He had been invited, of course – not that he needed an invitation! – and we had saved a place for him.  But he had not come to dinner for the past week, and it was beginning to look as though he would not be coming to dinner again any time soon.  He may just have been busy, of course; any apostle – and especially the chief apostle – must have so many responsibilities. But it was strange, nonetheless. Some were even beginning to wonder if they had offended him, or if fellowship with the Gentile converts was not  a pressing issue just now.  But surely, it couldn’t be, as some had even suggested, that Peter named Cephas viewed us as somehow less than equal in the fellowship of Christ … could it?

In the second  chapter of Galatians  Paul tells the amazing story:

“When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face … For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray” (Galatians 2:11-13).

Paul’s stand against Peter’s hypocrisy must have been a legendary event in the early Church. Paul certainly did not skirt the issue:

“When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?” (Galatians 2:14).

Fortunately, Peter had the humility to accept Paul’s reprimand (something worth thinking about in itself) and changed his behavior – fellowshipping again with the Gentile believers.  Clearly, he learned a valuable lesson, one which lies behind the words written in one of his own epistles years later: “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers…” (1 Peter 2:17).

But this story is given in the Bible for our admonition, not Peter’s.  Do we avoid certain people in the faith for any reason? Do we not fully accept other believers because of some difference in doctrine or belief?  The apostle Peter made this mistake – are we above it? 

We know that we are to “keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching” (2 Thessalonians 3:6 and also see vs. 14), but that does not apply to believers who are sincerely trying to do God’s will.  The writings of Paul and Luke, in Acts, make it abundantly clear that Gentile believers were to be fully accepted as brothers and sisters in the faith – even though they may not have had complete doctrinal understanding (Acts 15:28).   This principle also applies directly to us, of course, in dealing with fellow believers of other doctrinal persuasions.  We may not agree with each other on things that we consider to be important, but that does not preclude our fellowship and helping one another in the faith.  Even though we may understand that principle intellectually, we must all ask ourselves whether there is some reason we are not showing up for dinner.

Every year people flock to fashion shows in Paris, New York, and other centers of haute couture to see what styles and colors are "in."
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Back in the days of the apostle James, for some members of the church, the “in” style was apparently clothes showing wealth and the in colors were apparently gold, scarlet and purple:
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“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:1-4).

The colors getting people’s attention here were not just gold and silver.  In that day and age the most noticeable difference between a rich person’s clothing and a poor person’s was usually color. Only the rich could afford clothing made of finer materials like colored silk or linen died with expensive purple or scarlet dyes (Proverbs 31:21, Mark 15:17, etc.).   So this wasn’t just about paying attention to those wearing gold rings.  James puts equal stress on those focusing on the doubtless brightly colored clothing of the rich man (vs. 3), and he uses some pretty strong language about them – he says if they are guilty of gravitating to such a person at the expense of  others, they are guilty of discrimination (vs. 4). 

The problem wasn’t really about the gold ring or the brightly colored robe of the rich man, of course – the root of the problem was that some of James’ readers were seeing those who wore gold rings and scarlet and purple clothes as somehow better than others. Think about it. The people of the Church did not want to associate with the rich in the hopes of getting some of their money, but there were certain things about the rich man – we might think of them as distinguishing “colors” – that meant people gravitated to him.  The wealthy man was simply the man to know, the man to be friends with, the man who was wearing the “in” colors.

So we must ask ourselves what “color” is in today, in our age, in our church.  It may well not be the “color” of money.  It could just as well be the “color” of  “appearance,”  “popularity,”  “tech savvy,” or even “dedicated church attendance” or “missionary zeal,” depending on who is looking and how they see things.   The fact is, just like the poor man James mentioned, every church congregation has those who are not wearing the “in” color.  Sometimes they are the old, sometimes those in ill health, sometimes they are just those with poor social skills.  But if we see others – any others – as more attractive, fun, or “in” to be around, we have missed the point of James’ warning. 

It’s really a matter of perspective.  Our physical eyes may see and sense the things that make people “in,” but we need to always look beyond what the eyes see.  That, of course, was the point of God’s words to Samuel regarding the physically impressive Saul: “The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). And notice an important detail of what James said that we so often read over without noticing it much – James begins his admonition to not be swayed by what is attractive by making an important point: “My brothers and sisters,” he says, “believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism” (vs. 2). 

​Before talking about the rich man and his physical glory, James makes a comparison with the much more “glorious” nature of Christ.  James prefaced his statement with that thought because he wanted us to remember that, if we have the right perspective, we will see that even those totally devoid of anything that could make them “in” physically still carry the image of God, which is far more glorious in every way than the "in colors" of human society. 

It’s a point that may not apply to us personally, but if we ever find ourselves gravitating mainly to those who exhibit whatever “color” is “in,” spending time primarily with those who are the “in crowd” within our group, it does apply. 

As Christians we know and understand that the Church is the “Body of Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:27) – that it is a body of individual people who have become spiritually fused in him. Yet we must sometimes remind ourselves of what the Church is not. 

Church is not a building you go to

William “Billy” Sunday’s famous line that “Going to church does not make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile” is still as true now as it was back in the early part of the Twentieth Century, and it is a principle with deep scriptural support.  The Church is not the physical building, but the spiritual one.

The apostle Peter affirmed this in writing: “you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…” (1 Peter 2:5), and the author of the book of Hebrews likewise tells us: “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:6).

Confusing the physical building with the spiritual building and its mission can lead to problems when resources and time are focused on the physical place we worship rather than the job the worship calls us to do.  A church building may be a nice structure, with beautiful stained glass windows, but the Spirit of God does not work through buildings.  A way to test our own relationship with that truth is to ask ourselves, rather than saying “Today is the day we go to church,” how natural is it to say “Today is the day the Church goes to our building.”

