By Asp Missy Danielle Powell
An Our Daily Bread devotional touched on Broken Relationships and the importance of the body of Christ taking the time to mend relationships, as they can hinder our witness of the Gospel to the world.
I really liked the central verse that was used for this piece. Writing to the church at Philippi, Paul directly addresses two women in the church saying, “Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement” (v. 2).
Did you know that sometimes people in the church have disagreements? Of course you did; yet the reminder is appropriate all the same. What stuck out to me was the fact that Paul wasn’t taking sides in this disagreement. For those familiar with Paul’s writings, he wasn’t one to shy away from a rebuke when necessary. Which leads me to believe, either he just didn’t know the particulars of their disagreement and didn’t want to comment, or the disagreement was less a matter of “right” and “wrong” and more about two people not seeing eye to eye on an issue. Even still, he understood the danger of letting the disagreement hinder their witness and ultimately damage their individual reputation and the reputation of the church.
Just because we’re saved, sanctified and Holy Ghost-filled doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes butt heads with our fellow co-laborers in the Kingdom of God. Our personalities, attitudes, perspectives, experiences (not to mention our flesh) all mix together to create the person we are today. And sometimes that person just doesn’t quite click with someone else – even another brother or sister in Christ!
The difference comes in the fact that, unlike the world, we can’t afford to let those disagreements tear us apart. For in truth, they aren’t tearing us apart, but our testimony of how the Spirit of God brings peace and unity to a chaotic world. When we allow quarrels and divisions to be named among the believers, we tell the world that the power of God isn’t quite so powerful – or perhaps, we haven’t quite submitted to His full authority (1 Cor 6:1-8).
But you see, this was a group effort and not just about a disagreement between these two women. For in the next breath, after he admonished Euodia and Syntche to work out their problems, Paul then turned to his brother in Christ and instructed him to help these women as well (v. 3).
And that’s the area where I think we as the body of believers need to step up. Too often we see or hear about disagreements in the church. And rather than prayerfully try to work with the opposing sides to come to a godly and peaceable solution, we’re all too quick to take sides and stir up the rumor mill (Prov. 26:20). Ultimately, we facilitate in the tearing away of a Christian relationship rather than doing our best to restore and help with reconciliation.
Remember, this is our family. Paul said both women “worked hard with [him] in telling others the Good News. They worked along with Clement and the rest of [his] co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life” (v. 3). If we can’t work together to help our family work out their disagreements, who will?
And furthermore, what damage can doing nothing have on the witness of the church?
Sometimes we forget that saints are human. We think because we are saved and filled with the Holyghost that we do not encounter human emotions or failings which is so far from the truth. It’s what we do when these factors come into place that keeps us separate from sinners.