WELCOME
By Kathy Scott
"My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:1-10)
The first visitor comes in and everyone hopes he will not sit next to them. He has to go up front to sit because all the back rows are full. How embarrassing! From the way he is dressed, in simple clothes and sandals, it is obvious he's poor - and probably homeless, as well. Everybody hopes the second man who comes in will not notice the first one or think he's a member here. It's obvious the second guest is well off. After all, he's driving a brand new car and wearing a very nice suit and tie. Hopefully, he will also contribute a lot in the collection plate. That poor, homeless guy who walked in off the street surely won't give anything. He's most likely here just looking for a handout, anyway. The properly dressed guest is asked to lead closing prayer. Better to not ask the other one since he doesn't even wear a tie. After the last "amen" everyone is quick to greet the well dressed guest, telling him, "Please, come back soon." As for the visitor with sandals, the people hope that maybe he will just slip away and never come back again. Then:
The first visitor is heard to say, as he exits the building, "I am not a visitor. I am here for every service." He is then seen shaking the dust from His feet and mentioning His name, JESUS.
When a stranger comes into our midst, we should remember the words in the song, "Tell me the story of Jesus ...homeless, rejected and poor..." Our Saviour wants greeters, encouragers and soul winners. Please consider a few other words about that Stranger standing at the door in: Isaiah 53; Luke 9:58 and Matthew 10:14-15.
All Scripture is taken from the NKJ Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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