Paul's perspective on Conflict resolution

Well it’s been a while since I have written anything. Life has been busy as the kids are getting older and I haven’t really felt lead to write too much.  Over the last several months though, God has opened my eyes to some things and laid some things on my heart that I will be sharing over the next several months.  Today I wanted to share some thoughts on some scripture from 2^nd Timothy.

14 Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. 15 You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message.16 At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17 But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it.  2 Timothy 4:14-17

As we all know life isn’t always smooth.  Life is always changing and conflict is a part of our daily lives.  We have conflict with our spouse, our kids, our families and our co workers. Christians experience conflict like this too but we also have conflict with people that oppose what we believe.  Sometimes opposition comes from people inside the church and sometimes it’s comes from the outside. Conflict isn’t something that should come as a surprise to the Christian though; rather it should be expected because if we are going to be someone who professes and lives out our faith daily then we are going to also be a target for criticism.

The Apostle Paul knew this well. Almost everywhere Paul went conflict awaited him. But Paul endured and he never let conflict get in the way of his task of proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.  In Paul’s second letter to Timothy He gives Timothy some great advice that we should all take to heart. I know that it's easier said than done sometimes, but if it worked for Paul then it will work for us too.

Notice in V14 of the Scripture above that Paul says, “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm”.  Here Paul is nearing the end of his life and he is thinking about this man that he has obviously had a previous conflict with. Now the Bible doesn’t tell us much about Alexander, but we do know that in Paul’s mind Alexander has hurt him and his ministry deeply.  But here is the critical thing for all of us in handling conflict. Look at what Paul goes on to say in V14, “The Lord will repay him for what he has done”.

Now our normal reaction when conflict arises is to react or to defend our position, or in some cases to get our payback. I know I have failed many times in this way.  But Paul is saying, step back, calm down, and don’t worry about it. Let God take care of it! God will repay the person for what they have done.  Paul stayed focused on his mission of advancing the gospel, and he knew Timothy would face similar opposition too, if not from Alexander then from others like him. See there is nothing Satan would rather us do then get bogged down in a war of words with those that oppose us.

For every person that has committed themselves wholeheartedly to Jesus Christ there is going to be conflict. Get ready for it! Expect it! Embrace it even!  Jesus said in Luke 6:26 a, “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you”.   If you have no conflict in your life because of your claim to be a Christian then are you really standing tall in your faith? If there is no hardship, no opposition, no struggle because of our faith in Christ then we need to take a look in the mirror and see if we are truly moving forward in our faith or if we are dead in it.  Paul understood conflict well, and his commitment to overcome it and to march on proclaiming Christ meant that he had to leave the resolution of that conflict in God’s hands. Paul is telling Timothy, “Be ready for this because it’s going to happen, and this is how you should handle it”.

Notice in V16 that Paul tells Timothy that nobody stood up for him during his conflict either. Have you ever felt like you were by yourself on an island when a conflict came up?  Paul knows this feeling too because when Paul was opposed, Paul's supporters deserted him.  Jesus understands this too! When Jesus was arrested His disciples scattered! The reality is that humans will fail each other almost every time. We just do. We get scared.  We aren’t there for each other when we should be. We say the right things, but do the wrong things. We are flawed, selfish and sinful creatures that will make a mess of life when we are left to our own devices.

 In spite of all of this though, Paul goes on to tell Timothy what he wants done, “May it not be held against them”.  It is as if he is telling Timothy, “I know your flesh might be telling you to teach them a lesson, but don’t. Let it go”. It was Paul’s’ prayer that God would not hold this against them, and his hope that because of how they chose to handle the conflict that these Christians would be strengthened so that they might be able to stand strong in the future. Many times we get so focused on the conflict in our life that we forget that there are people in our periphery that are observing us to see how we handle difficult situations.  Are we going to blow up, or are we going to handle things the way Christ desires for us to?  Paul gives us the key to handling conflict the right way, it is up to us whether we choose to follow his lead.

