not have good reason to boast? He actually said this,
4 … If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: (I was) 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
The Hellenist widows were neglected because those in charge failed to see them as equals. The apostles quickly moved to correct the problem … as far as getting fed was concerned. But it would take a fair bit of teaching to get all of the believers to really see each other as equals.
Can we learn from Paul to rethink who we really think we are? Here is one more statement he made to the Philippian Christians about re-assessing our own worth.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
He said, ‘I count my long list of my achievements, my success, my status, my racial background, my education … as rubbish’.
And the word ‘rubbish’ in the original language actually means manure.
Growing up on my parents hobby farm in BC, and then on a large acreage in Saskatchewan I learned how to take care of manure. It did not smell good at all. But I had to take a ‘manure fork’, shove it into the mess, and transfer it to the wheel barrow. One forkfull at a time.
This is what I had to do with my ‘accomplishments’, my dreams, my successes, etc. I had to think, “There goes the ‘forkful’ of Master of Theology. There goes my forkful of my standing in the community. There goes my desire for a BMW. There goes my status as one who understands deep scientific mysteries. There goes my desire to be publicly acknowledged and praised.
Wow. I feel so light and free. It really feels good to be nobody.
So who is a Hebrew and who is a Hellenist? Who is born Dutch? German? British? Spanish? Indigenous Canadian? Does it matter? Is it important? It is just about as important as manure. So put it in its place. Shovel it out.
We are all equal in what we are. We are all simple clay pots, says Paul. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7
So, who do we think we are? I will leave us thinking about these words from the Apostle Paul.
Roman 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Let’s read the last verse of the previous chapter to get the setting.
42 And daily in the temple, and in every house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.
The ‘megachurch’ of that day was learning ‘how to do church’. They were evangelizing constantly. To do that, they met in the temple area, sharing the news of the risen Lord to as many as would listen. Numbers of people responded and the church grew daily.
But the ‘teaching’ requirements that the new believers would require would have been tremendous. For this reason they met daily, in every house, teaching.
I think we could safely say that their ‘teaching staff’ would at first have been made up of at least the 120 that were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
The new believers would all have had a solid Jewish foundation in Old Testament understanding. So as they became more familiar with Jesus, they would also have been added to the teaching staff.
But teaching the new believers in a systematic and orderly fashion was only one of the challenges. This mega church was ‘sharing all things in common’. They were eating their meals together.
Now how, I wonder, could 20 to 60 thousand people be gathering in one place and eating their meals together? Personally I think that meeting in one place was logistically impossible. I believe that since they shared even their own houses, that hundreds of ‘sub-groups’ automatically were formed. A systematic method of food preparation and sharing would have been essential. They likely had a very sophisticated method superior to ‘Meals on Wheels’.
Food would have to be purchased, distributed and prepared constantly. And everything seemed to be working very well until … 6:1 … in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
The problem that appears, … I might add, was not an unexpected problem. In an operation of this size, it is a wonder that problems did not show up earlier.
What is the problem? Someone is getting ‘overlooked’ in the daily food distribution. Hellenist widows.
Who or what are Hellenists? Here is a 'dictionary' description.
Hellenistic Judaism - Wikipedia
The Hebrews were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the Hellenists were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue was Greek. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. To identify them, Luke uses the term Hellenistai.
So there you have it. Although the Romans were in power, and their language was Latin, the leftover influence of the Greeks included a language that was still very popular in the time of Christ.
A certain percentage … perhaps a large percentage of the Jews living in the Judea area, and specifically in Jerusalem, had accepted the Greek language as their own language, and either had never learned the Hebrew language or at least did not make a practice of using it in their homes. As far as we know, these people intentionally spoke Greek in an effort to ‘fit it’ and not appear as a different or peculiar people.
So the ‘Hellenists’ were Jews, but at least they were not half-breeds like the Samaritans. (Luke will direct our attention to them in a later chapter.)
But for now let's look again at Acts 6:1 … in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution.
