Conflict?  Enter the Battle Time?

Conflict?  Enter the Battle Time?

I do not like conflict.  I don’t like it in my family life, community life, or Church life.  It seems as if some people thrive in conflict.  I am not one of those.  I do not like the damage that conflict often brings.  It is not as if all conflict is bad though.  Conflict with self-control and where the involved parties are seeking the best for all is highly beneficial.  It just seems that this type of interaction just isn’t common anymore.  Individuals today seem to be hyper-sensitive to any criticism or differing opinion or teaching.  They lash out aggressively as if every instance were a battle to be won.  Insults, slander, and personal harm seem to be the rule of the game.  The conflicts seem as if they are a contest of who can flex their muscles the most and show they are the bigger man! This is done even if it means lying or abusing power.  The end result is anger, hurt, division, and broken relationships.  Christians, we are better people than this.Do you have the strength to promote peace?

Due to my dislike of conflict, over the last 5 or 6 years I have attempted to alter my responses to minimize damage upon individuals and the church.  When I say alter, often I have said little or nothing, when inside I felt like much needed to be said.  I have chosen the tactic to try and listen and learn and not be pulled into conflict.  Unfortunately, not battling the way others would like, seems to cause them to feel as if they have license to belittle and insult without constraint.  Even when choosing an environment such as email, where the medium provides opportunity for more thoughtfulness instead of rash thought and abrasiveness, it has been my experience that others can be domineering, unkind, and fail to listen.

A good Christian brother of mine who has preached for many decades once told me it is beneficial to leave a church rather than fight a battle and cause division.  This means even when you have truth on your side, evidence of wrongdoing, even witnesses, that for the good of the Bride of Christ you calmly and lovingly walk away.  I am not saying that he is wrong.  It is quite possible there are instances where this is acceptable or even best.  Perhaps in scenarios where the brethren have hardened their hearts to sin and unkindness?  Maybe in situations where ears are refusing to listen and feet are braced?  We could call this dusting our feet off in a “pearls before swine” environment.  It is quite likely that in an atmosphere such as this, further engagement would only fan the flames rather than cultivate godliness.  However, the question that continues flashing in my mind is, “What if they would stop and listen for a moment?”.

The Church and Christian brothers and sisters are at their finest when they are examining things to see if they are so (Acts 17:11).  Open hearts seeking truth in love should be the goal of every conflict.  When iron sharpens iron, when Christians challenge each other to be better and to know truth, our light can truly shine.  Additionally, when we walk away from exposing sin, selfish ambitions, unauthorized behaviors, cruelty to other brethren, and manipulation, I am concerned that we will be held accountable for failing to act (James 4:17).  Our light cannot shine if we never uncover it.  Paul speaks of sharing the truth despite pressing conflict in I Thessalonians 2:2.   In fact, we could examine the bulk of his ministry, it was done with the constant contention of Judaizers seeking to harm him and hinder his ministry.  What happens to those who are earnest in a congregation who have been left behind?  Will they fall victim to unauthorized practices, false teaching, or the hand of a man or group acting as Diotrephes?

Friends, I wish I knew when the time to engage or yield was in every instance.  There are many examples of conflict in scripture, some ending well, others not.  I do know that we have a Lord who died for us so that we would not behavior in a worldly manner.  Let us examine ourselves often to see how we stand (2 Corinthians 13:5). People who are walking in the light do not need to be ashamed, but we must be vigilant that we do not stray from this behavior.  People walking in the light should not fear others, but be bold to share the truth.  Be patient and longsuffering when you can.  Be kind and considerate in your dealings with all.  Approach conflict with the spotless bride of Christ in mind.  Be prepared to battle if needed, but seek peace where possible.  Meekness is a blessed quality, and avoiding vain, destructive conflict is wise.  However, if you engage in conflict, I pray it is fruitful and godly.  Control the tongue, reign in the temper, and keep your eyes on Christ.

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Death by Suicide

Death by Suicide

“Suicide is defined as death caused by self-directed injurious behavior with intent to die as a result of the behavior.”  From the CDC, the statistics of death by suicide (2020) in the United States can be seen:

  • Suicide was the 12th leading cause of death overall in the United States…
  • Suicide was the 2nd leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 10-14 and 25-34 , the third leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15-24, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 35 and 44.
  • There were nearly two times as many suicides (45,979) in the United States as there were homicides (24,576).

