Practical Christianity — War in the Church

Text: James 4:1-10

Theme: Some of God’s people have declared war on the Body of Christ.

Date: 04/23/23 File name: James09-2023.wpd ID Number: NT20-04

Adrian Rogers once told the story of a Baptist was stranded on a remote island for 20 years. When rescuers finally got to him, they found he had built three structures. When they asked him about them, the man pointed to one building and said, “That’s my house.”

“And that structure over there?” the rescuers asked.

“That’s my church,” the stranded man replied. “I’m Baptist and take my faith quite seriously.” Then his rescuers pointed to a third dilapidated hut, asking “And that one over there? What is the third building?”

“Oh, that one,” said the man. “That’s where I used to go to church before the split.”

The Apostle James begins this section of his letter with a statement that makes you say, “Wait a minute. What did he just say? He CAN’T be talking about the church, can he?”

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1, ESV)

Yes, the church is exactly to whom he is making this pointed remark. Among you indicates that these combative relationships were between members of the churches to whom James wrote.

James gives us an unflattering snapshot of the believers he is writing to. James shows us an embarrassing picture of the early church. He paints a picture of believers — brothers and sisters in Christ — who are at war with each other!

Conflict within the Church is nothing new. Sometimes it is warranted — especially when core doctrines of the church are being denied or reinterpreted by others within the Body. Most of the time conflict is unwarranted — like when we go to war over the color of the carpet or the translation of the Bible to be used, or whether a clock in the worship center should be removed.

Baptists, of course, are not strangers to church conflict. But we are not alone. Conflict and schism are not unique to us. Divisions that lead to church splits are a sad and all-too-common occurrence in the Body of Christ. The effects of a church split, regardless of the cause, can be devastating. Church splits distress and dismay mature believers, disillusion new believers, cause havoc in the lives of pastors and their families, and bring reproach upon the name of Christ among the lost. Such conflict within the church is not in God’s will or design. Jesus said to the disciples, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34–35)

This evening let me share with you a word of warning. Be careful when you declare war on a fellow Christian. To do so is to declare war on Christ and His Church of whom that member is a part of the Body of Christ.

I. YOU DECLARE WAR ON THE CHURCH WHEN YOU SEEK TO IMPOSE YOUR WILL UPON THE LOCAL CHURCH

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” (James 4:1, ESV)

1. in this verse, James introduces a problem that is still relevant to the church today

a. he asks a question: What is the source of battles a brawls that occur among the brethren?

b. in this passage the Apostle lists three reasons for bad behavior within the Church

1) their fleshly lusts — “ ... your passions that are at war within you?” (James 4:1, ESV)

2) their faulty logic — “ ... You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2–3, ESV)

3) their fatal liaisons — “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, ESV)

2. to put James’ three reasons into modern focus, the source of many church problems are ...

a. a covetous spirit seeking power, influence or control

b. a failure to seek God’s face in decision making, and

c. an over-dependence of worldly business models

ILLUS. Most people I know – even believers – like to think that they are in control of their lives and destinies. But increasingly, many people in our culture feel that the events of their life are out of control. The church often becomes the last place where — if a person makes a fuss and throws their weight around, the rest of the church will acquiesce and give in.

1) but the unrestrained desire to control and exert power in a local church will almost always lead to war

a) too many times I have seen an individual or a certain family or a particular group in a local church covet power

b) whether they get it or not, the groundwork for resentment and hostility has been laid

3. lives can be irreparably destroyed, and the witness of the church irreparably damaged

A. PERSONAL AGENDAS ARE THE SOURCE OF MOST BATTLES AND BRAWLS IN THE CHURCH

“You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:2, ESV)

1. the word desire in this verse is a powerful verb that means to covert earnestly

a. it’s the word for which we get our word hedonism — and refers to the gratification of sensual, natural, fleshly desires

ILLUS. I don’t know how many of you follows religious news sources, but one of the great, on-going church scandals of our day revolves around Hillsong Church. They were considered on the leading edge of “cool Christianity.” A lot of Christian are aware of them because of the popularity of their contemporary worship music. They are based in Australia and quickly became a global network of charismatic Christian megachurches with sixteen congregations in the U.S. ... nine of which have been shut down due to the scandals. Church leader after leader has been involved in sexual scandal while others have been caught living lavish lifestyles on member’s giving.

