glenwolf communication, discipline, encouragement, leadership, marriage, unity

Team Work: Church Unity

Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

2 Timothy 2:23-26 NLT

I appeal to you, brothers and sisters,[a] in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.

1 Corinthians 1:10 NIV

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1 NIV

Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Ecclesiastes 10:20 NIV

The bible gives imagery that the church is like a family, army, and team. None of these function without unity. Unity in the church is something worth striving for because it is something the Devil is fighting against.

Satan is wanting to steal, kill, and destroy the work of God in our local church. The number one way this will happen is through division.  

Below are major areas in which the church must be unified and the ways churches nowadays are divided.

5 major areas in which we must be unified as a church body:

1.  Theological Unity

This means that the leaders and members of the church come in agreement on non-negotiable doctrine. When it comes to minor issues, we can agree to disagree. Lets never major on the minors and minor on the majors. We must always keep the main thing the main thing.

2.  Relational Unity

We must have relational unity where people and leaders in the church love one another and demonstrate it by being cordial, respectful, friendly, and kind in their interpersonal interactions. Especially in areas where they differ.

3.  Philosophical Unity

Our philosophy on how the church should function according to the word of God must be the same. If one believes everyone should wear robes and the other thinks that their should always be an electric guitar, we have problems. While small things might be on opinion, the church must have common agreement on larger things such as: baptism, communion, evangelism, and discipleship. 

4.  Missional Unity

We must be in agreement to the mission God has called our local church body to fulfill.

5.  Organizational Unity

There must be organizational unity on how things are done in the church. This is accomplished by job descriptions, clear vision, assessments, and policies being made.

7 ways churches are divided:

1. Heretics divide churches.

A heretic is a person holding an opinion at odds with what is generally accepted. There are real heretics in our churches. Remember there was a Judas with Jesus. We as a believers will always have people who do not agree with our faith and or practices. The problem is we have people in the church who fight every word or accusation against them and end up getting themselves into sin. On the other side, we have people who won’t fight at all. We must find a balance and listen to the direction and wisdom of the Holy Spirit on when to fight and when to let go.

2.  Pride divides churches.

Pride is an ugly sin that we are all guilty of to varying degrees. Proud people act like leaders whether they are or not. They think God prefers to communicate to His people through them. Proud people only think about themselves and their family choosing not to be a part of the greater community of believers if it does not immediately benefit them. They love to tell others what to do, but when confronted for their own sin and pride, they welcome correction as warmly as a cat does water.

Proud people use emotion and manipulation to keep the attention away from their own sin, and on that of others. Pride invariably leads to division. The only way that a church can get on and stay on Jesus’ mission is to practice Jesus’ humility.

3. Legalism Divides churches.

Legalists, in simple terms, act like God by making rules. Legalists love to make rules about the rules. Legalists love to interpret how the rules are interpreted. When it comes to grace and truth, they will always err on the side of truth. Life is sucked out of churches run by legalists.

4. Traditionalism Divides churches.

Jesus had some pretty mean things to say to those who loved their man-made traditions. I define tradition as anything done in a church three times in a row. Traditionalists will fall in love with a wall color, a program, or a pastor, and have fallen out of love with Jesus. We must always allow Jesus to be Lord over our traditions.

5. Mission-Loss divides churches.

Churches that are not actively involved in the Missio Dei, will always become weird because we were never designed to exist away from the great commission. People that are working in the field do not care about the color of the barn. In other words, people that are not missional will find themselves having issues with things that are not important. Those issues can turn into division.

We must strive to be team players and fight against division at all costs. We are not ignorant of the devils attacks. We must humbly see the divisiveness in ourselves and be willing to turn away from those traps.

Questions to Ponder:

  1. What characteristics in you did you find in this session?
  2. Have you seen churches split before? Have you seen teams divided? What happened? What was the cause?
glenwolf marriage

4 Reasons Why You Should Keep Fighting For Your Marriage!

Do you want to give up on your marriage? Are you constantly fighting? This blog is for you! I want to encourage you to stop FIGHTING IN your marriage and start FIGHTING FOR your marriage (I wrote a blog about it!). Below are four reasons why you should keep fighting for your marriage.