I will leave you with this. When the inevitable conflict comes your way remember what Jesus said in Luke 6:22-23, “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. ²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.”

Praise in the Storm

The events this week in Haiti have caused me to reflect on several things. As we see the images pouring in through the internet and televisions we are confronted with a multitude of emotions. It is a catastrophic event that has caught our attention and jolted us out of our everyday routines. It has made us see how little of our lives we actually have any control over.

This event hit close to home for my family, and many that live in my area, as we awaited word on the well being of missionary that grew up here. Three days went by before finally hearing that she was safe. I cannot even imagine the rollercoaster of emotions that her family went through as they eagerly awaited word from her. God delivered this young lady from her situation and we give Him all the Praise and Glory for that.

I have not been to Haiti yet, but my faith has been strengthened as I have seen the reports of how some of the people in Haiti are singing songs of praise to God in the evenings. That has really convicted me. In their pain and suffering they are choosing to praise God! How often in our own lives, when we go through trial, do we find ourselves complaining to God about our situation instead of praising Him in all situations? It reminded me of a song by Casting Crowns called “Praise you in this Storm”.

I'll praise You in this storm

And I will lift my hands

For You are who You are

No matter where I am

Every tear I've cried

You hold in Your hand

You never left my side

And though my heart is torn

I will praise You in this storm

The Haitian people are torn because of their situation. You and I are torn because we feel helpless and overwhelmed with the enormity of what they face. But we serve a God who bigger than all of this and He will draw His people together through this. It is in Him that we will find our comfort. It is in Him that we will find our rest. That doesn’t make it any easier to work through all that we face, but it does give us hope.

Another thing I thought about was what Jesus said in Matthew 25:34-36 (NIV)

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

There has been an outpouring of compassion from around the world for the Haitian people, but it can’t and shouldn’t stop here. There will be needs in Haiti for years to come and we will need to help. There will be opportunities in the months to come to help, so pray that God will reveal to you the ways that you can help if that is His plans for you. Be sure to check out any organizations that you choose to financially support. Unfortunately, in times like these, there are people who will take advantage of every situation.

My hope and prayer is that this situation will also help us to focus and be aware of the needs we have around us everyday. It shouldn’t take a crisis event like this to cause us to reach out and lend a helping hand to those in need. We have people around us everyday that need us to model what Jesus said in Matthew 25:35-36.

There will be some good that will come out of something like this if it causes us to change the way we live our lives and how we see the people around us. We need to put God first and be the hands and feet of Jesus every single day, not just when there is a major event.

Continue to pray for the Haitian people and all the orphans that are in Haiti. Pray that through this, the government of Haiti will truly begin to work to help the people of Haiti. Pray for the people that are there serving our Lord and Savior and remember to praise our God who is our hope in this storm.

Greg
John 16:33

Change

I have to apologize for not keeping up with my weekly post, but the last several weeks have been a bundle of frustration, anticipation, joy and excitement. These last few weeks could best be described with one word….Change. We live in an ever-changing world and we go through this life trying to avoid change as much as we can. We like our lives planned out so we know exactly what we are doing and when. We have our daily routines, we travel the same routes, we do the same things with the same people, and we punch in and punch out at work. When something happens to mess up our routines though…look out!

Change starts the moment we are born, and our lives and bodies continue changing until we die. Change is a part of every life. Resisting it is as futile as it is frustrating. John Foreman once said, “Today is all that we will ever have in this life. If we spend our time obsessing about the future or regretting the past then we will never live. Tomorrow will always be tomorrow and yesterday cannot be changed. The wise man seeks God in the now and brings both his regrets and fears before Him. The freedom that we are offered is truly amazing: to live, today, free from even our own fallen desires. This is where I want to be.”

James 1:17 says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” The one thing that doesn’t change in life is God and His love for us. His word doesn’t change, nor does His promise to us, even though many people try to change His word to justify their own bad choices. Whatever God is, He always is. There are no “sometimes” attributes of God. All of his attributes are “always” attributes. He always is what He is. Malachi 3:6 reads “I the Lord do not change”.

