Fighting In The Church

 Fighting Should Be In The Ring, Not In The Church

One of the most tragic things that can happen in the local church is the church split. I don’t care how much members say that they are praying for unity in the church, no matter how much they try to prove themselves right by quoting scripture, and no matter how holy and righteous they try to appear to be, unless they act in humility, strive to bring peace, showing love for their brothers, and sisters, treating everyone with respect and love, they are falling way short of being the person they want others to think they are. 

Those in the church who are caught up in a church war are forgetting that the church is the bride of Christ. They are forgetting that they are children of God. They are forgetting that they are children of the King, and that they are citizens of the Kingdom of God. They are forgetting that they are brothers and sisters in that kingdom and are commanded by Jesus to love one another unconditionally. I am very sad that men and women whom I love and respect, people I have known to be leaders of the church where Sherri and I belong, people on both sides of the conflict are involved in a terrible fight. This is happening for the second time in a little over three years. I don’t care who is wrong or right, anyone who draws the sword and tries to hurt a brother or a sister is caught up in sin. They are hurting each other. Sherri and I have tried to stay out of this fight, but it seems that if we stand for what we believe we are considered enemies by those who don’t agree with us and that makes us sad. 

Call me a Pollyanna, but I don’t know why Christians cannot settle their disagreements in a peaceful manner. I guess that’s two much to ask. One thing that I always told the churches where I pastored was that Satan comes to church every Sunday, and that he wants to destroy the witness of the members. He wants to destroy the church and ruin lives. That is exactly what he is doing in our church. We have already had people to get upset and abandon the body instead of staying to do what they can to keep Satan from winning. Many of you know that I’ve bragged about our wonderful choir. When our Worship leader left at the first of the year we had several people to leave the choir, some because they didn’t like our pastor. Last Sunday we had thirty something in the choir which is far less that we had before our worship leader left. When Sherri and I joined the choir 7 years ago we had 80 in the choir. Once again Satan has won another battle. 

What our church is going through is particularly hard for Sherri and me. Years ago we were in the position that our pastor and his family are going through now. It was the worst time of our married lives. And yes, it absolutely ruined my life, but after several years I did recover. Right or wrong a pastor should never have to endure this kind of treatment from people who claim to be children of God. When I was going through that horrible experience I dreaded going to church on Sunday morning because I knew that someone would threaten me, and sometimes Sherri, in a way that would tear our hearts out, and I would then have to stand behind the pulpit and try to preach. My heart breaks for what Satan is doing to our church. 

I don’t know what is going to happen, but regardless of how this goes, there will be scars left on the hearts of many, and they will remain until they leave this world to meet Jesus face to face. The members of our church need to heed the word of Jesus to Peter on the night that the mob came to arrest the Lord, “Peter, put away your sword.” Now who can argue with that?