Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ministry Encouragement Podcast #37 by Rev. Jim W. Hollis
Sponsored by: Proactive Ministries (www.proactive-ministries.org) Offices: (770) 803-9988
Jim Hollis’ Email for this Podcast: jim@ministryencouragementpodcast.com
Welcome to this episode of the Ministry Encouragement Podcast. Your sharing in this podcast is a blessing and great inspiration to the community gathered from it and to me, Jim as I share this each week. I deeply appreciate your time, your input, thoughts and prayers as we see this community of Christians move forward together in faith and joy.
Today I will be talking about the topic:
Stepping Up as God’s Agents of Reconciliation
Finding the Spiritual Courage to Speak Love Into Conflict
If you are a regular or frequent listener to this podcast, you will recall that the past two Episodes, #35 and #36, have been on the overall topic of Conflict Among Christians and Conflict in Christian Community. The volume of response from these has been strong. A number of people who are in churches we are serving as well as those we have worked with in the past have called on the phone to talk about struggles going on in their church or a friend or relative’s church. There is clear indication that a lot of pain and suffering is taking place due to an overwhelming avoidance of conflict by Pastors, Leaders and Members in those churches. While many people in the churches know that the conflict is raging, very few are willing to step up and address some of the issues or become peacemakers for the good of the congregation.
Two of the churches I have had people call about have lost more than 25 key families who just left due to the struggles present. In those churches there have been Facebook “blasts” of people involved and the sheer fallout from the anger is enormous. In a few other fellowships we have seen classic power struggles going on strong between, expressed as the old, “us and them” mindset – ending with pronouncements like, “Those of us who know best just don’t get why they don’t leave.”
The most common thread of all the communications has been, “I saw one of the hostile people in the grocery store or at a meeting in a home of a ladie’s group, heard them verbally sandblast the Pastor and I just sat there, like I was paralyzed! I was so afraid to speak up and ask them to stop the bashing. I could see the harm and divisiveness it was causing but I simply chickened out. How can I change this?”
And today I will be talking about what it takes spiritually for us to find the courage to step up and speak the love of Christ into a conflict or hurtful conversation in our midst. For this teaching I will be walking us through the following Biblical text:
Acts 9:10-19
As we examine this text and its context, we will discover:
Four Needed Elements for Us to Live as God’s Agents of Reconciliation
- A clear relationship with Christ as a Disciple
- Deep praying and prayer coverage
- A willingness to get beyond our default tendencies regarding conflict
- Calling on the faith within us to live out what we profess we believe
After hearing this Episode today, feel free to share this with others you know who may be facing conflict in their midst. We have so many pastors and church leaders who are hanging on as the “walking wounded” and “wounded healers” today! It is my prayer that this Episode will give you the courage to call on the Faith that is within you as a Christ Follower, placed there by God through the Holy Spirit – to call on that supernatural power and wisdom to become a Peacemaker for the cause of all causes.
Keep the phone calls, emails, voicemails and other correspondences coming and I will do all I can to encourage you to be bold in Christ’s love and power. Any of us can become Peacemakers and make a profound difference in someone deciding that the Christian Faith is far more about love and grace than about sin and pain.
May God bless you in your journey and I covet your continual prayers for our ministry of Proactive Ministries and for me. Also would you intentionally pray for our families as they are favorite targets of spiritual warfare as we continue to share the Gospel and spread the love of Christ – seeking to build strong Christian disciples and leaders who will consistently change lives.
Blessings on each of you,
Jim
{ 0 comments… add one now }