When we get to the point in our life where we begin to understand that God is in control of everything, then we begin to accept the fact that change is a part of life. If we believe that He is the Creator and the sovereign God, then we have to believe that we are going through a season of change for a reason, and that ultimately He will reveal that to us. Trusting and putting our faith in an all powerful and all knowing God is a difficult thing to do sometimes, but when we do it then the changes that life brings can be seen in a different light.

The last few weeks have been a time of growth for me. I am thankful every day for the blessing’s I have been given and for the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”. Isn’t it great to know that in a world that constantly changes we can find rest in the one that remains the same?

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

In Christ,

Greg

Psalm 102:25-27

Religion or Relationship?

Regardless of our age, sharing the good news of Jesus Christ presents some hurdles for us that often trip us up. Recently, I was engaging in a conversation about evangelism, with a young man from our youth group, whom I will call Jeff. He proceeded to tell me a story about a conversation he had with a friend about his faith. His friends response was that he didn’t have a religion yet, and was still looking for what religion he was going to be apart of. For young people like Jeff, I believe the hurdles present in sharing their faith are even more daunting than they are to us as adults and his friend’s response is becoming an all too common answer.

The answer Jeff’s friend gave him is a microcosm of what our country is facing. Recent statistics from 2008 indicate that 92% of Americans consider themselves religious and believe in God, while 76% call themselves Christian. The number of Christians has declined over 10% since 1990 while the number of people who claim no religion at all has climbed to 15%.

There are a couple of things that stand out to me. One is if 92% believe in God and 76% are calling themselves Christians, then why is our country in the shape it is in? Two, what God are we serving? My guess is that some of them aren’t serving the God that created all of this!

It leads me back to Jeff’s conversation with his friend. Jeff’s friend was searching for the same thing that we were seeking before we became believers, but he is getting derailed by a worldly point of view. As a Christian and a follower of Jesus, I don’t have a religion. I have a faith and relationship with Jesus Christ and there is a big difference. Jesus didn’t come to earth, suffer the things he suffered, and die on a cross so that you and I could have a religion! He came so that we could be in relationship with Him. He came to bridge the gap created by our sin, so that we could be in relationship with God! I believe God looks down at America and says “these people just don’t get it”. We are really not that much different than the Israelites when they made their golden calf. We take the parts of the Bible we like, the ones we can live with, and then we make our own little mini religion and mini god out of it. We go to church when it’s convenient and live pretty good moral lives, so we call ourselves “Religious” and “Christian”. That is not what Jesus died for.

There are people that are very religious about their sports teams and never miss a game or a score. There are people who religiously arrange their schedules around their favorite TV programs. The list of things we are religious about can go on and on. If we reduce our faith down to a religious exercise of going to church and living life a certain way then the label of Christian doesn’t mean much. We are to be servants, so everyday of our life, including Sunday, shouldn’t be about what God can give us. It should be about serving and giving back to God. It should be about a relationship with Jesus Christ. We were made to serve and Jesus served us by dying on a cross.

There are millions of people in this world that are searching for God. Unfortunately, Satan does his little game of trickery and takes the good things of the Bible and twists them around. He tells us, just like he told Eve, “Did God really say” and “you will not surely die”. He is telling us the same lies! Satan plants the seeds of doubt and discontent in our heads. We tell ourselves that surely God didn’t mean it the way it is written. I mean he loves me, and if he loves me then he would want me to be happy right? Justification…it is what we do so well and it is Satans master ruse. He is deceiving the world. The world has found religion and lost it’s faith in the process.

Jesus said in John 15:4-6, "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."

There is a world full of people seeking to find something that makes sense to them. They are people that you and I come into contact with on a daily basis in our jobs, our families and our social and leisure activities. We need to introduce them to Jesus and help them to have a relationship with the only person that can make sense of a chaotic world. We need to remain in Him and produce fruit in our lives.

In Christ,

Greg

John 14:6