STOP THIS DISAGREEMENT

 

George Whitefield and John Wesley were giants of faith and great evangelists. Wesley began open-air preaching at the invitation of Whitefield. When Whitefield left for America after years of itinerant ministry throughout England, he had asked Wesley to travel his open-air preaching circuit to continue to spread the gospel to the lower classes in English society.

But a dreadful disagreement led to many years of discord and lack of communication. Whitefield and Wesley allowed something to tear at the very fabric of their relationship in Christ. A difference regarding a point of theology drove a wedge between them and in the process diminished the ministries of both men. Their personal theological differences divided evangelicals in Great Britain.

It was not until just before Whitefield’s death in 1770 that a rapprochement was accomplished. Numerous British Christians had attempted to aid in bringing the two together. Finally, after years of acrimony it was accomplished. Wesley preached Whitefield’s funeral sermon. Despite the eventual union, their years of enmity seriously injured the evangelical cause.

In Philippians 4:2-3 Paul writes about a disagreement in the church of Philippi. Two women were at odds with one another.  He wrote “ I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes and I ask you, my true companion, help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life”.

Paul regards these women as genuine believers; their names were written in the Book of Life (v.3).  Euodia, Syntyche, and Clement must have been prominent in spreading the gospel and building up the church; there were other co-workers referred to, but not mentioned by name. Paul does not give us details, so we can’t tell from his words the background of the problem.

The word he uses indicates that each of them had a different understanding about something. Paul's command to them is that they need to be united in the Lord. He knew that this unfortunate dispute needed to be cleared up. Even a little division will grow to something much worse by-and-by. Instead of focusing on the causes Paul exhorts these women to agree.

Instead of taking sides, he simply exhorts these two Christian women to settle their differences. Notice that he beseeches each of them in exactly the same way “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord”. Paul makes a request of someone he calls a "true comrade" to help these women to reconcile and come to one mind in the Lord.

We live in a fallen world and therefore conflicts can occur. Sometimes personalities by their nature conflict with one another, although the Creator intended them to complement each other. Some people are task-oriented, while others enjoy relationships. Some individuals are outgoing and aggressive, while others are more relaxed and responsive.

Instead of appreciating the differences, people can become annoyed with one another’s uniqueness. The book of proverbs gives this advice “starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out” (Prov. 17:14). The beginning of strife is like the crack in the dam; if the very onset of strife is not dealt with, a major conflict is on the way. 

Sometimes the conflict is ignored hoping that with time it will go away. But time may only cause the wounds to get deeper, further damaging relationships. A conflict between two people in the church can threaten the unity of the whole congregation. Paul did not just pray for the conflict between Euodia and Syntyche to go away; he wanted it to be addressed. He even asked someone to become a mediator.

Unity affects the Church's ability to spread the kingdom of God. When the body of Christ operates in disunity, it paints a false picture of God to the world. When believers are in conflict, it hinders people from accepting Christ. We must keep this in mind since people are always watching us and judging our Savior based on our lives and interactions with one another.

A united church where members live in peace and harmony promote an accurate picture of God to the world they are called to reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Perfect unity in a church is a powerful witness. It’s one of the strongest evidences of the truth of the gospel; For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1Cor. 14:33).

This is especially true in a world as fragmented and divisive as ours. When the rest of the world can’t seem to agree on anything or bear to be around people who are different, a church is a powerful alternative. Unity in the Church has been a challenging thing since the earliest days of Christianity. Paul had much to say about the importance of unity as product and proof of the gospel.

In Romans 12 Paul  says “I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you… Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves … Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Do not repay anyone evil for evil…If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary if your enemy is hungry, feed him. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. Do not let evil overcome you, It’s not worth it!

If someone offends you, you have two options, you can choose to revenge or you can sit back and let God handle it. If you choose to fight, God will leave the scene and let you fight for yourself. If you choose to let him to act on your behalf, then you must trust his way and his time of doing it. He knows how best to handle it!  Your part is to do obey his command- do good to the person who hurt you (Rom. 12:20, Prov. 25:21-22).

Peter commanded, “above all, lets us love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8)..James wrote, “ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.  Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace. (James. 3:17-18). Jesus said “whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them”(Matt. 7:12).

Sometimes we work out our differences and move on; however sometimes we hold bitterness and resentment toward our offenders. We try to detach from them but this must never be permitted. We are parts of one body and the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” (1 Cor. 12:20-21). Jesus said “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matt 5:9). Unfortunately some churches view conflicts resolution as an annoying detour from the important matters.

Seek peace and pursue it (Ps. 34:14). But should you find yourselves in a conflict, the Bible teaches that reconciliation should take place as soon as possible (Eph 4:26, Matt 5:23-24). The process of reconciliation is described in Matthew 18:15-20. We must be willing to ask for forgiveness and forgive if asked. Through forgiveness, we can release the burden of anger, bitterness, and resentment.

These burdens weigh us down and prevent us from experiencing joy, peace, and love. When we hold onto grudges or refuse to forgive those who have wronged us, we become trapped in a cycle of negative emotions that can consume us and damage our relationships with others. However, if we forgive, we experience healing and freedom from these negative emotions. 

It’s inevitable that disagreements will arise between Christians. Our motivation to forgive is based on the fact that God forgives us of our sins and removes them from our account when we confess them (Isaiah 43:25). We are not given the luxury of holding on to our bitterness towards other people; for if we do not forgive others their sins God will not forgive us (Matt 6:14-15).

Disagreements must never be allowed to result in wasted time and opportunities. It is only a matter of time before this world is consumed in fire (2 Peter 3:10). At that time everything that you deserved but were short-changed will lose its value. Every argument that you should have won will be forgotten. But that fire will not destroy love, so invest on that which will outlast all things. Love is not easily angered and it keeps no record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5,8,13).

The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval...make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification(Romans 14:17-19). Follow peace with all men and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Look diligently lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you and thereby many be defiled” (Heb. 12:14-15).