Life Capsule for Today Date 29th August, 2023
Theme: Conflict Management (3)
Text: Matt 5:9
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. KJV
Topic: General provision for conflict management and resolution
Today’s Reading: Matt 18:15-17
15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.16 But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglects to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. KJV
Words of the Ministry:
Today we intend to look at the general guideline for conflict management, having learnt that conflict is common to all and the causes of conflict mainly traceable to communication misunderstanding, lack of knowledge and the flesh. God in his word made a provision for the saints on how to manage a conflict. This is a general approach that should naturally apply to every situation but in the course of the week, we would be considering some specifics.
Today’s reading centers on how we should settle our conflicts with the brethren, the first temptation we have when we are in conflict with another person or party is to go reporting to others, the goal most times may be to inform them of the circumstance and involve them in the resolution or to gain support of others, unfortunately most time it fails as such information may end up being seen as gossip or the other offended party may wrongly assume so and this may hinder peace and quick resolution. The bible encourages us to first seek to meet the person we have disagreement with and try to resolve amicably between ourselves privately. To be fruitful at this, we must not go with the mindset that I am right, he or she is wrong and I would prove it now. We must be willing to both accept our faults as regardless of the reason for the conflict, both parties must have played a role.
Should the first step fail, we are expected to go with one or two more brothers to persuade and gain the offended person and in doing so, we must ensure we are going with mature individuals that can manage conflicts with wisdom not necessarily taking sides or passing blame. If that fails again, the bible advises us to inform the Church so the Church can intervene but if again the offended individual would not harken to the Church, we must treat him/her as a publican, an unbeliever. We immediately notice here that the provision we read is for Christians and some reasonable unbelievers as some persons won’t listen to the Church. Should the offended party be an unbeliever, the bible says we must treat the case as like an unbeliever, in other words, we are bound by the law of the land in this case either through the police or the court. We must never take the laws into our hands and as much as possible we must never initiate a court process except when it totally unavoidable.
Saints, it is not a thing of honor that believers can’t settle their differences and they end up resulting to the police or the court, some even go as far as to their village elders. If both parties are Christians, the bible and the Church should be the final authority. We must learn to resolve all misunderstanding within the confines of the Church. The bible rather encourages us to be cheated and misunderstood rather than we believers going before the unbelieving judges as taught by Paul in 1 Cor 6:3-9 “Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!” May the Lord grant us light.
Bible in one year: Jeremiah 49-50
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