One of my favorite verses as a child was Matthew 5:8. I wanted to see God, so I wanted a pure heart. I still want to see Jesus, so this is still a favorite verse as well as a daily prayer.
Matthew 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
I have tried for over eighty years to have one. It has not always been pure, but thank God for forgiveness, reconciliation, and grace! Why is having a pure heart necessary? Because out of it comes the words our mouths proclaim!
In Proverbs 6:16, Solomon lists seven things that God hates. Number seven is discord, which is stirring up trouble in the family, church, or community! This is serious!
Because we must have a pure heart before we can have peace, Jesus said in Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God!” Verse 8 comes before verse 9 because we cannot be peaceful unless we are pure in heart! Jesus said that!
And then Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:29-31 “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Impure thoughts live in our hearts if we do not “resist the devil,” as James wrote in 4:7. He says to submit, surrender, and then actively resist, pray, watch, and study God’s Word!
When we throw out that evil influence and “come near to God,” as verse 8 says, we’ll be peaceful and our thoughts will be pure again. The enemy cannot stay where God is King!
And David in Psalm 133:1 wrote “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” When there’s unity, there’s blessing!
Probably all of us have had some experience with conflict — with our mate, our child, someone at work, or at a church group meeting. We know that not resolving conflict can wear us out. If we do not forgive, it eats away at us, hurts, and can use up all our strength, and then, if there is division afterwards, we feel weak. If we are going to work for Jesus, we need all the strength we can get!
Jesus emphasized the unity of believers when He prayed. In John 17, he was praying for us, that we could all “be one..,” so that the world will believe that God sent Him.
Solomon explained teamwork in Ecc.4:9-10 as “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.”
Paul said we should look at doing God’s work as a key to the work of the church. He explained in I Cor. 12:20: “There are many parts, but one body, and there should be no division in the body.”
Paul suggests that everyone serve together, caring for each other, using the talents God gave us. We are not all alike, and we will not all work alike. That is why we have to be humble and not selfish about having our own way all the time. Think of the times you teamed with someone or someone helped you with a church activity. We need Jesus, but we also need each other!
God has called us to be peacemakers. Conflict is where our natural impulses go when we disagree or feel misunderstood. This means we must overcome our pride.
That is difficult, I know! Some people are easier to get along with than others. It takes wisdom and understanding that only God can give.
Arguments have various reasons. Sometimes people separate because of ungodly practices. Sometimes people get upset if you hold them accountable for an ungodly behavior. Some get angry if you suggest they need to repent, and they might even leave.
There are valid, biblical reasons for conflict; but, too often disagreement begins with selfishness and pride. It can be resolved if we let Jesus get in us and between us. It is sad when we give up or we are too proud to say “I’m sorry.”
In Philippians 4:1-2, Paul mentioned a conflict between two women that was hurting the church there. Paul realized the devil was trying to destroy them. He uses strong language, pleading with the two women to resolve their differences.
Apparently Euodias and Syntyche were respected, maybe teachers in the congregation. Paul wanted them to be of the same mind. Evidently they had disagreed about something, and he realized that this would hinder them in their gospel work.
We know that these ladies were worthy of help because Paul says their names “are in the book of life,” so they were spiritual workers and concerned about spiritual things. Paul begged other members in the church to help reconcile them. Then he asked them all to “Rejoice in the Lord.”
After his words to Euodias and Syntyche, Paul suggests something for them to think about in verse 8: “Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and of good report; think on these things.” That is how they will get that pure heart Jesus said we need!
Then he gave rules for living, and a message of victory over worry. That showed the congregation that there was no time for bickering, and such behavior was not how Christians are to live.
So Paul commends them for their work and reminds them that they are saved, but this dispute is hurting the work of the congregation. Their actions were not going to draw unbelievers in, and might even cause some of the believers to think of them as hypocrites and drive them away.
Paul shows that it is important to resolve conflict among believers. He put the responsibility for that not only on the two women, but also on someone else who could help them work through their differences. He called on the peacemakers because these two women had apparently forgotten about discipleship and it was hurting the church.
