Posts Tagged ‘strife’
Before the Divorce
by Terry Wane Benton In all divorce cases, there is a long period in which peace, love, and communication slowly deteriorate, and each side becomes critical and hardened against the other side. There is a period in which hurt feelings build up into bitterness. Now, nothing the other side does is ever right. Much goes…
Read MoreThings the Lord Hates: Sowing Discord Among the Brethren
by Terry Wane Benton Text: Proverbs 6:19 Sowing discord is not making an effort to get brethren to unite in doing the truth. Ahab called Elijah a “troubler in Israel.” Elijah was not sowing discord; he was trying to correct the discord that idolatry had already caused. Along that line, I remember years ago trying…
Read MoreIf I don’t make peace with someone, will this be judged on Judgment Day?
Question: The passage that I’m concerned about is Matthew 5:25-26. Is this saying that if I don’t make peace with someone I have hurt, the situation will be judged in court on judgment day? I am trying my best to clarify what this passage means for me. I know we are all saved by grace,…
Read MoreHow do we resolve a conflict between two brethren?
Question: Greetings sir. I trust you have been doing well. I have a matter that needs your advice on dealing with conflict resolution. I have these two brethren who had a misunderstanding over a report on the church building project. They belong to the team overseeing the project. One is the leader, and the other…
Read MoreThe Direction of Your Life
The Direction of Your Life – Part 1The Direction of Your Life by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 6:19-24 I. Whenever I taught someone to drive, I was reminded that people have a tendency to go in the direction they are looking. A. When a person first learns to drive, they tend to look at things…
Read MoreObservations on Worldliness
by George Bosworth We cannot grow spiritually when we cling to worldliness. Nothing new in that statement! But consider I Corinthians 3:3-4: “For since there is envy and strife among you, are you not worldly and behaving like mere humans? For whenever one says “I belong to Paul”, and another says “I belong to Apollos”,…
Read MoreResponding to Other’s Comments
by Doy Moyer Among the works of the flesh are strife, outbursts of anger, dissensions, and divisions (Galatians 5:20). There seems to be a great deal of this in the world, and that should not surprise us. But there also seems to be much of this among those claiming to follow Christ. I’d like to…
Read MoreThe Root Cause of Violence
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton “For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do…
Read MoreMethods of Divisive Teachers
by Doy Moyer Deceit is nothing new. Those who subversively gain followings, start new movements, and cause divisions are masters at it. Scripture warns us of this problem, so we should consider some common elements in the methods of divisive teachers. Every element listed may not be in every divisive teacher, but these are characteristics…
Read MoreAre We Looking for Questions or Answers?
by Doy Moyer There is a difference between the one who is constantly seeking questions and the one who is seeking answers. The following is not intended to be a list of hard rules with no exceptions. Rather, these are observations I have found to be fairly typical in my own experiences: The question-seeker is…
Read MoreProverbs Sometime Overlooked
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Proverbs-Sometime-Overlooked.mp3 by Raymond Warfel
Read MorePeople Are Just Like Me
by Doy Moyer People often assume that others will act, react, and operate on the same basis that they do. If some are liars, they will assume the same of everyone else. If they operate “in the shadows,” they will assume the same of others. If they are the envious type, they will assume that…
Read MoreWhy Do Wars Exist?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Why-Do-Wars-Exist.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 59:1-18 I. In my youth, the Vietnam War was being fought. It was an unpopular war that generated a lot of protest songs. A. One song called “War” by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong exclaimed, “War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!” B. So can wars and acts of…
Read MoreDealing with Diotrephes
by Jefferson David Tant If you have read III John, you are aware that the author, very likely the apostle John, mentioned a troublemaker in the church. “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I…
Read MorePutting on the Lord Jesus Christ
by Matthew W. Bassford As you work your way through Romans, hopefully, the extraordinary quality of the epistle becomes obvious. The Book of Romans has changed the course of human history, and with good reason. The substance of Paul’s argument is astonishing in its scope, and the skill with which he argues is no less…
Read MoreOld Tricks From Satan’s Playbook
by Austin Hausner “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already in the ages before us” (Ecclesiastes 1:10). Solomon reminds us that there is nothing new. This is important to remember because many things that people say are new are actually the same old tricks repackaged…
Read MoreEating Our Own Flesh
by Rodger Trimm “Now, as to the attack the zealots made upon the people, and which I esteem the beginning of the city’s destruction, it hath been already explained after an accurate manner; as also whence it arose, and to how great a mischief it was increased; but for the present sedition, one should not mistake if he called it a sedition begotten by another sedition,…
Read MoreDealing with Hatred
Dealing with HatredDealing with Hatred (Part 2) by Raymond Warfel
Read MoreWhat can be done about a family that constantly fights with each other?
