by Pastor Patrick Cho
This past Sunday, I announced that theme for 2011 at Lighthouse would be “Bound as One.” This theme will focus on the instruction given in Scripture for believers to live consistently with the unity that has been established through the gospel. One particular point of application will be in the practice of the Peacemaker pledge. This pledge is derived from Ken Sande’s book, The Peacemaker, which is a very helpful resource dealing with conflict resolution. In Sunday’s sermon, I listed six reasons why I believe this theme is necessary.
- The theme would remind us that our unity matters to God.
- It would show how God can work all things together for good (Rom. 8:28).
- It will help us live consistently with the unity that God has established in the church.
- It will remind us that unity is something that has to be worked for and is not easy.
- It will challenge us to not simply side with people in conflicts, but to help those involved to consider responding to the conflict in a God-honoring manner.
- It will remind us that no one is above this, and all members of LBC have made a promise to being Peacemakers.
Certainly, God is not pleased with our conflicts. They are sinful and a clear manifestation of our jealousy, selfishness, and pride. God is the one who establishes unity through His truth. Our sin is what causes divisions. This is why our conflicts are things that need to be repented of, and why reconciliation needs to be our goal. God is not pleased when believers are not reconciled.
But still, as sinful as our conflicts are, they present an opportunity for obedience and worship. While our conflicts are sin, the way we respond to them can be honoring to God. There are a number of ways this is true, but I will highlight a few.
First, through our conflicts, we can see God’s character and will. For instance, we can see God’s sovereignty. We can recognize that He has placed us in these circumstances to help us to grow and to give us an opportunity to respond rightly. We can also see how He always has the best in mind for us because of His goodness. We can see how He always stands for truth and will not tolerate lies. Our conflicts can remind us of His holiness.
Second, we can see through our conflicts how far we fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We are selfish, arrogant, and envious. God is good, just, and true. We want to control our circumstances because we want to get our way. God is sovereign and will not relinquish His control because of our sinful desires. God desires our good and growth, but we seek harm for others and want to get even. God wants us to respond to our conflicts in a way that would honor Him, and yet so often we add fuel to the conflict by piling sin upon sin.
Third, we can recognize our dependence upon God to respond to our conflicts in a God-honoring way. Jesus told His disciples that apart from Him they could accomplish nothing (John 15:5). So it is with us. Understanding how difficult conflict resolution is and how hard it is to live at peace and in unity with one another, we need to seek God’s help to give us the wisdom, strength, courage, and determination to do it. By relying on Him and confessing our dependence, He then gets the glory when broken relationships are mended.
These and many other ways are examples of how our conflicts can be turned into opportunities for worship. God really can take even some of the ugliest situations and use them for our benefit and His glory. As we focus on the theme “Bound as One” this year, let us strive to push each other to focus not on ourselves, our circumstances, or those who have harmed us. But instead, let us remind one another that our chief end is to glorify God in all things, including our response to conflict.