Sunday, July 5, 1998 This Week’s Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from Philippians 2:1-5 and Philippians 4:2-9, we learned about the importance of resolving conflicts among Christians. Christians do not often openly disagree in ways which bring down the church, but it can and does happen. From time to time, we might hear about problems at a particular church and a pending split which is either happening or about to occur. Churches split because members get in a dispute over building programs, over what color carpet to buy, over where to put the piano, or over a whole myriad of other reasons. These types of conflicts hurt everyone, whether in or out of the church. People inside the church usually become distracted by the turmoil and internal conflict. They also tend to become drained by the wearing down effects of the hostility and disagreement, thus their whole service to the Lord is many times affected. People outside the church are often influenced to stay away from that congregation of apparent hypocrits because those people obviously cannot even get along with each other.
In Philippians 2:1-5, the Apostle Paul warned that squabbles among Christians cause them to become self-centered and defensive. He encouraged the church at Philippi to settle their own disputes, and in our lives, we also should strive to settle our unnecessary conflict situations. One way to settle such conflicts with other Christians is to imitate Christ. We can attempt to deal with relationship difficulties in the same manner as He would. According to Philippians 4:2-9, some other ways are to agree in the Lord and to trust the conflict to Him. Through Him, we can find a kind of peace which only comes from having a close personal relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul told those at the church at Philippi to think and act based on positive thoughts. Christians face many difficult issues today, some of which pertain to moral issues. In each and every instance, we should pursue Christ-like excellence. Because others learn by watching us, we should always try to honor and please the Lord in all things.
Conflicts among Christians can and do happen. But as much as possible, we should try to get along peaceably with everyone. When conflicts arise, we should seek a swift and fair solution. Many people in our world are hurting. Many do not know Christ as their personal Savior. Therefore, rather than squabbling among ourselves over so many foolish things, we should instead seek to be busy about the Lord's work. May we always have more interest in reaching others for Christ than in being on the right side of a silly dispute. As you go through the coming week, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal someone to you who needs your help. Then, as a good Christian, reach out to that person and try to help them meet their needs, as the Lord would have you do so.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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