The numbers regarding this topic are horrifying.  The reality behind them is far worse.  Husbands and wives, widowed.  Fathers and mothers, heart broken and shell shocked.  Families weeping over their loss.  Children alone or left with only a single parent.  While communities attempt to do their best to pick up the pieces, the wounds left upon the living from those who commit death by suicide often persist for a lifetime.

God created life in His image (Genesis 1:26).  He created mankind desiring that they be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28).  His direction to mankind is that they be kind, loving, comforting, and walk in a righteous manner serving one another.  He called upon mankind to avoid that which was not good.  His desire was that the union between man and woman that He created would create godly offspring (Malachi 2:15).  To be godly, one works to mold oneself in the image of the creator which I John 4:8 defines as “love” itself.

What leads most individuals to suicide is a lack of loving righteousness.  The individual suffers at the hand of that which is not godly.  They are introduced to that which harms their physical person and their soul.  Mental and physical abuse, mind altering substances, violence, teachings causing the individual to rely upon the judgment of mankind rather than God, jealousy, selfishness, immorality, greed, self-loathing, and a countless parade of influences introduced by the world create chaos within the mind and life of the individual.  The sources are wide ranging, but all have a commonality – ungodly influence – which causes damage to all who encounter it.

As a final thought regarding death by suicide, consider the religious body that you attend.  Are the individual members causing pain and suffering upon one another or are they working together to strengthen and build up? (I Corinthians 12:12-27)  Many congregations today have figuratively slit their wrists and are slowly bleeding to death.  Their actions are those of suicide.  They show up to appointed times, but their actions are political, backbiting, selfish, jealous, uncaring, unsupportive, unloving, and ungodly.  Rather than support one another and give life to other congregations trying to serve God, they demean one another and become a hindrance to righteousness.  Their time is spent fighting and being divisive within the expressed brotherhood of saints, rather than doing good to the household of faith.  If those claiming Christ are engaged in this behavior, they will only find destruction.  Let each one of us honestly examine ourselves, work to strengthen that which remains, and then reach out to the world with a proper shine of a chosen people.  Let us be a people who desire to be fruitful and see godly offspring born into Christ.  If the many do not turn from their ways, their death can only be attributed to their own “self-directed injurious behavior”.

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Faith in His Name

Faith in His Name

The miraculous confirmation of the authority and prophetic message which the apostles delivered in the first century provided wonders which men today long to see.  Some preachers and Christians in this modern era have failed to comprehend such occurrences ended with those upon whom the apostles laid their hands.  Much like the Jews reading the Old Testament should have realized Jesus was the promised Christ, groups of believers today overlook/misinterpret passages such as Zechariah 13:1-6, I Corinthians 13:8-12, Ephesians 4:7-16, Ephesians 1:13-14, and others which together establish the miraculous would end with the full revelation of scripture and unity of the Church bringing Jewish and Gentile Christians together with the destruction of Judaism.  Instead, their claim for the failure of knowledge, prophecy, and wonders is that the believer does not have enough “faith in His name”.Faith in his name

Faith and the miraculous are tied together in a number of passages.  In Matthew 17:14-20, Jesus is approached by a man whose son suffered seizures due to the presence of a demon.  He removes the demon, however, He comments about that generation’s faithlessness.  Afterward, He explained to the disciples their little faith limited their ability to wield the power of God and was the reason for their failure.  With proper faith, they could move mountains.  In Matthew 21:18-22, Jesus declared to His disciples again, that faith not limited by doubt will enable them to fully exercise the power of God and again, even to the extent of moving mountains.  In the context of both, the powers exercised are to those endowed with them within the first century.

The apostle Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians states the following: 1 Corinthians 13:2 – “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”  Paul as an apostle and one who had the prophetic abilities endowed by God also ties the existence of faith to employing the miraculous/prophetic.  In context, he was applying this fact to not just himself, but all who had received the gift of the Spirit as given by God and only able to be imparted to others by the hands of the apostles (Acts 8:14-18).

