PRESERVING AN ATMOSPHERE OF PEACE IN THE CHURCH

The Church is a living body of believers in Christ. It is a family, a spiritual family, populated by flesh and blood Christians. And just like what happens in real families, love, joy, peace, unity, disunity can be experienced in the Church. For in stance, it did not take a long time for fault lines of division to develop in the early Church (). Thank God through the help of the Holy Spirit, the Church dealt with it. They selected men full of the Holy Spirit, with no tribal inclinations to supervise the sharing of provisions to the needy. The will of God is for His Church is to exist in unbroken peace, love and unity. The Holy Spirit operates freely where there is peace, love and unity. Where there is disunity and lack of love and peace, the cause must be discovered and dealt with as swiftly as possible. Corrective measures should be applied as soon as possible. The congregation should pursue unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

The apostle Paul commended the Corinthian Church for their many wonderful Spiritual blessings. They were (i) Sanctified in Christ; (ii) Called to be saints; (iii) Recipients of Grace and Peace from God; (iv) Recipients of Numerous Spiritual Gifts; (v) The Testimony of Jesus Christ was confirmed in them; (vi) Called into fellowship with Jesus Christ the Son of God. Great blessings! But he had to bring to their notice the unchristian behaviour that was surprisingly rampant in the Church.

There are lots of lessons we can learn from this. Those of us who are pastors or workers or even normal Christian Church members, should learn this crucial lesson from Paul. This is the very style of correction by our Lord Jesus Christ (,), and as a true follower of Christ, this should also be your method of dealing with people who err from the truth.

1. CAUSES OF CHRISTIAN DISUNITY

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There are many things that can cause disunity and take away love and peace from the Church. Some (if not all) of these are linked to lack of understanding of Scriptures () and carnality. Many Christians (even committed one) do err, due to lack of understanding of Scriptures! They reach wrong conclusions and pass wrong judgements due to lack of understanding of Scriptures. Here are some of the things that cause loss of peace and unity.

(i) Negligence Due To Ethnic/Racial Inclination

Acts 6:1–6 KJV 1900

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch: Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

Acts 6:1-6

Those who divide the Church along ethnic, racial or tribal lines are not following Christ’s principles but worldly principles. Division occurs when a Church begins to grow. Satan hates a growing Church and would do anything to try to stop it. In this incident division started with members murmuring. God hates murmuring, and we are warned against it (; ; ; ; ). God sent a swift judgement against Israel for murmuring. But He also send them a cure in His mercy.

The surprise is that in spite of God’s warning against murmuring, many Christians still murmur! Murmuring creates factions. In the early Church, racial discrimination caused the negligence of the Grecian widows, and negligence caused the murmuring and division in the Church. If we want to see the power of God in action in this Church, we must obey God and avoid murmuring. If anyone calls you aside to start murmuring or gossiping, just excuse yourself immediately and get away from them. Do not let anyone drag you into the sin of murmuring or gossiping.

(ii) Disagreement on Ministry Methods

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Disagreement in ministry methods is one of the major causes of division and disunity in the Church. Paul and Barnabas had a sharp disagreement over who should follow them to the mission field! John Mark left Paul and Barnabas during one of their missionary journeys, and Paul did not want to God with Him again. But Barnabas wanted Him to come along. This caused a sharp disagreement, and Paul and Barnabas separated. Paul chose Silas and carried on with his work. Some ministers look at this story and immediately condemn Barnabas as a failure. No he wasn’t. I believe that God’s Purpose for Barnabas was fulfilled. His name translates as Son of Encouragement (); He greatly encouraged the Church (); He vouched for Paul when the disciples were suspicious of him (); He was one of the leaders of the early Church and was sent on missionary work with Paul (). The cause of this disagreement was too insignificant to have been allowed to affect the partnership of these great apostles. In the end, Barnabas was able to strengthen Mark in the faith. Paul later found him profitable in the ministry (); Mark became the writer of the second Gospel. He also became one of the bishops of the early Church. And the Church of God was blessed. Ministers, please remember .

(iii) Holier Than Thou Attitudes

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In the early Church, the Jewish believers felt superior to the gentile believers, and carried on with their custom of not eating with the gentiles. They couldn’t see how they could have fellowship to the extent of eating together with gentile believers. Though they knew that the gentiles have become believers, they still felt superior to them. Yet, the Church of God knows no race, nor tribe, nor ethnicity. There is no superior or inferior person in the Church, but Christ is all and in all. Lay aside pride. Lay aside ethnicity or racial discrimination. Yes, you may have more maturity as a believer, but that should not make you proud. Rather you should fear least you sin against the weak brethren of the Lord by your pride, and lest the Lord bring you low because of your pride (). holier than thou attitude will divide the Church.

