I was going to skip this topic. Church conflict makes everyone uncomfortable, especially the preacher's wife! I really thought God was going to let me off the hook, but the Holy Spirit caught my attention in my morning quiet time. So, here goes. If you disagree with anything in the following blog, please share your thoughts with me. I like a healthy debate.
Paul's letters to Timothy are an effort to guide a young church leader who was faced with division in his congregation. Hymenaeus and Alexander were two of Timothy's church members, and they were causing the preacher grief. (Read the details in 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 19-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-18, 23-26.) These guys were teaching false doctrine that was "spreading like gangrene," leading people astray, and causing some to lose their faith. Paul told Timothy not to mess with these guys, not to quarrel with them, but to "hand them over to Satan." That's tough love! Some may argue that we should always agree to disagree in a church family, but sometimes that lets the problem get out of hand. We live in a culture where we protect the rights of one person at the expense of the rights of the masses. That is unhealthy in a church family. One of the hardest decisions my husband had to make years ago as a new pastor was to ask a man to leave our church fellowship because the man was trying to teach false doctrine. It gives me shivers to remember the heartache.
So, in my morning Bible study of 1 & 2 Timothy, I asked God why He would ever allow a church body to be split in two. I firmly believe that this is not God's plan for spreading the Gospel. Division hurts the Kingdom, and it usually affects an entire community, not just the church leaders or members. The Holy Spirit answered my question with three things that cause churches to split.
1. Churches are comprised of imperfect humans who are sometimes selfish, mean, and argumentative. If you have ever sat through a business meeting where there was a fight over the color of the carpet, you know exactly what I am talking about. The Bible reminds us repeatedly that no one is perfect, and when we forget this, we say hurtful and judgmental things. Words cannot be taken back, even with a sincere apology. It breaks relationships that sometimes cannot be mended, and church bodies become divided.
2. Satan hates church families, and he will infiltrate and divide any way he can. I do not believe that Satan can possess a true believer, but he can sway our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Anytime that I "get all up in my feelings," I need to do a heart check and make sure that my thoughts and actions are being led by the Holy Spirit and not by my own selfish desires. None of us would purposefully cause division in a church family, but our enemy knows our hot buttons, and he will use them against us to split a church. One of my former pastors taught often about "familiar spirits" in churches, and division is one of those. I continually pray against the spirit of division in my church family, and heaven forbid that it be the preacher's wife who causes the division! Help me, Lord Jesus! I am fallible. I shoot my mouth off when I am passionate about something. We all do. Satan uses it against church families to cause division.
3. Sometimes a church split is the only way God can get a church off high center and to move in the direction He wanted in the first place. Ouch. This is the point I wanted to omit. Again, I will emphasize that a church split is not the best way to spread the Gospel, but God uses ALL things for good to accomplish HIS purposes. (Romans 8:28) I can think of several examples of churches that were started by people who were unhappy with the church body they left. The church my husband pastors was founded over 80 years ago as a result of a church split. God still uses his church to impact the world. Is it easy to start a new church with a group of unhappy church members? Nope. Does a group like that have a lot to overcome? Yep. Is there a better way to plant a new church? Absolutely! However, with the healing of the Spirit, God still uses broken churches and broken families. Don't let the enemy disqualify you. Get up, dust yourself off, and share the Gospel of grace and forgiveness. I wish that God did not need to make things uncomfortable in our current circumstances to get us to move. I wish we were not such stubborn creatures so we would answer His promptings in the beginning before things get so difficult. Starting new churches can be a happy celebration instead of a heartbreak. If God is leading you to start a new work, ask Him to help you make a smooth transition instead of making it a knock-down-drag-out church fight. There are plenty of lost and dying souls who need the Good News. Let's work together and go share it with them!
So, what is the answer to the heartache of church dissension? Love. Forgive. Resolve conflict. Mend relationships. Apologize. Admit that no one is perfect. We all need a Savior. His name is Jesus.
I love you, my friends! Go spread some peace today!
Paul's letters to Timothy are an effort to guide a young church leader who was faced with division in his congregation. Hymenaeus and Alexander were two of Timothy's church members, and they were causing the preacher grief. (Read the details in 1 Timothy 1:3-7, 19-20; 2 Timothy 2:16-18, 23-26.) These guys were teaching false doctrine that was "spreading like gangrene," leading people astray, and causing some to lose their faith. Paul told Timothy not to mess with these guys, not to quarrel with them, but to "hand them over to Satan." That's tough love! Some may argue that we should always agree to disagree in a church family, but sometimes that lets the problem get out of hand. We live in a culture where we protect the rights of one person at the expense of the rights of the masses. That is unhealthy in a church family. One of the hardest decisions my husband had to make years ago as a new pastor was to ask a man to leave our church fellowship because the man was trying to teach false doctrine. It gives me shivers to remember the heartache.
So, in my morning Bible study of 1 & 2 Timothy, I asked God why He would ever allow a church body to be split in two. I firmly believe that this is not God's plan for spreading the Gospel. Division hurts the Kingdom, and it usually affects an entire community, not just the church leaders or members. The Holy Spirit answered my question with three things that cause churches to split.
1. Churches are comprised of imperfect humans who are sometimes selfish, mean, and argumentative. If you have ever sat through a business meeting where there was a fight over the color of the carpet, you know exactly what I am talking about. The Bible reminds us repeatedly that no one is perfect, and when we forget this, we say hurtful and judgmental things. Words cannot be taken back, even with a sincere apology. It breaks relationships that sometimes cannot be mended, and church bodies become divided.
2. Satan hates church families, and he will infiltrate and divide any way he can. I do not believe that Satan can possess a true believer, but he can sway our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Anytime that I "get all up in my feelings," I need to do a heart check and make sure that my thoughts and actions are being led by the Holy Spirit and not by my own selfish desires. None of us would purposefully cause division in a church family, but our enemy knows our hot buttons, and he will use them against us to split a church. One of my former pastors taught often about "familiar spirits" in churches, and division is one of those. I continually pray against the spirit of division in my church family, and heaven forbid that it be the preacher's wife who causes the division! Help me, Lord Jesus! I am fallible. I shoot my mouth off when I am passionate about something. We all do. Satan uses it against church families to cause division.
3. Sometimes a church split is the only way God can get a church off high center and to move in the direction He wanted in the first place. Ouch. This is the point I wanted to omit. Again, I will emphasize that a church split is not the best way to spread the Gospel, but God uses ALL things for good to accomplish HIS purposes. (Romans 8:28) I can think of several examples of churches that were started by people who were unhappy with the church body they left. The church my husband pastors was founded over 80 years ago as a result of a church split. God still uses his church to impact the world. Is it easy to start a new church with a group of unhappy church members? Nope. Does a group like that have a lot to overcome? Yep. Is there a better way to plant a new church? Absolutely! However, with the healing of the Spirit, God still uses broken churches and broken families. Don't let the enemy disqualify you. Get up, dust yourself off, and share the Gospel of grace and forgiveness. I wish that God did not need to make things uncomfortable in our current circumstances to get us to move. I wish we were not such stubborn creatures so we would answer His promptings in the beginning before things get so difficult. Starting new churches can be a happy celebration instead of a heartbreak. If God is leading you to start a new work, ask Him to help you make a smooth transition instead of making it a knock-down-drag-out church fight. There are plenty of lost and dying souls who need the Good News. Let's work together and go share it with them!
So, what is the answer to the heartache of church dissension? Love. Forgive. Resolve conflict. Mend relationships. Apologize. Admit that no one is perfect. We all need a Savior. His name is Jesus.
I love you, my friends! Go spread some peace today!