I know it is easy to dig in and forget what matters. Sometimes it is easier to cross my arms and insist I am right. And sometimes, maybe I am, but I have learned that to swallow pride and ask for peace and forgiveness is best, although often very difficult. That is when I try to remember that Jesus wants unity and Satan wants division, so I need to choose wisely.
Any time a church congregation has conflict, news gets out and the influence is never good. It’s bad for everyone concerned.
When we do not choose peace, some can become disillusioned with church. It kind of makes us forget the message of the Gospel, which is Love! Young people and the next generations can be damaged, especially if they see division and the conflict is not resolved.
No church is free of conflict and always will have some, I suppose, until the Lord comes for us. But that is all right, so long as we resolve it. If we are not afraid of conflict, if we choose to do the hard work of resolving it, and if we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us, the church will grow. That is how the New Testament churches resolve conflict according to Scripture.
Keeping peace is hard work! I am older now and hopefully doing better at not offending too many people. I hope so!
But back to the ladies at Philippi, we are not told if they resolved their problems. Maybe that is so we will pay attention to our own lives and try to keep them peaceful.
Whoever that peacemaker was, he or she had to intervene and do the hard work of leading to peace. That is difficult, and God has to be involved before any peacemaker goes off and tries to help. There must be lots of prayer involved, and good listening skills. Peacemakers are truly blessed people! We need them to come out and help the congregation keep the peace that Jesus prayed for. Peacemaking is a gift or talent not everyone has!
At the beginning of Ephesians 4, Paul says to “Live worthy of your calling. Be humble and gentle, patient, bear with each other in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of peace.”
Then in 2 Cor 5:18-21, he reminds us that God has given us reconciliation. As God’s ambassadors, within the church, we are called to maintain our unity. At other times, we are encouraged to help unbelievers be reconciled with Jesus.
But even after we surrender to Jesus, part of us remains selfish. If we argue, let us pray someone will come along as a peacemaker! Their influence is a strong witness for Jesus.
If we do our part to live in peace, God will bless. But, we need humility and a pure heart before we can have peace.
In Genesis 13, Abram is such a good example toward Lot for keeping the peace. Lot would not have had anything without his uncle Abram, but he seems to have forgotten that. Abram was humble, Lot was selfish. Abram shows that when we do what God wants us to do, He will take care of us! So, if we commit to that, just imagine what God could do!
Paul warns in Galatians 5:15. “If you’re always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.” Paul repeats that if we do not stop the conflicts, it will kill our congregations. We have to have conflict resolution.
If we could just love everyone in the body of Christ, we could do so much. If we come to worship with the attitude of “who can we bless?” instead of “what will I get out of it?”! If we come for the right reason — to serve, to work, to bless — and even if we are shy, we can witness with our life, no words needed! Love your enemy! No talk necessary! They will notice.
So Paul is still entreating us in Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Instead, in humility value others above yourselves.”
And to Timothy he wrote in his second letter, 2:23 “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.”
Paul had written to the Corinthians in chapter 6 that instead of filing a lawsuit, we should decide little things among ourselves, and resolve ordinary disputes in the local congregation. He asks “Isn’t there anyone wise enough to decide these issues among you? Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated? You sinned also, and gave injustice and cheated. Since we’ve been saved, we’re not to do those sins any more. Honor God!”
Remember, people may not recall what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel! Be a peacemaker! Be called a child of God!
In conclusion: Proverbs 8:13 tells us God hates pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. So this is serious!
Not often, but every now and then I hear someone say something about a church member or I might even be the one who complains about a leader or a teacher — and it is mostly just a snide remark or a personality clash. “I don’t like this” or “Why don’t they do that? ”
Remember that God hates that. It all starts with pride, so let us check ourselves every morning and ask God to help us walk worthy and keep the unity of peace.
So, when you are with someone who begins to tell you something that they heard or something they are not pleased with, remember those tv ads for special blankets that you can throw on a fire to make it go out? Well, be the blanket that puts out the fire — stop the discord right then! Do not add to it!
And, if you are a peacemaker, please, pray first, then ask God to go with you, listen to the complaints, and try to restore or reconcile. If one of the upset party has pride, it may take some time. Keep praying.
May God help us keep the blessed unity that we have in Him!
-Joyce Broyles lives in Jennings, LA