September 22, 2024
Greetings and blessings to all of you. We live in challenging times. All around us is chaos, confusion and conflict in every level of society. So how should Christians be responding? There are times when we will look at a situation and wonder why God hasn’t acted sooner. Yet His timing and reasons are always perfect. We are in a time where right is wrong and wrong is right and where definition of words are being changed to fit the narrative. Conflicts are a part of living in this world. How we respond matters. While arguing with people we can say harsh- unfair words. The conflict often creates turmoil, division, and emotional pain. At this point we can choose to express our differences or remain silent. The question is.. how can we engage in conflict and at the same time respect what God values? Many churches believe that the Christian thing to do is to stay silent so as not to offend a sister or brother. But did you know that God has the power to work our conflicts into something beneficial? And did you also know that God always remains by our side; understanding what we are experiencing emotionally and psychologically and He will walk us through it as we pray about it. Learning how to speak to one another “in love” is part of being discipled. Since God’s Word is sovereign; meaning He is over government, mankind and everything, we will enter into conflicts/disagreements hopefully without fear, or resentments or being belligerent. It is very important that the people of God understand that the Body of Christ learn to speak honestly with each other. Many Christians are so afraid of conflict that they avoid honesty. Many value peace more than they value the discipline in learning to communicate with one another. We have to learn how to express honesty in a way that builds up rather than tear down. Each person brings to the church their experiences and gifts. We are called to display these in honest conversations. The church is in the era of social change such as inflation, political strife, apostasy in God’s house, marriage, gender and sexuality, freedom of speech, etc. which are all being debated fiercely in our educational institutions therefore it is crucial to choose between productive conflict that builds up and destructive conflict that tears down. We don’t have to make the choice but watch our churches disintegrate or we could fix what is broken with God’s help and learn to speak to one another in honesty and love?
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC