-

How to Do Conflict Like Jesus

Last week (January 2021) I posted on Facebook about Trump and the government. There were over 100 comments, most of them conflict. A Christian friend asked me to delete it because of the meanness, so I did. There was one particular person who was mean and insulting to people she did not even know.

I have respect for people who are not afraid to calmly get into conflict especially face to face and who stay respectful. I also have more respect for those willing to do conflict than those who never-ever do conflict except for secret gossip and back biting. And I especially respect those who can admit when they are wrong during conflict and continue to pursue truth.

Patrick Lencioni an executive coach teaches about conflict and how important healthy conflict is to any organization.

Patrick Lencioni has great insight on conflict. Click here to hear him teach on conflict —> https://youtu.be/9VZERZyY198

This week I felt like perhaps I’ve been divisive on social media. I asked 5 people who know me well their opinions about this. The consensus was not intentionally but some people do perceive me to be divisive.

I have to interpret that as “yes you are divisive on social media”, because almost no one knows motives on social media. if the net result is divisiveness then the answer is yes.

I can say that within the past two years people have crossed a line into cruel divisiveness on my posts. Which one could argue I am somewhat responsible for.

I’m not sure how to fix this, other than just not posting on serious or controversial things and only share them here on my blog.

I think there are extremes around conflict with Jesus himself being our gold standard example.

Extremes of Conflict

1) Conflict as a Weapon (accusers, divisive, cruel): This extreme is the divisive person, using emotion, biting and devouring of people to create and perpetuate conflict and division where there was not division before. (Politicians can be great at this)

2) Never Do Conflict (artificial harmony): Another extreme is to refuse to engage in any conflict, fearing all conflict as bad. I know many people like this, they openly proclaim they are like this. Negative things are talked about but only come out as gossip to a tight circle. Relationships are kept shallow, surface level and cannot deepen because of a fear and avoidance of any conflict. Also things stay shallow because trust levels stay low due to gossip.

Most churches I’ve experienced stay in this artificial harmony zone and over time it feels fake to those being honest. Leaders fear conflict getting out of hand because they are not trained in dealing with it, and really don’t care to be. And often leaders are more interested in control than in pursuit of truth. So unfortunately they squash dissent, or disagreement, or open discussion and thereby needlessly drive away many people.

3) Healthy Conflict (Jesus Christ): willing to engage in conflict confidentially. Conflict is always done in context of the pursuit of truth. Never gets cruel or bullies weaker people. Is patient and kind, willing to forgive, confess, or apologize if necessary. Is not fearful of those who come at him, also willing to go toe to toe with false accusers. Doesn’t hold grudges and punish conflict or drive people away when it happens.

I strive for the third example myself, but I have to admit I’ve dabbled in both 1 and 2 unfortunately. The older I get the more comfortable I am with conflict and appreciate its power in building relationships, establishing trust and coming to truth within groups. Conflict is a skill we can obtain.

What do you think about conflict?

Comments 0
-

John Adams’ Truth Bomb

I hate writing this, but I’ve come to conclude that our great constitution and founding documents are fundamentally flawed. They are fundamentally weak and incapable of dealing with our present crises.

The US GOVT as designed, is exclusively for moral and honest people. People who can tolerate not getting their way. People who do not conspire against people they disagree with. People who will not carry out elaborate voting crimes to win swing states. People who will not abuse one another with the weapons of government when they get control of that government. People who will not riot and loot and murder when they feel slighted.

In a sentence: Our constitutional government cannot work for people who are hostile to Jesus Christ.

Compared to the ecclesia, the US federal government is a delusional, weak, and inadequate form of government.

There is no substitute for the ecclesia. There is no version of the ecclesia that is tolerable or agreeable to blind and darkened Satan-followers.

Only governments of cruel and violent dictatorships will suffice for a people who reject the daily kingship of Jesus Christ.

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” – John Adams

“Wholly inadequate” perfectly put, John Adams was so very right.

So what is the remedy for this? If Americans are immoral and godless. what will happen?

The answer to that question is difficult to hear and accept. It is the same answer given to Israel. There is just no replacement for God in a nation and in individual lives, there is no replacement or back up plan for the ecclesia. It’s Him or its….well…its like every one else on earth and that’s not a good thing. We have the principalities and powers and wicked spirits in high places as mentioned in Ephesians 1. Former generations all over the world called these the gods. But they are just evil spirits who control humanity through violence and human government. Don’t believe in them? that’s fine, they are there anyhow believe it or not.