1) yes, hedonism is still a problem among those who name the name of Christ

b. sometimes the desire for power and influence is overt

ILLUS. Like the little boy who wants everyone else to play the game by his rules and threatens to take his ball and bat (or tithe) and go home if the rest of the kids do not play by his rules

c. sometimes the desire for power and influence is more subtle

ILLUS. Honce and Betty and Christmas tree.

d. coveting power, control and influence are the source of most of our problems in the Body of Christ

1) and when we don’t get our way, when the church body doesn’t agree to our demands, or the pastor doesn’t do what we want, we get ticked off and go on the war path

2. James says you fight and quarrel — the word fight refers to an open dispute

a. the church at Philippi had such a circumstance

b. the Apostle Paul’s letter to that church, he pleaded with two women in that church to get along with each other

“I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord.” (Philippians 4:2, NIV84)

1) the rancor between these two women was so severe that it was threatening the peace and unity of the church

ILLUS. Then and now, the church is too often described in this little jingle: To dwell above with saints we love, O that will sure be glory. But to dwell below with saints we know, Well, that's another story!

c. fightings is a good term to describe the personality clashes you often find in the local church

1) sometimes they are mild and show up in a subtle competitiveness

2) at other times those clashes are caustic and can wind up in open conflict

d. either can be detrimental to the church if the conflict is not managed

3. James says you fight and quarrel — quarrel literally means to make war (which the KJV translates as such while most modern translations use quarrel)

a. the word is likely a reference to conflicts between power groups or cliques in the church

b. the Corinthian church had such a situation

“For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Corinthians 1:11–13, ESV)

ILLUS. In a small town in Tennessee there are two Primitive Baptist churches. On the marque of one is the name of the church: "LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH." Strange name for a church. Usually churches are named for streets or Saints or their community. This church was after the reason for the split. Back in 2012, It seems that the church split over the practice of foot-washing. An argument broke out over which foot should be washed first. The group insisting on the left foot taking precedence finally withdrew and split off to organize its own church, and named its congregation accordingly! "LEFT FOOT BAPTIST CHURCH." A division like that might be funny if it weren't so tragic.

6. the cause of these fightings and wars is the desire to please ourselves ... to get our way ... to promote our agenda – rather than submitting to the authority of the Scriptures and the Lordship of Jesus Christ

II. PRAYERLESSNESS ACCENTUATES THE CONFLICT

1. the second reason for their bad behavior is their faulty logic — “ ... You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” (James 4:2–3, ESV)

a. there has been a failure to pray personally — “You have not because you ask not”

b. there has been a failure to pray properly — “You ask, and receive not, because you ask amiss”

2. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray — it was one of the most important lessons he taught them

a. the church was born at a prayer meeting

3. God refuses to be left out of our affairs, and absolutely refuses to be left out of the affairs of his Church ... and so we are to be a people of prayer

a. prayer is a mysterious thing

1) it is as real as any of the laws of the universe whether it be the law of electricity, sound, magnetism or light

b. God takes our prayers into consideration just as He takes the laws of chemistry, physics or medicine into consideration

c. the prayers of God’s people are an important factor in the great equation of His involvement in the affairs of this world

4. the Scriptures are full of examples of men and women praying for God to intervene in their life, or the life of another, or in a situation or circumstance

5. James here is critical of believers who, first of all, do not pray about some circumstance taking place between Christians or a situation within the Church that has the potential of producing schism ... and when they do pray their praying for the wrong thing!

ILLUS. Too often, when conflict arises between believers or between factions in the church are prayers can get really selfish and one-sided ... “Lord. I’m right. They’re wrong. May our side win.”

a. the Scriptures, themselves, remind us that effective prayer has rules ...

1) it must be according to God’s will (Matthew 26:39)

2) it must be in faith (Matthew 21:22)

3) it must come from a pure heart (Psalm 66:18)

4) it must be in the name of the Lord Jesus (John 14:13)

5) it must be fervent (James 5:16)

b. prayers uttered in envy and selfish ambition will always accentuate a conflict, not heal a conflict

ILLUS. James is blunt. Some of these Christians are praying for the success of their position so that their passions might be fulfilled.

III. WORLDLY WAYS WILL NOT WORK IN THE CHURCH

1. influence peddling, intimidation, and power politics may work in the world, but they have no place in the local church

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4, ESV)

a. friendship with the world does not necessarily mean a moral compromise with the culture

1) sometimes it can mean an adoption of a business practice or corporate philosophy that is simply incompatible with the Scriptures

2. may I share an observation with you?

a. too many of God’s people have come to believe that the church is a business like any other business

b. we often see one of three corporate philosophies that congregations adopt

1) The pastor acts like an business owner and the members act like customers

2) The pastor acts like middle management and treats the congregation like employees

3) The members act like stockholders and treat the pastoral staff like employees

c. like any community business, patrons tend to look at the bottom line

1) are we bigger than we were this time last year?

