Conflict Resolution

As God so often does in our lives, when we hit a bump in the road and turn to Him for advice and guidance, he puts the rights words or people in our way.

We were convicted to address a problem with someone lately, a close Christian friend, and we handled it poorly, because we did it OUR way. Instead we should have spoken with Jesus' tongue and manner. I saw the following paragraph in an article by Rick Warren lately and I wanted to share it with you...

"Matthew 18 gives us the procedure we’re to use when someone is blowing it. In the passage, Jesus says: "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector" (Matthew 18:15-17 NIV).

People often come to me as the pastor when they have a problem with another person at the church. I always ask them if they’ve talked to the person with whom they have a problem first. The first step of conflict resolution is to go to the other person. Don’t let people go behind their back – even if they’re coming to you.

Then, the Bible says, if the other person won’t listen, take someone else along and confront them. If they still don’t repent, you bring them before the whole church. If there’s still been no repentance, you treat them like a pagan – like an unchurched person. The church still needs to love them. They can even attend the church. But you’ve got to make it clear that for them to be a member of the church, certain behavior is expected. Following what God’s Word says can flat out change lives. I’ve seen it happen over and over again.

Jesus tells us that a church that sticks together is a tremendous witness to the watching world. You see, it isn’t normal for people from different backgrounds and social statuses to come together as a family. But it happens every day when local churches work together to do God’s work in the world. People who aren’t believers see that unity. And it’s attractive."

If something is weighing on your heart, pray and look up the Word of God and you will find all the answers. We did EVENTUALLY!

God Bless