What I am sensing, is that there were more Hebrews than there were Hellenists. And I also think that the Hebrews considered themselves to be of a higher class, and perhaps ‘more important to God’ because they spoke only Hebrew and did so with pride and dignity.
Previously, God had removed Ananias and Sapphira from the congregation because they lied to the Holy Spirit. At that point, these two seemed to be the only ‘blemish’ in an otherwise pure church. But now this problem shows up. Perhaps it is not so much a ‘racial’ distinction as it is a ‘class’ distinction. The Hebrew speaking Christians considered themselves better than the Greek speaking Christians.
What about us? Can this be a problem within our churches of today? We might be quick to point the finger toward the UK and the ‘Downton Abbey’ group, thinking, We are not at all as upper and lower class minded as they were. But do we have situations within our own fellowship where one might think he or she is better than someone else?
What do you think about your heritage? Does it affect the way that you think? Let’s spend a few moments exploring the title of this session, Seriously, who do you think you are?
I will go first. What is my heritage? I was born Dutch. While living in Osoyoos BC I heard a good Christian brother and friend of mine say, jokingly, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much.”
For 14 years or so, the church that I pastored was a part of a Mennonite group. At first I attended some of the quarterly pastors and wives fellowship meetings down in the lower mainland of BC.
There was a repeated topic that came up in those meetings, and that was the ‘problem’ of ethnicity within the denomination. Clearly, the desire of the leaders of the denomination was to create an atmosphere that would be comfortable to people of all backgrounds.
But in spite of their efforts the problem persisted. It seemed to be ingrained in their very nature. For instance, at the supper hour of one of these meetings in which ethnicity had been addressed, I could not avoid overhearing several of the wives speaking about some newcomers to one of the churches. They spent quite a great deal of time discussing the newcomer family name. I heard the last name … it was clearly one of the common names within the denomination. For almost twenty minutes the conversation centered on trying to establish which ‘line’ this family was from.
I was left thinking “It will never happen. They will never get past this. An outsider will never feel accepted if they do not have the right pedigree”.
So why do we do this? Do we actually think down deep in our soul, that we are ‘better’ in some way? And there are many other areas beside our racial roots where ‘being better’ shows up.
Which is better? Being a man or woman, a child or an adult, being rich or poor, weak or strong, wise or simple, this race or that one, boss or employee, master or slave?
What is the basis for treasuring, for holding dear, for placing great value on, for appreciating greatly, our place in life?
What does scripture have to say about your place in life?
Let’s begin with Man vs Woman
For this, let’s go back to the Garden of Eden. At that point there was only one man and one woman. So which was better?
After they had sinned, God spoke to them about it. We read in Genesis 3:16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
This ‘announcement’ is a result of the sinful fall of man. God is not saying something good about the arrangement. He is saying that from that day onward this would be the arrangement, the result of sin. The woman’s ‘desire’ for her husband, actually carries the meaning in a negative sense. It does not mean that she will desire him, love him and try to please him. No, the result of the fall applies to this verse and it really means that she will desire to ‘get’ him. To control. To entrap. To outsmart him.
But the other result of the fall is, he will rule, he will enforce, he will mis-treat, he will ‘boss’ her around.
And so, who is better, male or female? What does God say? There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
There is no ‘better’.
As the human race developed something else became the issue. Who had a better name, more strength, and a better family situation? At that point in history there was no church. And there was no Israel. But there were two types of people. Cain’s descendants, for the most part, were unbelievers and God rejectors. Adam’s descendants through Seth were God fearing believers.
But what about pride? Was there a temptation to boast a bit about one’s lineage?
Did the human race develop purely by chance? The Apostle Paul did not think so. He said, God made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, Ac 17:26
So God did it? Yes, He did. And according to that verse, it looks like there is no room to brag about your lineage.
I am Dutch, Canadian, living in the 21st century, enjoying modern technology, enjoying a free democracy, living in a peaceful, scenic area … all because of God? Then what do I have to boast about? How does this make me better than a believer in Africa, living in a war torn country, trying to make a living in a dry environment, in a collapsed economy?
God determined all of these details according to His own eternal purposes.
