Class Divide

1. Introduction
Market Segmentation

Nowadays, companies targets specific markets to sell their products Use a tool, geo-demographic segmentation to divide and Focussed or target marketing is more efficient because the product or service is pushed into markets that are more likely to buy. Steps in market segmentation o Classify population by lifestyle o Get census population data o Crunch numbers o Overlay on maps Colour-coded maps show where the target markets live and where to conduct campaign or market push Companies save money by focussing on specific targets or neighbourhoods for obvious reasons, they do not spend on markets that are not likely to buy It is human nature to discriminate because there is an expected return
School Deciles

Example deciles classification of NZ schools Deciles indicate the extent to which the school draws its students from lower socio-economic communities Deciles are used to provide funding to state and state integrated schools to enable them to overcome the barriers to learning faced by students from low socio-economic communities. The lower the schools decile, the more funding they receive An example of this effort to overcome barrier is the provision of social services to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds Class discrimination is not a new phenomena
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2. Caring for the Poor (v 5) The Jewish believers were suffering from persecution resulting in physical and financial hardship Epistle was to encourage and provide guidance to these suffering believers They were at the cross roads of their faith from Judaism to Christianity They did not have the New Testament as we do They were confused Yet in the midst of this difficulty, James noted that they discriminated the poor in favour of the rich and they received a telling off from James Verse 5 continues from verses 1 -4 where James chided the Jewish believers for favouritism He is more specific with this verse and pointed out what the poor is all about

Dominated by the Poor

o John MacArthur in his commentary stated that the early church was dominated by poor people. o Nothing can be further from the truth as the early church were persecuted and constantly on the run- they were refugees o Jesus Himself devoted His ministry to this market segment. He belongs to this group o He was born poor. He wasnt even in a proper home. He was born in a stable, in a manger. Its a miracle he didnt die from infection o He was truly identified with the poor. He was a carpenter from Nazareth, a poor town in northern Israel. o In the book of Acts 2:5 13, is the collective reaction of the crowd when they heard the Christians speak in their own tongues. Their reaction is captured in verses 12 13
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Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, What does this mean? 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, They have had too much wine. Most of the early believers are from a disadvantaged background. The feedings of the multitude was driven by Christs compassion to the poor. These people were there to listen to Him and though without provisions they stayed to listen to His teachings Bible is replete with references to poor. o Deuteronomy 15:11 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. o Matthew 26:11 - 11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me. o 1 Kings 17:12 As surely as the LORD your God lives, she replied, I dont have any breadonly a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat itand die. The poor is all over and it is the reality that faced the early church. The poor and downtrodden found relief and deliverance through the Gospel It appealed to them because it met their needs The early church is not for the elite though rich men also became believers.
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Divine Provision

o James raised the question, has not God chosen the poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom? o It is clear that Gods provision is two-fold: o Rich in Faith o Most of Christs early followers are poor o They followed Him without expecting material gain
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o Examples: multitudes that need to be fed, the sick woman who touched His clothes (Luke 8:13) o Inherit the Kingdom o In Matthew 19:16 29, a rich young man asked Jesus how can he have eternal life? When Jesus told him to sell his possessions and follow Him, the rich young man went away sad. He was not willing to give up his wealth for Christ. Being rich per se is not a hindrance to heaven. Wealth is a gift and God will give it to you if He sees fit. The problem with the rich young man is his priorities. If we view wealth as a means rather than an end in itself, then we have our priorities right. The young man was tested by Christ to see where his heart is. The poor do not have a problem with priorities because they have no wealth to give up. They are not pre-occupied. o Solomon was given wealth when he passed the test of priorities. (2 Chronicles 1:1 13) o There are other references in the Bible of Gods divine provision to the poor. o 1 Samuel 2:8 o Psalm 10:14 o Luke 16:22 (Story of the rich man and Lazarus) o The Mosaic Law made provisions for the poor. God made special provision for those who were too poor to bring the prescribed offering. o Lev 1:5, 10, 14 bull, goat or sheep dove or pigeon o Deuteronomy 15: 1- 2 every 7th year all debts will be cancelled avoid going perpetually in debt o Lev 25: 8 13 every 50 years slaves could choose to be set free from theor masters o Lev 19:9 10 Crops in the field were to be completely harvested and vineyards not to be completely picked so that the poor could glean food for themselves o God established His people Israel in ways that carefully protected and helped the poor

Application

o Can you imagine a world where God plays favourites with the rich o That world will be totally unfair where the poor and destitute will not have a chance at all. o Praise God our God is an egalitarian God who cares for the poor and looks only at the heart. Salvation is neither solely for the rich nor for the poor. o It is for the believer, it is for the faithful, it is for the spiritually rich. o We must not discriminate the poor because God does not see them as such 3. Condemning the Rich (v 6, 7) Disclaimer these verses do not mean that the rich are outright excluded in Gods plan of salvation Being rich is a blessing. It is a reward if God sees that you are treating riches as a means of helping the poor and glorifying Him. There are examples of rich and godly men in the Bible o Solomon in the early days o Abraham o Matthew the Apostle o Zacheus These verses are the ungodly rich whom the Jews seek to please and show partiality
Dishonouring the Poor

There are different ways of dishonouring the poor as shown in the Bible: o 2 Samuel 12:4 Nathans rebuke to David, the rich taking advantage of the poor o Amos 5:11 address to princes, judges and civil magistrates who oppressed the poor o Luke 20:45 47 Jesus warned about the Pharisees who took advantage of poor widows

 The Bible is totally against oppression of the poor. Jesus Himself cared for them If Christ cared for them why shouldnt you James point is how can you claim to be Gods child and yet think and act differently from Him
Demean and Persecute

James warns the readers of this letter about the attitude of the rich. They are demeaned and persecuted. They drag them to court and take advantage of them They slander and blaspheme and belittle Jesus Christ Who are the rich that James is referring too. John MacArthurs commentary pointed out to the Sadducees o Wealthy o Aristocratic o Secularized very much influenced by the Greeks and Romans o Very active in persecuting the early church Sadducees claim to adhere strictly to the Mosaic Law but they did not believe in angels, resurrection, immortality of the soul, heaven, hell and future judgement These Jewish believers still submit to the authority of the Sadducees and Pharisees as they are still in a limbo between Judaism and Christianity. That is the very reason why James wrote this epistle, to provide guidance, direction and encouragement Who are the present day Sadducees who blaspheme the Lord and takes you to court? There are groups, in the name of political correctness, who takes on the moral high ground yet they wll sue you if you do not agree with them o Pro-choice or people who believe that there is not nothing wrong with abortions take the moral high ground by stating that individuals have their own choices. They blaspheme God by denying the sanctity of the life.

o Gay marriage proponents homosexuality is just a lifestyle and anyone who opposes them is a bigot. Yet God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for that reason and Gods standard of morality has not changed. We are in the era where our Christian faith is undermined, labelled as outmoded and irrelevant to the changing morals
Application

James advice on dealing with the rich is meaningful. They enriched themselves by taking advantage of the poor. We must not associate with them though instinctively the rich could offer more o In todays society people network with the rich because they can open more doors, more business opportunities, and more money o But we must not compromise on our belief just to make ourselves acceptable to the rich Being rich is not a sin, wealth and prosperity are gifts from God. It is the attitude with wealth again and priority that matters to Him We must put Him first before above everything including money and opportunities to make money 4. Conclusion The rich and poor are equal in the sight of God. They both have the same opportunities to be saved Both can only be saved through the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ Both are created by God We must not give preference to the rich We must not discriminate Christ Himself lived as a poor man As believers whatever riches we have is a git from God