Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 21

Protecting
Your Church
Section 21
(pages 160-167)

Saturday 16 October 2010

Eph 4:3 Make every effort
to keep the unity of the
Spirit through the bond
of peace.

Col 3:14 And over all
these virtues put on love,
which binds them all
together in perfect unity.


It is your job to
protect the unity of
your church


NT gives more attention to
unity than to heaven or
hell.
Unity is the essence of how
God intends us to
experience life together in
the church.
Modeled by the Trinity –
exemplifying sacrificial love,
humble other-centredness
and perfect harmony.


Jesus in the final moments
before his arrest prayed for Make every
unity in the church (Jn effort to
17:20–23).
keep the
God paid the highest price
for his church – Jesus – it is
unity of the
very valuable to him, and Spirit
he wants it protected. through the
Jesus calls us all to work bond of
hard for unity.
peace.
How should we do this?


Focus on what we have in common, not our
differences

Rom 14:19 Let us therefore make every effort to do
what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Believers share; one Lord, one body, one purpose,
one Father, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one
baptism, one love, the same salvation, life and future -
things which are more important than any differences
we might mention.


Conflict usually signals that
God the focus personalities, backgrounds,
give us different has changed to
traits, races, preferences etc. - which are to be valued
less important things –such
and enjoyed - unity is desired by God not
uniformity.
as what, what causes
We must focus on what matters most - learning to love
churches to argue
one another as christ has loved us, and fulfilling his
purpose for the church.
most often?

Warren lists personalities, preferences, interpretations,
styles, methods - when we focus on these then
division appears.
1 Cor 1:10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one
another so that there may be no divisions among you
and that you may be perfectly united in mind and
thought.


Be realistic in your expectations

There is a serious gap between
what God intends for fellowship
and what really happens! Do not
get disillusioned.
Longing for the ideal yet criticising
the real = immaturity
Settling for the real without aiming
for the ideal = complacency
Maturity lives with the tension

Other believers will let you
down - get over it.
We can understand things that
disillusion us - conflict, hurt,
hypocrisy, neglect, legalism
etc. - but the church is made
up of sinners, who do hurt one
another (deliberately or
otherwise).
Take time and work problems
out properly.


Forget looking for a perfect
church - admit your, and others
imperfections - then work
towards accepting and
expressing grace in
community.
Warren suggests a church
sign, “no perfect people need
apply. This is a place for those
who admit they are sinners,
need grace, and want to grow”


Choose to encourage rather than to
criticise

It is easy to criticise people
who are trying rather than
to make a contribution
yourself. Consider the
following verses,


Rom 14:13 ...let us stop passing judgment on one
another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any
stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way.
James 4:11 Brothers, do not slander one another.
Ephesians 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk
come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for
building others up according to their needs, that it may
benefit those who listen
And finally, Rom 14:4 Who are you to judge someone
else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls.


Rom 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother?
Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will
all stand before God's judgment seat.
4 Things happen when you criticise a fellow believer;
1. I lose fellowship with God
2. I expose my own pride and insecurity
3. I set myself up to be judged by God
4. I harm the fellowship of the church


The devil is called “the
accuser of the
brothers”, why do his
job for him?
Romans 14:19 Let us
therefore make every
effort to do what leads
to peace and to mutual
edification.


Refuse to listen to gossip
Do not listen to gossip if you want to protect your
church - it is like accepting stolen property, you then
become guilty of a crime too.
What might you say if someone wants to tell you some
gossip?


Stop!
I don’t need to hear this
This doesn’t concern me
Have you talked directly to that person?
Prov 17:4 A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar
pays attention to a malicious tongue.
Gal 5:15 If you keep on biting and devouring each
other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each
other.


Without wood a fire goes
out; without gossip a
quarrel dies down.
Prov 26:20


Practice God’s method for conflict
resolution
See the Principles mentioned in section 20
Matt 18:15-17 -"If your brother sins against you,go and
show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he
listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if
he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that
'every matter may be established by the testimony of
two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them,
tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to
the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax
collector.

Support your pastor and your leaders

Leaders are not perfect - but
God has given them authority -
and dealing with conflicts
involves massive pressure,
including trying to make
everyone happy.
Remember Hebrews 13:17


Heb 13:17 Obey your
leaders and submit to their
authority. They keep watch
over you as men who must
give an account. Obey
them so that their work will
be a joy, not a burden, for
that would be of no
advantage to you.
We honour church by
respecting leaders


Warren suggests pastors should deal with
divisive people in church by;
•Avoid arguing
•Gently teach them whilst praying they will change
•Warn argumentative people
•Plead for harmony and unity
•Rebuke people who are disrespectful of leaders
•Remove divisive people from church if they ignore
two warnings


Do you put 100% effort into
protecting your church unity?
Do you do what is best for
the body?
Do you think of ‘we’ not ‘I’
What do you do to make the
fellowship more warm and
loving?
1 Cor 10:24 Nobody should
seek his own good, but the
good of others.

Point to Ponder:
It is my responsibility to protect the unity of
my church


Verse to remember:
Let us therefore make every effort to do
what leads to peace and to mutual
edification.
Rom 14:19


Question to consider:
What am I personally doing right now to
protect unity I my church family?


Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 21

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