So what do I have to be proud of? I am a Canadian! I am a male! I have dutch background! I have a comfortable home! I am my own boss! No! I have to say with the Apostle Paul, By the grace of God I am what I am, I Co 15.10
We have talked about man vs woman and discovered that in Christ there is no distinction. They are equal. As a matter of fact there is no male or female in the eternal picture.
Let’s talk about child vs adult. Which is better or greater in the kingdom of God?
And by the way, of the millions, perhaps billions of aborted babies … they are ALL in heaven. When you arrive in heaven, do you think you will be more important than they?
Jesus talked about children and their value. In Matthew 18 we read, 1 ¶ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,
3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
5 “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.
6 “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
God loves you … He loves little children … But in heaven there will be no old, wise person … and no foolish, immature young person
We talked about Man-woman, child-adult. How about Rich vs Poor?
When we put God first in our lives and walk by faith, ... does He bless us with the desires of our hearts? Is our wealth a sign that God is blessing us? Should we expect a little honor and respect because we are ‘well-off’?
James speaks about this very directly. 1 ¶ My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:2-5)
So why do we sometimes seem to show greater respect to wealthy newcomers to the church? Are we perhaps thinking about our church budget and how much better it would look if we could add a couple of good tithers?
Paul says riches don't matter one way or the other. He said there will come false teachers … 5 who suppose that godliness is gain (money and blessings). From such withdraw yourself.
6 ¶ But godliness with contentment is great gain,
7 for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. I Tim 6:5-8
And then Paul talks about his own perspective regarding money or the lack of it …
Philippians 4:11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Having a comfortable amount of money is not a sign of being more spiritually obedient to God, and so He blesses you and makes you wealthy. It is most likely the path that God chose for you and He expects you to be a good steward of His money. He holds you accountable.
Which is greater, to be Man or woman, child or adult. Rich or Poor? What about slave or free? Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
How many long, tortuous years passed in America before slaves were to become equal with any other citizens? Racism and class distinction prevailed even in most, if not all of the churches in the south of the USA. What a horrendous stain on the garment of the Lord’s bride.
I pray that we have been ‘washed’ of that ugly blemish.
Another area that can produce a dangerous pride in the church is that of the Strong versus the Weak.
And by Strong we mean enlightened and by Weak, we mean ignorant.
In Paul’s day there was an issue in the church that had to do with do’s and don’ts.
Some thought it was a sin to eat a meal in a pagan temple 'restaurant' or buy meat from a market that advertised it as having been dedicated to some idol. Most likely that meat was sold at a discounted price. But some Christians resisted the temptation to buy the discounted meat, thinking it to be a sin.
Other Christians, from their educated point of view, said, ‘Idols are not real gods. They are nothing. Eating that meat is perfectly OK'.
Paul stated that the Christians who would not eat meat that had been offered to an idol … had a weak conscience. He called the others, the ones who had no problem eating the cheaper meat, strong.
Here is what Paul had to say about weak versus strong.
I Corinthians 8:7 ¶ However, there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled.
8 But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.
9 But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.
10 For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols?
11 And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died?
Now, translate this situation to differences of opinion within our own fellowships. Who is weak? The one who gets offended over something you do which they think is a sin. But you KNOW there is nothing wrong with it.
Does that make you a better Christian? What is your attitude toward the weak Christian? Could it be, “Oh, just get over it already!”
That attitude is sinful. It is judging a brother or sister in Christ. And if you had your way, and you could talk them into doing what you are doing … and then they were to do it, fearing that this thing is probably a sin … Paul says, to him it IS a sin. And you would have been guilty of causing that weaker brother or sister to sin.
Here is Paul’s statement concerning this … from the Philips Translation: Yet if a man eats meat with an uneasy conscience, you may be sure he is wrong to do so. For his action does not spring from his faith, and when we act apart from our faith we sin. Romans 14:23
The tendency in human nature is for the strong to think that they are better than the weak. But that is human nature, not the new nature given by God.
I have talked about these issues that can and do show up in the church, who is superior, Man or woman, child or adult. Rich or Poor. Slave or Free. Strong or Weak. Let’s look at one more.
