Euodia and Syntyche: Conflict In the Church

• Our story today comes from Philippians 3:20-4:3

• In this scripture there is a conflict between Euodia and Syntyche to be in the same mind as the Lord.

• These women were important to Paul and were involved with his ministry, but they didn’t see eye to eye on at least one issue.

• I think we have these moments in the church as well. People don’t see eye to eye and the conflict becomes the relationship.

• We have forgotten how to agree to disagree.

• Top Conflicts in the Church

• Worship style

• Lack of Clarity on decision making

• Conflict between values and ministries

• Ministries should support the values and mission of the church

• Theological disputes

• Misplaced Loyalties

• If our allegiance is with other people and not with God and the mission of the church they are misplaced. That includes an allegiance to the Pastor. Always put God first.

• Anatomy of Peace

• Anatomy of Peace is a book by the Arbinger Institute

• In life there are times when things are going well and then there are times where we have to deal with things that are going wrong.

• 90% of the time things are going right. 10% of the time things are going wrong.

• We spend 90% of our time focusing on things going wrong and 10% of our time focusing on things that are right

• We should be spending the majority of our time helping the things going right continue to go right.

• We should spend less time dealing with things that are going wrong.

• There are two states of our heart when it comes to other people.

• Heart at war

• When our heart is a war we view other people as objects

• We look at them for what they can do for us to help us accomplish our goals

• Or they are obstacles in our way preventing us from meeting our goals

• Another option is we view others as irrelevant.

• We don’t view others as people or at least not people equal to ourselves

• Heart at Peace

• When our heart is at peace we view others as people.

• People that are equal to ourselves

• With a heart of peace, others hopes, needs, cares, and fears are just as real as your own

• They state of our heart to another person dictates how we respond to that person

• When we are in conflict with others we create a circle of conflict that guides all our interactions with that person.

• No conflict can be solved as long a both parties think they are right.

• Solution is only possible when one party begins to consider they might be wrong.

• Heart of God

• Having a heart at peace is the same as having the heart of God.

Philippians 2:1–8 CEB

Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort in love, any sharing in the Spirit, any sympathy, complete my joy by thinking the same way, having the same love, being united, and agreeing with each other. Don’t do anything for selfish purposes, but with humility think of others as better than yourselves. Instead of each person watching out for their own good, watch out for what is better for others. Adopt the attitude that was in Christ Jesus: Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit. But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings. When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

• We are called be in the spirit

• To love others

• Share our joy with them

• One mind

• One love

• Be selfless instead of selfish

• Put others above ourselves.

• When we do things out of love for others instead of our own desires, we are working from a heart of God

• Love is a great test. If you are loving others, you are doing what God asks us to do.

• Remember the majority of things we agree with, let’s focus on those things and focus less on the things we disagree about.

• Usually the things we agree on are the major things and that 10% aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things.

• This week

• Make an effort to treat every person with the Heart of God

• Treat them as the child of God that they are.