Slideshow image

Christians are one in Christ. God makes us one. The Church is one body united together, with each member belonging to one another. (Romans 12:5)

But, although we are one, we differ on many different topics. We may disagree on trivial matters: should the Seahawks or the Patriots win the Superbowl? Orange juice with pulp or without? Chocolate chip cookies or oatmeal raisin cookies? Coffee or tea? Film cameras or digital cameras? Typing or hand-writing? We also disagree about deeply held convictions: On political matters, should Christians vote Republican, Democrat, or neither? On education, should Christians send their children to public school, private school, or home school? On Christian behavior, how should we dress? What should we consume? What should we say or not say? On mental health, what is the solution to resolve all anxiety or depression? On LGBT issues, how should we interact with family members who come out? On abortion, is it ok in any situation, particular ones, or none at all? Theologically speaking, disagreements about the rapture: pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib? Saved by good works or by grace? 

If you don't live under a rock, you've faced disagreement in at least one of these issues. The fact of the matter is that every one of us has gathered information or reflected upon past experiences to form opinions that oftentimes we hold to be more correct than others. Maybe you haven’t gone as far as that, but you’ve judged certain opinions based on your personal morals or values. For example, most of us who’ve listened to both hymns and contemporary worship have an opinion on which one speaks to them most. This is something that could potentially be a deal-breaker when searching for a Church to attend. 

If you notice the title of this, you might know where I’m going with this. Individual opinions are great when the opinions of each other are valued and not stepped on. It’s easier to walk away in anger, hold a grudge, and never resolve anything, than to kindly bring up an issue to hopefully resolve any bitterness that has built up within. The problem with that is it creates a space for the enemy to move.  One issue that many Christians deal with is bottled-up emotions. When we refuse to express our emotions and feelings it can lead to negative judgments of the Church, those negative judgments can then lead to division within the Church body or amongst the Church leadership.   

If the enemy is urgently seeking to steal, kill, and destroy, then what better place to do that than in the Church? Not every attack from the enemy is obvious. Sometimes it can be clear as day, but sometimes it can start from within an individual, and that individual being oblivious to what is happening. It just takes one opinion, one disagreement, or one bad discussion for Satan to get his way. As Christians, we should be keeping that in mind daily and constantly watching. We should be walking daily with the armor of God equipped. 

Questions we should be asking ourselves when facing conflict outside or inside the Church are: am I taking this issue to God first? Is what I’m angry about going to create a space for the enemy to move? Is this issue purely a personal issue or an issue that needs to be addressed to other believers? Is this issue going to cause me to flee from a Church that I was originally called to attend and serve in? These questions are often not asked because it’s easier to flee from conflicts. It’s easier to pack up and leave. It’s easier to run to comfortability than stay and deal with uncomfortability.

As you reflect upon this writing, I want to encourage you to run to the Father first. Read scripture and ask God to give you discernment on how to move forward. He may not remove the conflict, but He’ll give you the tools to overcome any conflict.