Why did God allow self-promotion? This we find is a very interesting question! Obviously when you use social media it should always be done with the correct motives and with integrity. But in an age where discrimination is rampant and favouritism a cancer in society, we wonder to ourselves could these be the reasons why God allowed self-promotion, to expose favouritism.
What does Gods word say about favouritism? Let’s take a look.
James 2
Favouritism Forbidden
2 “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. 2 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. 3 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,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”
How has social media and self-promotion exposed favouritism?
Let’s look at a scenario. A person who has a lot of talent blessed by God, he or she may well excel at what they do in their lives and are highlighted for their work. For example, they may manage a social media profile, and it was found by social media giants like Twitter now called X and complimented. The person managing the profile did nothing other than do a good job in running the digital platform but attracted Twitter in, a platform with 400 million users.
If Twitter now called X knock your door through no fault of your own, we would say that is a huge blessing. However, if that person has features about them that society does not like, that is when rejection and discrimination can occur against a person regardless of whether Twitter found your work or not. Let’s give you an example.
God may have built a person to be a heavy weight sort of person, well built and carries a few extra pounds than others, or let’s say what is deemed in todays society not perfect (But then who is perfect!). Here is a picture of a person who potentially could be rejected by society because they carry a few extra pounds.
The chap above gets his work found by Twitter, but nobody really cares, because of what that person looks like. This is discrimination. A person can be favoured over another person not through merit but through favouritism, and this is how self-promotion exposes favouritism and makes it SO OBVIOUS.
Again to drive the point home. A person who is discriminated against gets his or hers work accredited by Twitter, but nobody cares because of the way he or she looks etc, it is so obvious that favouritism and discrimination is taking place that it leaves egg dripping all over the offender’s face.
Could God be allowing self promotion to convict people of favouritism because self-promotion is making it so obvious that people are being discriminated against!
Where does favouritism take place in the church?
There are churches out there that do uphold Gods word, but there are those that do not. Over the course of the last 12 months, we have been focusing on what a Church of Sardis looks like and the tactics they employ to look good. Jesus was not afraid to call them out for what they were. Let’s take a look at the scripture in Revelation 3 below.
Revelation 3
3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The Church of Sardis was a church that appeared alive, there were likely baptisms, there were so called passionate worshippers, there were community groups, there were people who prayed, however this appeared correct, even though they did all of these things Jesus is in fact calling their actions dead, because there were things like discrimination and favouritism taking place in the church. Self-promotion has made it SO OBVIOUS that discrimination and favouritism is rife in society and also in our churches.
The good news about the scripture in Revelation 3 where Jesus calls out the Church of Sardis is this. There are still a few people left in these churches that have not soiled their clothes, meaning there is hope for these churches that they can do the right thing and apologise and turn from their wicked behaviour.
Those pastors who do not like self-promotion and have complained about it, they must now shut down all of their social media platforms in order for them to lead by example, including their personal platforms and the churches, because they think self-promotion is bad. However, we don’t think that they will until they acknowledge their hypocrisy.
Keep praying and pray some more for churches that appear alive but are in fact dead. Jesus gives them a chance and so should those who have been discriminated against and have fallen victim to the cancer of favouritism.
If this is a convicting read, then is God pulling at your heart strings. For those who use self-promotion in a respectful and integral way where it is helping society keep up the good work! Stay tuned we will be writing more about self-promotion shortly.