2) have we baptized more stock holders?

3) do we have more money in the bank?

4) the ‘bottom line’ mentality says, “What’s in this for me? When do I get my dividends?”

d. when we believe that the church is an enterprise we make decisions with business-like precision

1) is the company growing? — if not, we fire the CEO (a.k.a. the pastor) and get a new one

2) is the company making money? — if not, we withhold further investment until things straighten up and fly right

3) are you happy with the way things are going? — if not, then you gather your allies and go for the hostile takeover

A. THE LOCAL CHURCH IS A SPIRITUAL HOUSE AND CHRIST IS THE HEAD

1. do you understand what I am trying to say folks?

2. too many congregations have decided, “Hey, if it works for the world, it ought to work for the church.”

a. James says, “No, no, no!”

1) friendship with the world is hatred toward God

3. why do we have battles and brawls within the church?

a. perhaps it is because we are guilty of spiritual adultery

b. we’ve fallen in love with the ways of the world and have sought to bring the world’s ways into the church

4. James writes that this is a recipe for destroying the church!

III. STEPS TO BRINGING PEACE TO THE CHURCH

1. why did such problems exist in the churches of James’ day?

2. why do they exist in our day?

3. verses 7-10 gives us the 10 Commandments for Church Peace

a. these three verses contain ten imperative verbs

b. if you remember High School English class, you’ll remember that an imperative is a command that compels a certain behavior

A. SUBMIT TO GOD

1. if we are going to prevent war in the church, we must first be at peace with God

2. that means we must regularly submit ourselves to God

a. now I understand that submit is not everyone’s favorite word

1) most of us would rather be assertive

2) can you imagine some big Fortune 500 company offering a class on submissiveness to its employees?

3. Christ was in constant submission to the Father in Heaven

a. we must be in submission to Christ

1) He is Head of the Church and we must let Him be

b. if we remember that, we’ll not have war in the church

B. RESIST THE DEVIL

1. the Devil loves it when the people of God fight, and feud and fuss

2. but Satan cannot lead us into sin against our will

C. DRAW NEAR UNTO GOD

1. God delights in our fellowship and invites us to come into His presence

a. the invitation is to pursue an intimate love relationship with God

1) the Book of Hebrews repeated encourages us to draw near to God

Hebrews 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. NIV

2. you cannot come into the presence of God and remain at war with a brother or sister in Christ

D. CLEANSE YOUR HANDS

1. before approaching God the OT priests had to ceremonially wash their hands

a. this imperative is a reference to that custom

2. the implication is that those who would approach God must recognize and confess their sin

a. when we are at war with the church or a fellow believer, it is so easy to see their sin while remaining blind to our own

3. James implies that to prevent war in the church we must change our sinful behavior

E. PURIFY YOUR HEART

1. not only must we change our behavior, we must change our attitudes

a. you see, if you don’t change your attitude, there is potential for conflict erupting over and over again

“Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.” (Psalm 24:3-5 NIV)

2. too often we harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in our hearts according to James 3:14

G. LAMENT, MOURN, WEEP AND TURN

1. each of these verbs is a separate imperative in the passage, but I’ll treat them all as one in my commentary

2. James is referring to the results of those who are truly broken over their sin and their part in a church war

a. James writes in verse 9, lament or be afflicted

1) here he refers to the inward attitude of feeling miserable over our part in the battles and brawls of church life

b. James says that we should mourn

1) here he refers to the Godly sorrow we should feel over our part in the battles and brawls of church life

c. James says that we should weep

1) when the Spirit of God convicts us of our part in the battles and brawls of church life, it should make us cry

d. lastly, James says that we should turn

1) James says that conflict in the Body of Christ is no laughing matter

2) the word for laughter in this verse is the only time the word is used in all the NT

3) the word signifies the flippant laughter of those foolishly indulging in worldly pleasures

4) the picture is of people who give no thought to God, life, death, sin, judgment, or holiness

e. the implication is that as long as this remains your attitude there will never be peace in the church

1) so let your laughter be turned to mourning

H. HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD

1. when we are humble before the Lord, it is difficult to be haughty before the brethren

a. God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble

Wise Christians resolve conflicts quickly, fools choose up sides for a church fight. Our church will soon be coming into a period of transition when I retire. It will be a time ripe for conflict if we are not careful. It’ll be a time when you might have to find yourself implementing these imperatives in your life.