READING: 1 Kings 15, 2 Chronicles 13-14, Titus 3
I’m afraid I’ve heard a similar story many, many times. The church has had a rocky history filled with conflict. Pastors come and go without a long tenure, their having faced ongoing opposition. Members assume that moments of “peace” are only temporary. The community knows the church as “that fighting church.”
And, too often, those conflicts are the work of just a few people (sometimes, only one).
The same people fight the same battles, regardless of who the pastor is. I’ve even seen churches where next generations continue the divisive work of their parents and grandparents. They fight to protect their turf, and no one confronts them—perhaps because it’s a frightening step, or because it seems useless. Either way, the divisive person remains in the church because the church has allowed the division to continue.
Paul, on the other hand, warned Titus, “Reject a divisive person after a first and second warning. For you know that such a person has gone astray and is sinning; he is self-condemned” (Titus 3:10-11). The process was to be a patient one, with warnings and calls for repentance to precede any action of ex-communication. On the other hand, it was a non-negotiable process. God expects His church to be united, and He requires us to deal with divisive people.
PRAYER: “God, help me not to be divisive. Then, grant me faithful courage to confront others as needed.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 15-16, Philemon
