‘You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. ‘ 2 Timothy 2:1-7
The week, Associate Campus Pastor Hannah Hutchinson of Crosspoint Church in Niceville, Fl, continued in the sermon series Letters to Leaders, with the subject of “conflict.” Here are the previous posts from this sermon series:
This week we tackle the issue of conflict concerning leadership. Paul wrote to Timothy about this subject and laid out how to handle this in a godly manner.
Let’s get back to the base thoughts that we have been dealing with in this sermon series:
- Everyone who has accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior is a leader.
- Christlike leadership is influence acted upon with self-sacrificial love.
How do we lead like Christ amid conflict?
‘You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
1st point to consider is that to lead in a Christlike manner, we need to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”
In the Christian belief, grace is God’s free and unmerited favor, as manifested in the salvation of sinners by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
When we are “strong in the grace that is Christ Jesus,” we allow the Lord to show up. God doesn’t provide grace because of who we are; He gives grace because of who He is.
‘But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ‘ 1 Corinthians 1:27
‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. ‘ 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
This grace should manifest itself in the believer’s heart to those around them, marked by mercy and forgiveness.
‘ “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ‘ Matthew 6:9-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ‘
Forgiveness is imperative.
I always had this urge to be correct and thought the way I looked at something was always right. As you’d expect, I found myself in a lot of conflicts. As the Lord worked on my heart, I realized that the relationship was more important than me being right.
This is not to say that I didn’t have my view on how things should be, but the desire to go toe to toe disappeared and was replaced by a willingness to get side by side and look at the problem from their point of view instead of insisting that my way was the only way.
I found that the solutions we came up with were a win-win, and there was buy-in from all parties involved.
When we realize that the only answers that matter are those that come from the hand of God, we leave ourselves to options that both parties can be missing.
Paul used three types of people to illustrate the idea of Christian leadership:
Soldiers – Soldiers will fight and lead valiantly for their leaders, especially those who will lay down their lives for them. When we enter the fray of this battle, we enter this battle that has already been won.
‘ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”’ John 16:33
‘This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. ‘ 1 John 3:16
‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ‘ John 15:13
When we lay our lives aside to bring others to Jesus, we affect generations and generations of that persons family.
Athelete – In order for us to receive the victory, we must compete according to the rules. We must live our lives in the Spirit according to God’s Word.
Farmer – As farmer’s we need to get our hands dirty. We plant the seeds, we weed the garden, and we water the garden, and we WAIT. We wait for God to do what He does and His timing will be perfect.
In any battle, there is an enemy. Who is our enemy?
‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ‘ Ephesians 6:12
“‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood…”
What a revelation this verse was in my life. You see, there is a war going on for our souls. There is a battle between good and evil, and we’re in the middle. But our job as God’s elect is to be a witness to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and this will only make a difference if we live our lives in unity with God’s Spirit in our hearts.
There are two groups of people that we deal with in our lives: The saved and the unsaved. And there are two different ways to deal with conflict for both. Let’s take a look at each group and how we deal with conflict that arises.
Believers:
‘ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they 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 they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ‘ Matthew 18:15-17
Living this out in our lives has to be with the utmost humility. Some people like to find fault like there is a reward for it; this shouldn’t be us. We all have challenges in our walk but are called to do this together in harmony.
Unbelievers:
‘Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.’ 2 Timothy 2:23-26
Satan has done an excellent job creating chaos in our society, using precisely the same thing he said to Eve in the garden, “Did He really say that?” And this message is echoed through every form of media in this world.
As believers in Christ, we are to avoid foolish and stupid arguments. We must fight the urge to be right. There is only one concern we should have: “God will” soften their hearts to repentance. And one of the most convincing arguments to that end will be what the Lord does in our lives.
Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth.
Ultimately, this saving grace will come through God’s work; our job is to stand as a testament to a life changed by His hand, and there is no hiding that.
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word. You promise that Your Word will not return void. I pray that my life stands as a life changed by Your hands and that others will come to know You through that change.
I thank You for the work You have done in my life. I pray that You continue Your work until Jesus returns or You take me home, whichever comes first.
I thank You for those around me; I pray that Your Spirit will prompt me to act in a manner that glorifies You, especially in times of conflict.
I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ, the Name above all names, Amen!! 🙏❤️