4 Reasons why you should FIGHT FOR your marriage: 

Reason #1: Because you made a VOW to God and each other!

You gave your word that you were committed to your spouse until you die! Be a person of your word! Honor your commitment! But, what if your spouse didn’t honor his or her commitment? The bible gives only a couple of circumstances where divorce is an option (Marital unfaithfulness). This blog isn’t a blog to help you figure out that decision or get into the theology of it.

If you have biblical reason for divorce, please know that it still isn’t God’s design and it is always more painful than you think. If you don’t have a biblical reason for divorce, then it isn’t an option! Jesus gets to the heart of the matter in Mark 10:2-9. It says, “Some Pharisees came and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” “What did Moses command you?” he replied. They said, “Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send her away.” “It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,” Jesus replied.  “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’  ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,  and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

Reason #2: Because Marriage is SYMBOLIC of our relationship with God

Ephesians 5:21-25 (NIV)

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her

Who is the bride of Christ? We are! Who is our groom? Jesus! I don’t know about you, but I am grateful that Jesus (my groom) has not given up on me (the bride) even when I have, at times, turned my back on Him. He has and always will be fighting for my relationship with Him. Here is where your fight is powerful. When you stay together with your husband or wife and fight for your marriage, You are showing the world what Christ does for us and what we are to do for Him. In other words, your marriage is a symbol to the world of our relationship with Him! Keep fighting!

Reason #3: Because your kids are watching!

Divorce doesn’t just affect you, it affects your kids. Heck! It affects my kids. Our kids are watching. They are learning. They want to be like you. They want to do what you do. Your marriage has the potential to create legacy and stability for them. What do you want your story to be written about? What do you want your kids to say about your approach to your marriage and to your family? I pray my kids would say that I fought for my marriage and I fought for them. I pray the same for you.

Reason #4: Because your spouse is worth it.

One day, a man will ask me for my daughter’s hand in marriage (when she is 40!). That man better treat my daughter like the princess she is to me. I feel the same way about my son. His wife better treat him right. Guys, I want to remind you that your wife is someone’s daughter. Ladies, I want to remind you that your husband is someone’s son. Now get this! Galatians 3:26 says, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.” In other words, your spouse is a child of the King. Your spouse is someone that Christ gave his life for! 

If your spouse is worth Christ’s sacrifice then he or she is worth your commitment. Keep fighting!

Are there any reasons why you have kept fighting for your marriage that are not listed above? I would love to hear your feedback!

 

glenwolf marriage

ONE Challenge That Can Change A Sinking Marriage

Are you married? Are you engaged? Let me ask you a few questions. On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your marriage relationship? What would your spouse say? Are you guys on fire for each other? If so, that’s awesome! This blog isn’t for you.

This blog is for the couple that feels exhausted, cold, and alone. Maybe life through you a curve ball. For example, you had a baby, lost a job, have a medical condition, or feel yourselves going in two different directions. You never envisioned you would be where you are, but the truth is you are. This leads to constant tension, unclear communication, and lots and lots of fights. The question becomes, “What do I do?”

Here is my challenge to you: Don’t Fight IN Your Marriage. Fight FOR Your Marriage.”

In my next blog, I will share 4 reasons why this is so important, but today, I want you to think through what the above statement means to you and how you can apply it to your life. So Let me ask you, “How would your marriage be different if you stopped Fighting IN it and started fighting FOR it?

How do you practically do this? It’s simple! Next time you feel your self fighting IN your marriage. Stop, Cool down, and ask yourself, “How can I take this moment and Fight FOR my marriage instead of IN my marriage?”

I suggest you read this blog (I made it short on purpose) with your spouse and make a decision together to put this challenge into practice. What do you have to lose? If your spouse wont do it, then do it anyway! Show him or her through your actions that you are fighting FOR your marriage and not just IN it. This one thought will lead to many other healthy conversations that can relieve tension, get you communicating again, and reduce your fights.