The previous passages now being laid out for our understanding consider Acts 3:16:

“And his name–by faith in his name–has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”

Peter with the power of God by the faith in the name (authority) of Christ had just enabled a lame man to walk.  The faith spoken of is the faith of Peter.  It is not due to any semblance of faith to receive soundness in his legs that the lame man walked.  That man simply wanted something to enable him to eat or help his station in life.  Sadly, many try to approach this passage as if the faith were that of the lame man.  Thus, they declare in their modern teachings that if the lame man by his faith was able to walk, those who are not able to walk today when visited by supposed “faith healers” or by constant prayer, must not have enough faith.  This teaching is a cloud without rain, a fruitless tree, an utterly worthless and false interpretation of scripture.  Again, the faith required is on the part of the one possessing the ability to heal not the one receiving the benefit.  This fact bore itself out in all of the passages examined in this article where faith was a necessity.

Modern day application of scripture to the Christian life is imperative; however, not all applications are proper or factual.  Context, audience, and potential limitations based on factors such as the age, prophecy, and others must be considered.  It would indeed be fantastic to see the abilities given by God in the first century exercised today.  However, this is not possible.  The individual can have full faith in God, but when God binds limitations upon His Will, He is true to His revelation of it.  Have faith in His name based upon the evidence provided in His Word.  Allow that to be the foundation of your life, but do not go beyond what he has brought forth.

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Beyond Lip Service

Beyond Lip Service

There are many people in this world who say one thing, but do or mean another.  It passes my mind that the bulk of these occur in ignorance.  Two phrases frequently used to illustrate this problem are: “in Jesus name” and “through the Word only”.  Beyond lip service of pronouncing these phrases, what action or teaching should follow to demonstrate proper understanding?

Many individuals and churches declare their worship behavior or individual actions are approved of by God because their motivation is to do them “in Jesus name”.  Colossians 3:17 states: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus...”  The motivation by an individual or church to do and speak in this manner are both expected and appropriate.  However, what does the phrase “in the name” mean?  It means “by the authority of”.  The Christian learns what Christ wants from reading the Bible.  Christ wants the Will of the Father done.  He shared it while He was on earth.  He also sent his Holy Spirit to provide that revelation to His Apostles and those they laid hands on.  They wrote the scriptures so we could now access them to have authority for our actions.

Actually doing something “in the name of Jesus” means going beyond lip service.  Here is an example of correctly applying “in the name of Jesus”.  Christians gather together to worship and sing to God.  The authority for this action comes from Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16.  That is doing something “in the name of Jesus”.  Now, feeling as if you get a better sound by playing a hymn with musical instruments when you worship is a different animal.  Nowhere by the authority of Christ are instruments instructed to be used or encouraged as an option.  Singing alone is instructed.  If you want to do something “in the name of Christ” you must have scripture backing it up.  This excludes praise teams, choirs, clapping, drama, puppet shows, and a whole host of other unauthorized activities.

A second phrase often used is “through the Word only”.  This is most always used when discussing the work of the Holy Spirit.  The reason this is done relies on I Corinthians 13:8-12, Ephesians 4:8-14, Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Peter 2:1, Zechariah 13:1-6, and other passages.  These passages make clear that the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit ended near to the end of the first century.  Thus, it is said that today, the Holy Spirit works “through the Word only”.  There are many discussions about that statement that could be had, however, for this writing we will focus only on our purpose which is going beyond lip service to this phrase.

To say the Holy Spirit works “through the Word only”, means that the Holy Spirit Gave the Word and it is the Word working now.  You study it, you learn it, you apply it.  It is the content applied that creates the change not a direct operation.  Unfortunately, preachers will say things like “The Holy Spirit provides a spark to your learning once you are baptized.”  or “The Holy Spirit brings you to baptism and then you make the decision.”.  Both of these are lip service to “through the Word only”.  If something is operating other than the Word of God, the preacher/Christian does not believe or understand in “through the Word only”.  Stating the phrase sounds good, but proper teaching will agree with the statement not contradict it.

Both phrases mentioned in this article are commonly used phrases from a pulpit.  If properly taught and followed they can help the individual and a congregation grow.  If not, they can breed confusion and false teaching for years to come.

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Vote

Vote

The message is simple and quick.  Vote.

Christians, we are the first line of defense against sin in our government.  You can limit what the government does by exercising your right to vote.  Do not let this election pass without letting your voice be heard.

God values life, liberty and justice throughout scripture.  It is God’s desire that all men live by honoring these blessings.  Unfortunately, there are evil people in this world who want to take all three away.  By not voting, you will aid evil in persisting.

Get out and play your part in making your country a safer more Godly place to live.  Elect men and women who believe in protecting life, liberty, and justice.

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