What’s red and yellow, black and white, and calls Jehovah, God. That sounds like a very weird question to ask, but it is a serious issue not only for our country but also for the church. The answer is simple, Christians. You see the Lord has made us all one people and one family (Galatians 3:28), but we seem to have allowed our society to determine who it is that should be allowed into our buildings.
We see in the world around us that there is prejudice toward other people and toward what other people believe. We constantly talk about Christians being the ones that are persecuted, but what do we say when we are the ones that are doing the persecuting? We are supposed to be reaching souls that are lost in this world of sin, and that comes with great responsibility. James 2 talks about this very topic. In verse 1, James said to not let our personal prejudices prevent us from reaching lost souls. Timothy said, “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one another, doing nothing by partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21). This is a charge that we must not take lightly. In Luke 17:2, the Lord said that it is better if a millstone were hung about our neck and we were cast into the sea than to cause someone to stumble in his or her faith.
Race is not the only reason for this kind of prejudice. The Bible also talks about a person’s station in life. In James 2:2-4, James talks about our reaction to a rich person as opposed to a poor person. Do we allow a person’s money or power to affect our view of his soul? The Lord said to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Matthew 28:27-28). He didn’t say to go to the rich or the popular alone. He said, “all the world.”
In this world of sin, we are supposed to be the example and the light to those outside of Christ. We have the opportunity if we are willing to open our eyes to see it. As Jesus said in Luke 10:2, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.” We have a great opportunity to bring others to Christ, but we must not be hesitant to go to anyone who will listen. Sometimes the greatest faith can be brought about through the greatest poverty. If we are willing to go to those who the world rejects, we can show them the one who wants to accept them. Let us all be One in Christ.