6 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Judges 9-10
Luke 12:1-21

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

Luke 12:1-2 (CSB): “Meanwhile, a crowd of many thousands came together, so that they were trampling on one another. He began to say to his disciples first, ‘Be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing covered that won’t be uncovered, nothing hidden that won’t be made known.'”

Reflecting on God’s Word

When you are reading God’s Word, remember that the chapter and verse designations are artificial. They were not put there by God’s Holy Spirit or the original writers. Instead, they were added around A.D. 1200 – 1550 (click here for an article from GotQuestions).

So, when we observe that a chapter begins with the word “meanwhile,” like Luke 12:1 does, we need to realize that the connecting word points to the previous chapter’s events. That being the case, the massive crowd was gathering as Jesus and the pseudo-religious leaders were having a heated discussion. Jesus was calling them out, calling a spade a spade, while they were furiously trying to oppose Him and “trap him in something he said” (Luke 11:54).

Simply stated, a public verbal altercation was occurring, and people were coming to watch it happen.

I’ve seen this sort of thing happen over and over again. One incident that stands out in my mind was when a gentleman in a church I pastored wanted to start another church in the community. I, personally, was convinced that the community was already saturated with churches, many of which were formed because of churches getting into spats and splitting over it. I believed we needed a new church like we needed a hole in the head.

But my family had been going through some serious problems that year. My wife had been diagnosed with cancer and then later with a precancerous mass. She had undergone some major surgeries in the previous 6 months. My three sons were afraid of what might happen to their mom while they also had an incredibly difficult time integrating into the new school system and trying to make new friends. And there were other issues I was dealing with as well. I was emotionally taxed and felt like I couldn’t take anything else, and didn’t want to add any more stress to my family at that time.

Yet, the guy insisted that he wanted the church I was pastoring (and of which he was a member) to vote on whether or not to financially support his desire to plant another church in the community.

I made a stupid decision. I should have made a simple proposal to the church and then let them vote on it. I shouldn’t have allowed for more than a few minutes for the guy to sell his “vision” to the church. But, instead, I naively (and stupidly) threw caution to the wind and scheduled a Sunday evening where I would turn the pulpit over to the prospective church planter with a Q&A to follow.

I should have never done that. I should have known that the guy and his plan would be unpopular with many in attendance. Besides, I was told by a beloved church member that the church had not had many “unified” votes in the past several years. This thing had the potential to blow sky-high.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw people coming out of the woodwork for that Sunday evening service. We basically had a Sunday morning attendance. And I was convinced that many of those people (who NEVER came on Sunday nights) had shown up to watch a church “fight” (like the thousands of people in Luke 12:1). The only thing we were lacking was the popcorn.

I believe the Lord gave me the words to say as I stepped up to the pulpit at the beginning of the service and looked out at them. I said: “Church, so many of you have told us that you have been impressed with how my wife and I have handled ourselves and trusted in the Lord as our world was turned upside down this past year. Tonight, I get to see how you behave when things get testy.” One of the church members in attendance told me afterward that those words threw water on a spark that would have erupted into a massive fire at any moment. Instead, we had a tame informational meeting … and eventually voted not to partner with the church planter.

Friend, if you are in a leadership position (at work, church, community, etc.), there will be times when the crowds will come to watch a “fight.” Something will be said or done that others will believe will erupt into a scuffle of some sort, and they will want to see it. And they will want to show up to watch. They did it to Jesus in Luke 12:1, and they will do it to you.

One response that you MUST NOT show is fear. Fear is like blood in the water to a shark. If people see fear in your eyes, you will lose your ability to lead, and the organization may suffer because of it.

When we look at Jesus, we observe that the crowds didn’t faze Him. He wasn’t afraid. He continued to stand for truth. He continued to do what He was doing. Eventually, the crowds separated while Jesus and His cause maintained their viability and integrity.

There is much we can learn from Jesus!

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you (humbly yet resolutely) stand for what is right even when it is unpopular.
  • Ask God to help you cultivate strength and courage (Joshua 1:6-9) when you are struggling with weakness and fear.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into a biblical way to navigate church conflict, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“How should conflict in the church be handled?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of First Baptist Church in Polk City, Florida (fbcpolkcity.com)