(iv) Arrogance Resulting From Gifts

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Arrogance is vehemently condemned in the Bible. It is one of the seven things God hates (). Many in the Corinthian Church became arrogant because of their spiritual gifts. What are some of the things that can cause arrogance in the Church today? Wealth, education, work status, family background, position in church, nearness to people in authority…! All these can cause some believers to become proud and arrogant. God has decreed that proud and arrogant people shall be humbled (,; ). Believers are to be like our Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. he came to serve, not to be served. He came to give His life, not to preserve it (). So let the same mind be in you, that is, behave the same was as Jesus did ().

(v) Groupings In the Church

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This Church was riddled with factions. One faction belonged to Paul, another to Peter, another to Apollos, and yet another to Jesus! They created a fractured Church, with people gathering around their own chosen, favourite teacher.

There were four factions in the church. One group followed Paul, and they may have been predominantly Gentiles, because he was the apostle to the Gentiles. Another group followed Apollos, the learned orator (), probably because they enjoyed his wonderful speaking. The third group, probably Jews, leaned toward Peter, the apostle to the Jews (), and the fourth group tried to prove it was more spiritual than the rest by following “Christ alone” and rejecting human leaders.

Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 419).

Paul had to rebuke them. Paul did not die for them. Christ was not divided. The whole Church belonged to Him.

Wiersbe’s expository outlines on the New Testament (p. 419).

(v) Carnality Among Believers

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Another thing that causes disunity in the Church is carnality. When a believer behaves like one who has not received the grace of God, that is, behaves like a worldly person, that is carnality. A believer is not a worldly person and should not behave like that (). Jesus prayed that you and I should be protected from the carnality of the world. There are some believers that find it hard to sever or cut their relationship with the world. When they are in Church they behave like believers, talk like believers, dress like believers. But when they go home, or go to work, or to their business, they change. Their language will change, their behaviour will change, their dressing will change, everything about them changes. They are posturing for the world. To posture means to behave in a way intended to impress or mislead. Why do you have to posture? You don’t have to posture. Look at who you are now (). You are are (i) Sanctified in Christ; (ii) Called to be saints; (iii) Recipients of Grace and Peace from God; (iv) Recipients of Numerous Spiritual Gifts; (v) The Testimony of Jesus Christ was confirmed in them; (vi) Called into fellowship with Jesus Christ the Son of God. Great blessings!

2. CORRECTIVES FOR CHRISTIAN DISUNITY

Then you have believers taking fellow believers to court

2. CORRECTIVES FOR CHRISTIAN DISUNITY

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Whenever there is disunity in the Church, it will need to be corrected with biblical corrective measures. Jesus is the centre of the Church. And He is the one on whom will will focus on all matters concerning the Church. His examples are our standard. He is sole Authority of the Church. He has the Power to sanctify and unite the Church (). He has the power to grant grace, mercy and peace to His Church. He is the object of our witness and our expectations. He is and must remain the object of our fellowship. Therefore, the believer’s position in Christ, (), is the basis of appeal to correct the faulty practices in the Church. Christ is not divided.

The Holy Spirit is the agent of unity in the Church. He give us the fruit of the Spirit (), so that we can work together in unity. He sheds the love of God abroad in our hearts so that we can love each other and work together and work together as a Family (,; ).

Therefore, the believer’s position in Christ, 1–9, is the basis of appeal to correct the faulty practices of the

Christ, Basis Of Unity In the Church

Unger, M. F. (2005). The new Unger’s Bible handbook (Rev. and updated ed., p. 516).

3. CALL FOR CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN UNITY

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Bible teaching about the unity of the body of Christ is very exhaustive, very detailed. We are not left in doubt as what constitutes Christian unity. There are seven unities that bind the Church inseparably together. We have (i) ONE Body, (ii) ONE Spirit, (iii) ONE Hope, (iv) ONE Lord, (v) ONE Faith, (vi) ONE Baptism, (vii) ONE God and Father of all.

Not only this, ours is unity in diversity! No one person is more important than the others in body of Christ. We may not perform the same function but we are one. We may not all be visible but we are still part of the body. We may not all be prominent in the body but that does not diminish our importance. We are all serving a purpose in the house of God. We must be united in serving. If one member is suffering, all members suffer with it. We cannot stand aloof when our brethren are in need. We are one body in Christ. And when brethren dwell together in unity, there is plenty of blessing from God!

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