Wise vs simple (I include laborer versus professional, expert versus inexperienced, educated versus the uniformed)
If we are to be honest, we tend to listen to and respect a believer who has credentials. And, in some cases, the longer the list of credentials, the more we are inclined to be ‘wowed’ by the person’s words.
To give credit where credit is due, for a person to gather a long list of degrees following their name, represents a fair amount of time and work. But the credit really belongs to God. We make a huge mistake when we elevate the person with the degrees to a place where we listen to them over the word of someone else whose learning, knowledge and experience came by faithful studying and applying the truth to a daily life of faithful service to God.
And for the person with the ‘degrees’ to think himself better or greater than others is a sin.
Paul indicates that we have adopted these bad ideas from the world. And he tells us straight … “ Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 1Corinthians 3:18
In a way, Paul is saying, ‘perform intellectual suicide’ in the eyes of the world … just take the big step and declare that you believe that Jesus is God, our Saviour, the creator of the world, and the soon coming judge. The world will call you a fool. But God will say, ‘That was very wise’.
Paul has a lot to say about this issue. The Corinthian Christians were displaying a very poor attitude towards one another, so Paul had to put things into perspective. He said, 26 For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. First Corinthians 1:26-28
How does it feel to think that you were not called by God because of how wise you were, how successful, how strong, or how beautiful? Mostly God has called the average, the weak, the unimportant to Himself. God wants to be the one who does a miraculous work of transformation in our lives. Why? So that people who knew us will be amazed and recognize that God must have done this.
So here is a list of cautions that the church of Acts was in the process of learning. They would learn not to discriminate against the Hellenists by overlooking the widows among their number. But in the process, they would be forced to really consider who they really thought they were.
Here are the verses:
Paul said, “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned”. Romans 12:3
Two of the disciples fell into the trap of thinking that they were more important than the others. Matthew gives us that story. “At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (Matthew 18.10) They hoped for a special ‘appointment’ in Jesus’ new kingdom. He set them straight.
Were these two richer, smarter, stronger or wiser than the others? If they really thought they were, they were mistaken. Paul said, “If anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.” Galatians 6.3
To the Philippian Christians Paul gave this advice. And this advice is what the Christians in the book of Acts had yet to learn. And we need to learn it as well. He said, 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2: 3-8
But what about Paul himself? Wasn’t he ‘wise’ before he became a believer? Was he not well educated? Did he not have good reason to boast? He actually said this,
4 … If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: (I was) 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
The Hellenist widows were neglected because those in charge failed to see them as equals. The apostles quickly moved to correct the problem … as far as getting fed was concerned. But it would take a fair bit of teaching to get all of the believers to really see each other as equals.
Can we learn from Paul to rethink who we really think we are? Here is one more statement he made to the Philippian Christians about re-assessing our own worth.
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
He said, ‘I count my long list of my achievements, my success, my status, my racial background, my education … as rubbish’.
And the word ‘rubbish’ in the original language actually means manure.
Growing up on my parents hobby farm in BC, and then on a large acreage in Saskatchewan I learned how to take care of manure. It did not smell good at all. But I had to take a ‘manure fork’, shove it into the mess, and transfer it to the wheel barrow. One forkfull at a time.
This is what I had to do with my ‘accomplishments’, my dreams, my successes, etc. I had to think, “There goes the ‘forkful’ of Master of Theology. There goes my forkful of my standing in the community. There goes my desire for a BMW. There goes my status as one who understands deep scientific mysteries. There goes my desire to be publicly acknowledged and praised.
Wow. I feel so light and free. It really feels good to be nobody.
So who is a Hebrew and who is a Hellenist? Who is born Dutch? German? British? Spanish? Indigenous Canadian? Does it matter? Is it important? It is just about as important as manure. So put it in its place. Shovel it out.
We are all equal in what we are. We are all simple clay pots, says Paul. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." 2 Corinthians 4:7
So, who do we think we are? I will leave us thinking about these words from the Apostle Paul.
Roman 8:17 ¶ and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
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