Break Down Discrimination: Build Relationships So Others May Be Saved

Showing different treatment toward certain people, or discrimination, is part of human social life, and Christians are no exception. We give extra attention to certain people-those who are wealthy, beautiful or handsome, popular and influential, and considered saved. Yet we set aside those who are simple, unremarkable, or unknown.

As a result, exclusive social circles are formed that refuse to mingle with other groups. If that is the case, how can people from humble backgrounds, who have no power, position, or attractiveness, be won in the Lord?

What should relationships look like if they are to reach every level of society so that our neighbors may be saved? Has the way we build relationships inspired others, so that people who do not know God can see His glory through us?

Do Not Show Partiality

My brothers and sisters, as believers in Jesus Christ, our glorious Lord, do not practice that faith with partiality. – James 2:1

James warns that our faith must not be practiced with partiality. In English Bible translations, the concept of showing partiality is expressed, among other ways, as favoritism (partiality) and prejudice (prejudice). The following verses give a concrete example: if we honor those who wear fine clothes, while treating those in shabby clothes badly, we have made distinctions with evil thoughts (James 2:2-4).

Imagine if our Lord Jesus Christ only looked at outward appearance. Because you have no wealth, are not successful, are not attractive, or are not well-known, Jesus rejects you-surely you would not be saved today!

Your acquaintances, relatives, and friends also want salvation. They want to see the truth and have their lives renewed. Therefore, in preaching the word of God, you must not look at status, appearance, wealth, or other outward things.

Do Not Put Yourself First

Just as I also try to please everyone in every way, not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. – 1 Corinthians 10:33

A few months ago I met a sister who used to live in the same city as I did. She approached me happily and said, "I told the sisters in Malang about one small thing you did when I first visited Jemaat Surabaya: you greeted me and invited me to talk."

"That was a lollipop moment1 for me," she explained. "At that time, my life was a mess. I had long left God. But your greeting made me feel accepted and warmly welcomed. That moment has carried me so far and created great things in my life.

"I became excited again to worship, was encouraged to study the Bible, repent, and become a disciple of Jesus. I joined the mission team to Malang to help others know God, then married a man who loves God. We were blessed with a healthy, cheerful, and obedient child. My younger sibling has become a disciple of Jesus, and now my cousin is studying the Bible deeply.

"Thank you, Sis. If you had not greeted me back then, I might never have returned to God's path."

Hearing that, I felt deeply moved. It turned out that the small thing I did had made a great difference in someone else's life.

We tend to enjoy talking more with people we know or who are close to us. We prefer being friends with people who have the same tastes, hobbies, and way of thinking as we do. Every Sunday, we only build (fellowship) with the same people, within our comfort zone.

Yet the Bible teaches us not to put ourselves first, but to care about the interests of others so that they too may be saved. You never know how God is working; it may be that your friend will eventually choose a holy life and become someone used in the Kingdom of God.

Becoming All Things to All People

To the weak I became weak, so that I might save the weak. To all people I have become all things, so that by every possible way I might win some of them. – 1 Corinthians 9:22

Suppose you have a friend whose hobby is different from yours; would you be willing to make time to do your friend's hobby so that he or she may become interested in knowing the truth and be saved? Or perhaps your coworker is irritating and hard to love. Can you love that person, instead of avoiding, judging, or gossiping about them?

In John 4:1-42 it is recorded that Jesus, tired after a long journey, was willing to greet and speak with a Samaritan woman (a group discriminated against by the Jews). Not only that, Jesus shared the good news about living water with her (John 4:13-15). It was through this woman's invitation that many Samaritans later came to believe in Jesus (John 4:39).

Luke 19:1-10 describes how Jesus stayed at the house of Zacchaeus, a tax collector, regardless of people saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner (verse 7)."

Yes, Jesus also associated with the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11), those with leprosy (Luke 5:12-14), people with disabilities (Matthew 15:29-31), and those possessed by demons (Luke 8:26-39).

As followers of Christ, we must not limit our relationships to certain circles. We must become "all things to all people" like Jesus-who, though the Son of God, was willing to associate with sinners, the poor, the disabled, and those cast out by society.

Let us build relationships with everyone, so that as many people as possible may glorify God and be saved!

This is good and pleasing to God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Timothy 2:3-4  -  A moment when life feels better because of something someone did or said to us (www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership) - The GKDI Church is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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