Disagreements, Divisions, & Discernment 4

“The quagmire of ministry!”

The church has seen transformation throughout the centuries since its first record of beginning found in the letter of Acts. The Apostle Paul delivered countless examples within his thirteen epistles written to the churches about doctrine, leadership, spiritual growth, admonishment, and evangelism. The church is a living assembly, or community of baptised believers who follow Jesus Christ. It functions as the body of Christ, committed to worshipping God. The church studies the Bible while it engages in fellowship and evangelism. I have been recently involved in a new church plant back in the USA. I love our mission statement. “Knowing, loving, and obeying Jesus, together; and making disciple—making disciples for God’s glory!” There is nothing more powerful than a body of believers following God’s plan and purpose. The church should personify a small picture of worship that will exist throughout eternity soon. In other words, people in our world should catch a glimpse of Heaven when they see the church. This type of fellowship is present when wisdom is the church’s global positioning service (GPS).

The attributes of wisdom are purity, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere(1). Have you heard those characteristics shared before? Do they sound like the Beatitudes? We only have to turn the pages in James to recognize the spiritual conflict warring to dictate the demise of many churches.

James directs our attention to the reality of worldliness that can destroy the testimony of a church’s influence within its community or tribe.

Too often we fail to claim the promise of God shared in the epistle of 1 Peter 5:7–8. “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” If you are currently, or studying to be a shepherd, those promises will have to be an active part of your daily service.

In preparation of this teaching from God’s word, I read the text multiple times before developing an outline. Teaching and preaching should never be taken lightly. Our session title: Divisions, Disagreements, and Discernment are meant to challenge each of us to look deeper into our passage. I believe this might be a good time to use an illustration.

We are familiar with the different grades of octane in petrol. Here you drive many vehicles which burn low octane diesel. Hey, it serves the purpose. It gets you from point A to point B.

Back in the USA, we have four choices of octane to choose when fueling. Primarily, cars in the USA use 87 octane petrol. Now, I have one vehicle which requires you to purchase 93 octane. It is usually $1.00 more per gallon than 87 octane. My wife tries to sneak the 87 octane if she has to fuel that car. But the truth always becomes evident when she does so, because the car loses horsepower on the cheaper octane. In other words, the lower octane makes the car engine run poorly.

Now I shared that to stress the importance of filling your tank (heart & mind) with the necessary disciplines required to navigate the divisions and disagreement. You must be an avid student of God’s word. Prayer is your communication path of fellowship. Designate accountability in your leadership. When these disciplines are practiced, then discernment will be your guide.

James 4:1–6 “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 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. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 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. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Aim: To understand how attitudes can fuel divisions within the church and how to accomplish what Christ taught about brotherly love.

I. Spiritual Diagnosis: Corporate or Individual?

What lies behind the quarrels and divisions in the church?

a. Passions

b. “I must have it!”

c. Negativity, it my default attitude.

d. Our lack of prayerlessness.

e. Carnal and selfish prayers.

II. Avoiding Worldliness

III. Discernment: the Antidote to Spiritual Wellness