But Jesus Christ opens up all sorts of options to us that we lose when we abandon him. Or when we refuse his Lordship as so many Americans have been doing for so long. Both the godless and the devout together denying him His right as king here on earth.

Be it congregation making some clergyman Lord of their gatherings as they collectively ignore the spirit of Jesus for his every decree. Or it be a authoritarian governor passing executive orders labeling and banning scriptures as hate speech.

It’s the same thing. The former being much more difficult to spot as error but both are a snub and a denial of Lord Jesus his rightful place.

In fact, of the two examples above I believe the former is more offensive to the Lord and more difficult to deal with. Because it’s covered in a shroud of religion and piety. And I believe it leads to the tyranny of the later example. The governments naively follow the lead of the bodies of Christ. If there is darkness among the Christians how much darker is that darkness among the lost?

Help us Lord Jesus, for you are our only option!

Comments 0
-

The Coming Age – Another Perspective

(Written in 2021). As I read this post from 2014 and as we get ready to inaugurate Joe Biden. I can’t help but reflect on how quickly we forgot what the Obama-Biden administration did to the geo political world. If Biden really won, how quickly we forgot their constant blunders and scandals. There was a massive spike in terrorism and worldwide murder.

It was a time of disaster for freedom and for world peace.

(Written in 2014). As we see the happenings in the world, the rise of Islamic mass murder, the surge of ISIS and the political cooperation of the ruling class in the US, (by incompetence, by compliance or both). As we see the culture in the US and in Europe become more hostile and indifferent to Christ. As we see political correctness silencing right and ignoring wrong making things far more dangerous than they need to be. As we see the conspiring to kill and to undermine the US. It is tempting to fret, to fear, to despair and to want to climb into a hole and hide.

But, with this post I want to suggest another perspective.

Just before Jesus established his kingdom on earth through his Spirit dwelling within his body of believers he said “the gates of hell will not prevail against the church” (), he also said “all authority in heaven and earth has been given unto me“().  And we also know that “of the increase of his government there shall be no end.” ()

Maybe… just maybe the turmoil in the middle east, the horrific torturing and mass murder of the innocents, the refugee crises, the export of refugees (and terrorists) from Syria are responses to things that we can not see with our eyes and are never reported on.

Many of the children in the middle east are lied to daily about Jesus Christ. They are lied to and trained to lie about who he is and about what his people are like. From a very young age they are brain-washed to hate and some trained to murder.

Most of the countries in the middle east are ruled by corrupt politicians and/ or dictators, many installed or propped up by the US.

Maybe in response to these realities the Lord needed a weakened US to free the next generation of Syrians to hear of Jesus and to respond accordingly. Many wont respond but many others will.

Maybe Satan’s death-grip on the middle east and the Muslim world is beginning to break up.  Maybe the horrors we’ve seen will only further accelerate this in the hearts and minds of many in the middle east.  Maybe the Lord himself orchestrated all that we’ve seen in the past few years.  Maybe the Lord himself wants the Syrians and others in the middle east exposed to the gospel and spread around the world away from their enslavement to satans lies about Jesus Christ.

syrian_children_03_13_2013

If we study history, ancient history (or not so ancient), we can clearly see the hand of God. What seems evil, unjust and terrible for the people going through it, results in gain for Jesus Christ and his purpose. Every time we see geo-political changes I believe it is a response to things happening in the unseen reality, in the spirit realm where evil spiritual authorities try to enslave and to destroy mankind.

Maybe Satan is panicking! because of all the people who are coming to the Lord in the middle east that we are not hearing about or seeing. Maybe Satan is panicking because some of those children are now hearing truth about Jesus Christ, maybe the only way to get many of them to hear is to relocate them away from the lying brainwashers?

What looks like loss to luke-warm Christianity, may be gain for Jesus Christ.

He is, after all the current Lord of all.

 

Comments 0

Stay Up To Date With Email

​-

I use & recommend Bluehost, buy your domain and hosting here!

Get Adam’s From His Side Book Here! Its about Church Transformaton from Institutional Church to Living Ecclesia

Visitors

  • 53,428 hits

Connect on Twitter

en_USEnglish
en_USEnglish