Question: Hello, my brothers and sisters, How should family disputes or arguments be dealt with when the family members are Christians? A certain family at my congregation have arguments about how they talk to each other, not being patient with one another, hurting each other’s feelings, yelling, etc. I know this because one of the…
Read MoreExpressing an Opinion
by Doy Moyer Image by Tumisu from Pixabay Being able to recognize one’s own opinion and the effect that the stated opinion might have is important for discernment and growth in Christ. Many times I have failed and wish I could pull back on how I’ve stated some opinions. In an environment of strife, here…
Read MoreHe Who Sows Discord Among Brethren
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/HeWhoSowsDiscordAmongBrethren.mp3 Text: Proverbs 6:16-19 I. Some people are not satisfied with the way things are. A. They want people to change, but they go about it the wrong way. B. They are missing any love for their brethren II. Gossiping and Talebearing A. Talking about other people. B. People who engage in it have too much time on their hands…
Read MoreSowers of Strife
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SowersOfStrife.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Romans 16:17-20 I. The contentious hearings leading up to the appointment of Justice Kavanaugh has generated a lot of discussion on ethics and morality A. I was reading an article by Paul Prather, published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on October 11, 2018 1. His expressed concern was not that people disagreed,…
Read MoreSpiritual Wisdom and the Internet
by Matthew W. Bassford The Internet is one of the most powerful inventions in human history. If we use it to seek the Lord, it can accomplish great things for Him. Without the Internet, I certainly wouldn’t be able to blog, and I probably wouldn’t be able to write hymns. This is to say nothing,…
Read MoreHow do I get my wife to stop nagging?
Question: Hello, What does the Bible say about a nagging wife? She brings up legitimate concerns from time to time. We currently are having financial problems because we are having to pay for an upcoming childbirth, and we have had a lot of unexpected expenses come up this year. But she goes overboard with it…
Read MoreBeware: Diotrephes at Work
by Edward O. Bragwell, Sr. via Guardian of Truth – August 20, 1992 In August of 1956, I heard the late brother Gardner Hall preach on “The Baptism of Diotrephes.” I recall very little of the sermon beyond the announcement of the title and brother Hall’s unique way of introducing it. It went something like…
Read MoreMy parents don’t get along. How do I fix the situation?
Question: Hi, I feel so sad right now. I’m a 23-year-old female. I have my parents who never got along well. They’ve been having problems since I was young. They would always complain and talk badly about each other to my siblings and me. They would blame each other for everything. One brother never got…
Read MoreWhen We Disagree
by Doy Moyer Be generous. Assume the best first. Don’t assign evil motives to other parties. They may have intended something else. Let the principles of love guide our discussions (I Cor 13:4-8). Be respectful. Don’t begin a response by insulting and insinuating that the other parties are intellectually deficient. Just address the issue without resorting to…
Read MoreShould a divisive non-member be told not to come to worship?
Question: I am a member of a church where there is a split of our church family. This revolves around a man (who is not a member) who has attended this church as a visitor for many years. He stirs up discord within the church habitually. There was a recent incident of this, and the pastor of…
Read MoreWhat do you do about a couple who disrupts the services of the church?
Question: What do you do with a brother who walks disorderly and who threatens others and his wife disrupts every service? If this couple is allowed to stay everyone else will leave as some have already. Can you offer any suggestions? We are to the point where we are planning on calling the police to…
Read MoreShall the Sword Devour Forever?
by Victor M. Eskew David was now the official king of Israel. However, Abner, the captain of Saul’s forces, was not in submission to David. He assisted in the establishment of Saul’s son Ishbosheth as king over all but the house of Judah. “But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, took Ishbosheth…
Read MoreWhen There Are Problems in the Church
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I. One way to learn how to handle various situations that arise in any congregation is to examine similar situations A. Our problem will not be exactly similar, but what was done, how it was done and why it was done can be greatly useful. B. Sometimes we think that the perfect church will…
Read MoreFrom Whence Comes Quarrels?
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Reading: James 4:1-12 I. You all have heard it before, two brothers have a disagreement and soon one accuses the other of being contentious. A. At times, it may be true, but I suspect most don’t understand the charge they are making. B. There have been times when I think it was the…
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