YES, ALL CHURCHES HAVE THIS SIN PROBLEM:

 ALL CHURCHES & SPIRITUAL FELLOWSHIPS HAVE THIS SIN PROBLEM:

The Senior Apostle & God's chosen ordained Messenger brings a revolution of Biblical Christ-Faith and Belief Truth. For centuries, the religious leaders and Churches had made their traditions worldly in authority over the Churches, which resulted in many practices contrary to Jesus Christ. The Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christ Jesus Royal Believers Way Saints. The Bible tells us that God’s Word is true, God-breathed, and complete ( 2 Timothy 3:16 ), and we are warned not to go beyond what is written ( 1 Corinthians 4:6 ). Amen.

It is disheartening, but true, that prejudice and discrimination plague Churches worldwide. These attitudes manifest in subtle and overt ways, creating division and hindering the Church's mission of love and unity. We must actively confront these issues through education, empathy, and a commitment to treating each other with the respect and dignity that we all deserve as children of God. We must strive to create spaces where everyone feels valued, accepted, and able to flourish in their faith journey, regardless of their background, beliefs, or circumstances. This requires a conscious effort to challenge our own biases, listen to diverse perspectives, and actively promote inclusivity within our congregations and in our interactions with the world.

Biblically speaking, prejudice is preferential bias, and it can be either favorable or unfavorable. But the term prejudice most often refers to a negative opinion, not based on fact or experience, formed without just grounds or sufficient knowledge. Prejudice targets groups or types of people rather than responding to people as individuals. Prejudice is usually expressed as unreasonable and hostile feelings, opinions, or attitudes toward ethnic, racial, social, or religious groups. Prejudice has been a significant part of religious history, with some even defending acts of prejudice in the name of Christianity. It’s good to look at what the Bible says about prejudice.

Discrimination is not the same as discernment. Discernment is proper discrimination based on truth and fact. For example, a discerning person may not choose to hire someone because they showed up fifteen minutes late for an interview, reeking of alcohol. Discernment rightly assesses that person as an unsuitable candidate for a responsible job. Discrimination, on the other hand, may choose not to hire someone simply because they are of a different race or did not wear expensive clothing to the interview. Discrimination wrongly judges a person based only on external factors or personal preference.

One of the first problems that arose in the early Church was due to discrimination: “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food” (Acts 6:1, NLT). The Jerusalem Church was multi-ethnic, and some racial prejudice crept into their practices and caused trouble. This squabble pulled the Apostles away from teaching and preaching, so the Church elected the first deacons to deal with the problem and make sure no one was being discriminated against (Acts 6:2–3). Check out your leadership and those in authority in your fellowships; are all members represented, honored, respected, and supported?

Discrimination within early Christianity: A historical perspective

Discrimination was a significant challenge for the first Jewish believers in Jesus. Due to the belief that God's Messiah came through the lineage of King David and initially to the Jewish people (Romans 1:16), they initially perceived Jesus as their Messiah exclusively. This perception led to conflict when Gentiles were integrated into the Church. Some Jewish leaders questioned how "Jewish" Gentile believers needed to be (Acts 14:27; 15:5). Many Jews found it hard to accept that faith in their Messiah was enough to justify Gentiles, as it had them. They believed Gentiles needed to adhere to certain "Jewish" practices, such as Sabbath observance or circumcision, to achieve salvation (see Acts 15:1 and Galatians 5:1–12). This cultural clash, with its theological ramifications, resulted in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:2–35). Modern Churches often encounter comparable issues, where Christians discriminate against particular groups or lifestyles, questioning whether the same faith that saved them can also save "those people" (Ephesians 2:8-9) Most believers of color, who are members of non-Churches of color, are often present due to their preferred worship style, and they serve in roles such as doorkeepers, parking lot attendants, and building upkeep and maintenance. Most believers of color who are members of non-Christian Churches are there for their way of worship style, serving the door, keepers, parking lot servants, and building upkeep and maintenance.

No Church fellowship is fully free of prejudice or discrimination. It’s part of our selfish nature to prefer those of our own kind, whatever that represents to us. Races tend to congregate in their own neighborhoods and Religious Church buildings, preferring their way of doing things to that of other races or nationalities. Preferences are fine as long as they don’t turn into legalistic discrimination against believers who differ on non-essential aspects of faith. Without realizing it, we can all be guilty of discrimination. Legalists discriminate against those they judge as rebels, while rebels discriminate against traditionalists. The goal should be to disagree without discriminating.

We can overcome our tendency toward discrimination by modeling Jesus Christ’ attitude of humble service (Matthew 20:28). He washed the feet of Judas, knowing that Judas was a traitor (John 13:27). He ministered in Gentile regions and in Samaria (Mark 7:24, 31; John 4:4). Rather than incite discrimination between “us and them,” Jesus Christ’ coming to earth broke down the barriers that separated believers: “He Himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility” (Ephesians 2:14). We can practice the instruction of Philippians 2:3, which says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.”

God has made all who trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior one. Jews and Greeks, rich and poor, every nation, and every ethnicity—Jesus Christ has formed His Church from all groups (Galatians 3:28; Revelation 5:9). There should be no discrimination within the Body of Christ because there is no discrimination with God (Acts 10:34). Amen, And Again, Amen.

To put this simply, we are God's very own special (precious) chosen people, following by faith our Lord God, blessed King, and Savior, Jesus Christ, in His Churches built and established without human hands or religious walls.

Sincerely,

In The Lord God Jesus Christ Kingdom Purpose,

His Serving Founder, Presiding Senior Apostle, Messenger Elder James Winfree Sr. & Elect Lady Betty R. Winfree.

We can be contacted and reached at apostle.winfree@yahoo.com or apostlejrwinfree@gmail.com (Please let us know how to keep you covered faithfully in our prayers).

THE LORD, HE IS GOD, THE ONE AND ONLY HEAVENLY FATHER OF US ALL!

09/13/2025