Thoughts on Christian Conflict

I have found in my Christian walk that the path is often full of conflict. Why is that? Why must a people who are taught to love show so much disdain? Why do we fight and argue and hurt one another instead of treating each other with respect and love as the Bible commands.

I think a lot of this comes from fear. A lot of fear comes from what we don't understand or what we find uncomfortable.

I have been reading a book called Surprised by the Power of the Spirit by Jack Deere. Whether you believe that the miraculous gifts are for today or not this book gives some interesting Biblical insight into different gifts and how they benefit and encourage the body when they are used appropriately.

I really appreciate how this book is delivered; humbly and with plenty of scripture. When I am reading a book that is charismatic in nature I tend to have this discouraging voice in the back of my mind repeating over and over that this is something that causes division and can be hurtful. The fact is I am reading such things to help grow, mature and build up the church.

Today I read some wonderful words about how to deal with Christian conflict that really encouraged me. This is near the end of the chapter entitled Pursuing the Gifts with Diligence. I hope you also find the following encouraging...

One of the most eloquent admonitions I have ever encountered along these lines is in Bishop Burnet's preface to the classic work "The Life of God in the Soul of Man", written by Henry Scougal in the latter part of the seventeenth century. Here is what Burnet wrote:

There is scarce a more unaccountable thing to be imagined, than to see a company of men professing a religion, one great and main precept whereof is mutual love, forbearance, gentleness of spirit, and compassion to all sorts of persons, and agreeing in all the essential parts of its doctrine, and differing only in some less material and more disputable things, yet maintaining those differences with zeal so disproportioned to the value of them, and prosecuting all that disagree from them with all possible violence; or if they want means to use outward force, with all bitterness of spirit. They must needs astonish every impartial beholder, and raise great prejudices against such persons' religion, as made up of contradictions; professing love, but breaking out in all the acts of hatred.

Somewhere someone has to stop this. Someone has to stop returning insult for insult, unkindness for unkindness. Why not make up your mind that no matter what is said about you, you are not going to reply in kind. And never forget that immediately after Paul told his readers to "eagerly desire the greater gifts," he wrote, "If I... have not love, I gain nothing" (I Cor. 13:3).

I found this to hit home. May God bless you as he has me with these words.