Remember the real enemy – it may not be who you think

Posted on June 8, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre 2 Comments

There is no perfect church. Every church is populated with people who struggle with pride and selfishness just like you and I do. Every church has leaders who struggle with pride and selfishness. As a result, conflict is inevitable. It’s going to happen. In James 4:1-3 we see that such conflict was an issue in the First Century church.

When conflict happens, we should keep in mind who the real enemy is. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that our real enemy is the devil who prowls around looking for those he can devour. Unfortunately we, as church members, sometimes aid him in his devouring. We, knowingly or unknowingly, participate in behavior that creates conflict.

It is important to keep in mind that the church member or church leader who creates the conflict is not the enemy. The real enemy is far more nefarious (this word just sounds creepy) and subtle. The real enemy wants you to think that your brother or sister in Christ is the enemy so that he can continue his work of destruction undetected.

If we keep in mind the real enemy, it should make it easier to forgive the one with whom we’ve had the conflict and work toward reconciliation. Even if the conflict cannot be reconciled, forgiveness takes the conflict off your plate and frees you up to move forward without being bogged down.

Keep the ultimate source of the conflict in mind, deal with your part of it before the Cross, forgive and move forward. The concept is easy to understand, but is so difficult to do.

About Mark McIntyre

A follower of Jesus Christ who shares observations about how Scripture should impact the church and the world. Mark is the original author and editor of Attempts at Honesty.

Self inflicted wounds

When those outside the church criticize our lack of love and hypocrisy, we respond as if we are being persecuted. But much of the perceived “persecution” is self-inflicted. We are rightly condemned by the culture around us when we fail to represent Jesus well.

WWJD?

I haven’t seen one in a while, but bracelets with the letters WWJD had some popularity at one time. The acronym stands for “what would Jesus do?” and was a reminder to follow Jesus in responding to a particular situation or question. I think that this is a worthy question to ask in any situation.

My problem is not with the theory behind the question, it is with the implementation. The problem lies in really understanding what Jesus would do.

Who is the Redeemer of God’s Elect?

In the last few months, I have been reading about the first Ecumenical Councils of the church in the 4th and 5th Centuries. It was at these councils that the nature of Jesus was clearly defined for all of Christendom. Many of the misunderstandings about Jesus that survive today were addressed by these councils.

Choose To Be A Servant: Example of Nebuchadnezzar

Nebuchadnezzar had been an eyewitness to several miracles, yet he remained proud and self-reliant. In this section of Daniel 4 we see that God reduced him from his throne to eating grass in the field like a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar was taken from being arguably the most powerful man in the world to a homeless madman.

Quantity versus Quality

My guess is that most Christians would agree that reading Scripture is a good thing. The fact that the Bible is a perennial best seller lends credence to this.

But what is the best way to read it? Should I keep to a reading schedule or take a little bit at a time. Do I want to focus on the quantity or the quality of my reading?

Remember the real enemy – it may not be who you think

Categories

Archives