Church is not a denomination you join

The famous pastor and writer A. W. Tozer was fond of saying that “One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”  We can apply this truth to the understanding that the Church of God is not a denomination – no matter how large (or exclusively small).   We must frequently remind ourselves that not all Christians are in any one denomination, and not everyone in any denomination is a Christian.

We have only to read the book of Acts to see that even the earliest Church had “denominations” – we read of factions which required circumcision and those who did not, groups that taught all aspects of the law of Moses and those who did not – yet they are all said to have been part of the Church.   

For most of us this may not be an issue. But many Christians do shy away from fellowship with those who do not agree with them on all points of doctrine.  And sometimes the division is even within denominations.  It is not entirely uncommon for congregations to sometimes focus on their own needs and programs rather than on the bigger picture of what is being done nationally and worldwide.  In either case, it can be helpful for us all to think of the Church more broadly.

Church is not a social activity you participate in

In the famous words of American basketball player and coach John Wooden, we should “Never mistake activity for achievement,” and unless we see the Church as something very distinct from church activities, we can faithfully participate in socials, campouts, sing-alongs, movie nights and all kinds of other activities without ever having fulfilled the purpose of the Church in our lives.  As Christian writer Thom Rainer puts it in an article discussing activity-driven churches: “Many churches are busy, probably too busy. Church calendars fill quickly with a myriad of programs and activities. While no individual activity may be problematic, the presence of so many options can be” (Seven Problems with an Activity-Driven Church).

We all understand that fellowship is an integral part of what the Church is all about, but an endless stream of activities replaces real fellowship with activities having their own focus, and that can be self-defeating for any congregation. Among his seven points Rainer reminds us that activity is not biblical purpose, that busyness can take us away from connecting with other believers and non-believers.  A congregation that is too busy can hurt families, and an activity-driven church often has no real presence in the community.

These are all things we should think about at times. It is vital that every Christian understand that activities are not really church any more than buildings or individual denominations are. We are called to a community that far exceeds any and all of these things. 

“[Abraham] moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12: 8).

In the old classic My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) stated that Bethel is the symbol of fellowship with God and Ai is the symbol of the world, but he did not explain this point or develop the idea that Abraham pitched his tent between the two locations.  

Bethel or Beth-El – which means “House of God” – certainly could be seen as a symbol of fellowship with God, and though the meaning of Ai (“heap” or “ruin”)  does not fit the analogy as well, the later history of that unsurrendered Canaanite city  could perhaps be seen as metaphorical.   But whether we see the story of Abraham pitching his tent between Bethel and Ai as symbolic in this sense or not, the principle of  positioning our lives between God’s fellowship and that of the world is an interesting one.  Certainly it need not imply not being committed to God on the one hand, or not being willing to let go of the things of the world on the other; but the image can help us to remember something important.

Often in our lives it is all too easy to pitch our tent too close to one or the other extreme, and we have to remember that it’s not just positioning ourselves too close to the world that has drawbacks. If we attempt to position ourselves so close to God that we have no relationship with the world, we become spiritual hermits and we can neither serve nor influence anyone for good.  Looking at the example of Christ’s ministry – or that of any of the  men and women of God whose story the Bible tells – we realize the impossibility of trying to serve God at a safe distance from man. It is here that the story of Abraham comes into play, because if we extend the analogy, the patriarch did not just put himself in a comfortable position between God and man and then try to compromise with both – the account tells us: “… there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.”  This is the balance that the servant of God must keep in mind:  that we camp near enough to our neighbors to be able to serve them, but that our allegiance is dedicated, like Abraham’s altar, wholly to God.

Ultimately, as is always the case, analogies do not prove anything; but if they can help us to remember an important principle of Christian living or to balance our lives more effectively, then they serve a worthwhile purpose.  In this case, we can remember where Abraham pitched his tent the next time we face the question of whether we should be close enough to our neighbors to actually help them.

This map, which was recently produced by valeriepieris on Reddit, is instructive to say the least. The map was carefully prepared using detailed population figures and so it gives a good idea as to the current situation regarding human population distribution – the fact that more people are now living within the area of that relatively small white circle than in the rest of the world combined. Notice, too, that the area of land is only half that of the circle.  Asia has long been home to several of the most populous nations in the world, of course, but it is only recently that we have come to this point.

Why do I include the map in today’s blog post?   I think it is important that we all get to know a bit more about that part of the world – an area with many nations and nationalities, but one in which many Americans and even some Europeans recognize only about three of the nations on the map!   

But Asia includes, of course, several nuclear-power-armed nations and several hotbeds of Islamic extremism, as well as nations of great importance in the world economy; and it is an area which will doubtless continue to burgeon not only in population growth, but also in its overall importance.  This can be seen in the way that U.S. strategic policy is now pivoting much of its attention from the Middle East to Asia. Unfortunately, the area is home to a couple of the most anti-religious regimes on earth and several in which persecution against Christians is both widespread and intense.  North Korea has the worst record of persecution, with an estimated 50-70,000 Christians in its prison camps. This makes it particularly difficult in such countries not only for those trying to follow the Christian faith, but also for those trying to help them.

On the positive side, the fact that more people live in this area than in the entire rest of the world underscores the great potential of this region for Christian development. The numbers are almost mind-boggling. It is estimated that there are currently some 10,000 new coverts being made to Christianity each day in China. The whole of Asia is certainly an area that we as Christians might do well to know more about if we are to understand the needs of its people and to help them.  Whether we are involved in missions work, interaction with Christians in that area, the effort to help the persecuted, or whatever, I think we should know more about this relatively small circle in which so many of our friends live and strive for the faith.  What do you think?