Guided By One Spirit

by Jon Walker

I beg you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to stop arguing among yourselves. Let there be real harmony so that there won't be splits in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10 LB)

In any argument, our objective should be to love – not win.

It’s much harder to love than it is to simply win, and the truth is, we do “win” when we let God’s love flow through us into any disagreement. Love always wins; God proves the point by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What does this mean?

· Apply mercy more than fairness (Proverbs 3:3-6) – We must abandon the idea of “fair.” God's approach is never based on what we perceive as fair. (Romans 5:8) When other believers treat us unfairly or fail to carry their load, God calls us to meet them where they are, applying mercy in the relationship.

· Let God tell you what is true (2 Corinthians 13:8) – Your feelings or thoughts do not determine truth (1 John 4:1), and the opinions of others – even a majority – do not have the final word. Truth is what God says it is; he is the lone authority for interpreting any situation. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

· God is with you in the conflict (Matthew 26:52) – The enemy wants us to think the battle is ours alone, and when we believe that, we fight like we’re separated from God. Simon Peter provides an example: His use of blustery words, swords, curses, and lies were all desperate attempts to care for himself. He battled as if he were separated from God. Like the shepherd boy and future king, David, believe the battle is the Lord's and trust the outcome to him. (1 Samuel 17:47)

· Think like Jesus (1 Corinthians 2:15-16) – We’re to not lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), because what appears to be right could very well be wrong. (Proverbs 14:12) Instead, we’re to rely on the holy logic of Christ, where the interests of others are placed above our own.

· See past others to the real source of conflict (Ephesians 6:12) – The Bible teaches that other people are not the real enemy, rather it is Satan’s “unseen spiritual forces of wickedness.” Until we fully believe this, we’ll never get to the root of the conflict, and we’re prone to keep repeating the cycle.

· Stop using ‘human’ weapons (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) – Any method we use to get our own needs met apart from God is a weapon of the flesh. These include manipulation, gossip, slander, ridicule, threats, blame, nagging, deception, and silence. They push us into an “evil for evil” cycle, and that’s like trying to fight a skunk with “stink” – everybody loses!

· Start using ‘Spirit’ weapons (Eph. 6:13-18) – Prayer: Many Christians never think to pray together when an argument breaks out, yet prayer re-centers us, reminding us who God is and who we are as his children. Prayer draws us into the eternal perspective so we're no longer locked in a temporal point of view. It's prayer that gives us God's interpretation, revealing to us his story on the conflict. (Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV)