I’ve never owned an expensive jewel, nor really had the desire to do so. But if I did, I know that I would make every provision to safeguard it in order to protect my valuable investment. I would want it to be treated with the utmost care and consideration, including how it was handled and stored. And the reason for feeling this way should be obvious. It’s because the jewel is a treasured possession that is rare, difficult to replace, and of high value.I know a lady that wears a beautiful solitaire diamond ring nearly every day of her life...or so I thought. One day I asked her if she was ever afraid to wear the diamond in public for fear that someone might try to steal it. I was shocked when she told me that her two-carat stone she wore so frequently wasn’t a real diamond at all, but only cubic zirconia. She went on to explain that she kept the authentic diamond in a secret safe and only brought it out for very special occasions.
Of course, the practical side of me wanted to ask the question, “If the pseudo-diamond is so beautiful then why spend the money for the real thing?” Thankfully, my better judgment convinced me not to ask such a silly question, knowing that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” I won’t tell you what I was thinking after that passed through my head, but this incident proves my point. When you have something of great value it becomes your passion to protect and preserve it.
There is something of greater value than any jewel that God has given to His church. It is the unity of the body. The scriptures are replete with references to the importance of this valuable possession and even teach that the advancement of the Gospel depends on it being safeguarded. Consider just a few of these:
Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. (Ephesians 4:3)
Jesus, praying, said, ...May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. (John 17:23)
Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:14)
Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:2-3)
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace, as in all the meetings of God’s holy people. ( 1 Corinthians 14:33)
Clearly, these passages reference something more than organizational unity or some kind of forced uniformity. This is a God-ordained and Holy Spirit-produced “oneness” that sits atop the exquisite gold setting of His church, reflecting the light of His love. So valuable is this jewel that God has committed to every believer the responsibility of protecting and defending it from the mishandling of some who don’t understand or appreciate it.
Guarding church unity should in no way be construed as sacrificing truth, but rather, it is a unity that is grounded in truth. Sadly, though, much of what disrupts local congregations has nothing to do with truth at all. Too often the disunity can be traced to nothing more than the selfishness of people that have decided their own interests are more important than the interests of the whole. They force, politic, cajole, murmur, complain, and fight in an effort to make sure their wishes are honored above those of others. A man whose church had been through a split once said to me, “One side or the other was going to win the fight so I thought it might as well be mine.” He went on to declare, “Preachers come and go, but I’ll be here till I die.” Most people would never resort to such overt statements of carnality, but their actions too often match his sentiment.
What do you do with a church bully that keeps insisting on his own way and circumventing the chain of command? What do you do with the person that uses his/her tongue to continually hurt people in the effort to force his agenda? Are we supposed to protect this valuable jewel of unity by always giving in to the whims of those who refuse to practice Spirit-filled Christianity marked by kindness and love?
After more than thirty years of ministry, I have bitten my tongue on many occasions trying to avoid saying something I shouldn’t say. I’m a peacemaker at heart and love to bring resolution wherever possible, even if resolution means giving up something I like. I want to do all that I can to avoid creating, heightening, and/or continuing conflict. I believe I should do this because the good of the overall body and the glory of God is more important that forcing my agenda when I know it will only exacerbate the strife. But, there comes a time when dealing with those that have no vestige of tactfulness and/or reasonableness that you have to draw the line.
I can count on one hand the number of occasions I have taken this approach in my ministry. It inevitably meant pain for me and those around me as we were forced to weather the storm this created. But, people who are continually disrupting the unity of God’s church, circumventing the leadership, and sowing seeds of discontent can’t be allowed to operate with impunity forever.
Many times I’ve faced circumstances with fellow believers where we disagreed about a matter, but we maintained a good spirit toward each other while working to find common ground. Other times, a person’s perspective was well-reasoned, as well as wise, and I made adjustments to accommodate their concerns. Still, other times we agreed to disagree, while maintaining a love for each other and a commitment not to allow those differences to become the rallying point for division. It’s okay when people don’t agree on every issue, so long as we don’t let our disagreements become Satan’s passageway to creating partisanship and conflict.
However, there are some occasions when people neither display the Spirit of Christ, nor the best interest of the congregation and you must resist their will. It’s the time when you draw the line and refuse to give into selfish, carnal ambition.
In other words, sometimes to protect the unity of the church you have to lovingly, but forcefully, resist someone whose primary interest is himself and/or his agenda. This is usually a last resort and only employed after all prayerful and reasonable means have been utilized to rectify the conflict. But, peace at any cost isn’t unity, it’s dictatorship.
There will be times when “...to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace,” you will have to stand your ground and not give into the bullying of pseudo-spiritual antagonists. Solomon was clear when he said, “Throw out the mocker,* and fighting goes, too. Quarrels and insults will disappear.” (Proverbs 22:10)
* The attitude of conceit and disrespect for others, expressed in speech that insults or hurts.
