Avoiding Church Splits-Part B

There are some things are true about human beings. People can blow it. People can get very nasty people can say hurtful things people can be downright stupid and egg headed Mexican precisely why they need forgiveness to critically Skip weaker division as we continue to look at division within the church are series church who needs W Google rewards, conflict resolution, millions of hit, that's a lot of advice and tips on how to resolve conflicts that also reveals that there's a lot of conflict out there that means resolving the church is no exception. Fact conflicts of the church can often lead to church division which only hinders our efforts to share God's love calculated correctly Skip weaker division as the Skip talks about some key ingredients to avoid church put but before we begin, we have an excellent new resource for you this month@correctlyskip.com there's a top 10 list for just about everything. What about a top 10 list that can actually impact your faith Skip my six top 10 messages will really make a mark as a symbol from what most people don't know about having somebody once said their garden to be at least three surprises and have first of all, who is there that you thought would never make it. Second, who's not fair that you were sure would make it in the number three. The fact that you yourself are there by God's grace. You Skip teach on heaven, hell, and the enzymes into looks like the Holy Spirit in true happiness you give $35 or more today will also send you reload love Lenny height six book about the founding of the ministry that's been helping children victimized by Terry for nearly 2 decades visit connectwithskip.com to give today to get Skip's top 10 messages on Sunday. Plus your copy of reload love filing height will call 800-922-1880 Philippians chapter 2 is what will be today.

So open your Bibles. There was drawing skip-verse three says the loneliness of mine first, here's the second leg each as steam others better than himself. If you're an American. If you're a Westerner and I assume all of you are this flies directly in the face of everything you been taught the last 30 years in our culture.

This says let each of you esteem others better than yourself. The person next to the person in front of you. The person behind you better than yourself. The last 30 years as seen the idea of self-esteem become the hollowed virtue of Western culture is all about your self-esteem. How does this affect my self-esteem.

If they say that to me. What will I do my self-esteem and your self-esteem is so guarded and so important, and if so hollowed I went on Google yesterday and googled self-esteem. 13,900,000 hits almost 14 million hits self-esteem.

The hollowed virtue of the American Pantheon, but here it says let each esteem others better than yourself, see what I mean is directly antithetical counterintuitive everything we've been taught the Williams translation puts it this way. Practice treating one another is your superior what would happen if we started doing that if when we met a person is a little bit of a riff we start imagining this person is my superior my boss writes my paycheck. You going okay that's that's tough. How do we pull that off. Verse four tells you how to do that. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

So we do we look out start watching start noticing we actually become interested, here's the deal. Here's the bottom line if I'm always looking out for myself and you're always looking out for yourself if I'm always put myself first and you always put yourself first working to collide. This can be some nasty fireworks, but if I'm thinking about you and your thinking about me, things are gonna run very smoothly. Moreover, the body of Christ.

The church is to be built up and become health. The keywords in verse four are to look out to those words. Look out doesn't mean look out watch her back yet. It means to focus one's attention upon or to notice or to keep your eyes carefully on something else. It's where we dare to notice and care what's going on in another person's life. I heard about two boys were talking to the boys and if you know me by now you know that I love conversations between kids and one little boy said to his friend in a candid moment when you hate to wear glasses all the time just like a kid right when you hit your glasses all the time and his friends that I don't know not if they were my grandmother's glasses.

He said you know my grandmother has this ability to be able to see if there's a problem or hurt in a person's life and say and do exactly the right thing to make that person feel better, and I asked grandma how you do it. She said it's the way she is learned to see things the older she gets and the kid who came up with the protests in the beginning said you're right, it must be your glasses and get it. May God give us new glasses to look out for each other so those are the basics of getting along.

Don't be like that do you like this. Now comes the basis of getting along now what I want you to notice with me briefly is the reasons Paul lists of why we should get along with each other as believers to take you to the first word of chapter 2. What's the first work, therefore, if you know anything about language you know you don't start a thought with the word therefore it it it is a word that refers to other things that I have written about or talked about before this, so to begin a chapter. Therefore, you have to know what that therefore is therefore you gotta get the context of it so we will begin in chapter 1 verse 27 to understand that, therefore, he says only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you are in an absent, that I may hear of your affairs that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way be terrified by your adversaries. Which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me, and now here in me. Therefore now he begins a new chapter in other words, they in Philippi were getting persecuted and he mentions that this is stand firm, because you can persecuted by the world, just like I've been persecuted by the world you sought an heard about it in me and he says therefore, in other words, here's reason number one. We should get along with each other because the world out there won't provided for us will provide for us. Paul is saying, since the world is to persecute you and is going to afflict you, and because you will suffer at the hands of the world. The one place where love and acceptance is to be found is not out there. Don't expect to get out there and if you can't get it out there.

The one place you should get it is here with each other. Jesus put it this way in the world you will have tribulation.be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

So, since the world won't provide this kind of love and acceptance and forgiveness for us in the one place we find it is together.

This is the reason why when a church splits or fights or argues it is so utterly absurd, like a soap opera like a soap opera. Now I'm not a soap opera fan. If you didn't guess that already, but I do know that soap operas have been going on a long time in television and I actually know a couple people in my lifetime who have watched and so I have on occasion tuned in only long enough to discover the theme of most soap operas is deceit and the avarice all of the base experiences and emotions of humanity and as I watched some soap operas on the little snippets that I have gotten. I wonder, do any of these people get along with anyone else, it seems to be constant conflict and constant churning. So that is why it's absurd when the church acts like the world a thinking unbeliever looks at the church and says excuse me I want to join that I can stay at home and watch a soap opera. I get that for free at television. I do need to see that kind of drama played out inside a church is awkward when Christians battle that will second reason is because you belong to Christ because you belong to Christ, therefore that's the first reason because the world will provided. Second, is because you belong to Christ notice. Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, I see the word if cross it out and put since that's the meaning of the Greek word what he is saying is this, since it's true that there is consolation in Christ, since it is a fact, since it's verified that you and I are consoled by Jesus Christ himself and forgave us by his blood that forms the basis of getting along with each other. Take that same kind of acceptance. Acceptance, love, forgiveness, not there some things that are true about human beings. People can blow it.

People can get very nasty people can say hurtful things people can be downright stupid and eight headed amen that's it precisely why they need to get hear me no more of these arguments you can't believe what you said. I can believe it.

I've heard it. Moreover, the keen observer of human nature over there so horrible to exactly why they need your forgiveness is there centers and they say and they do those hurtful things and that's the point.

There is consolation in Christ and there is and since Jesus did that for you. You can do that for somebody else. I'll reinforce that Ephesians 432 you know what the kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you. You so because the world won't provided because you belong to Christ. Third reason because his love is the catalyst that gets this going notice the next phrase in verse one.

If there is any comfort of love note speaking about his love for us if there's any comfort that you derive from his love for you. God's love is one of the most comforting things ever. No wonder Billy Graham always has said at the end of his Crusades.

Remember God loves you. He says will say that 30 times in a mess because it's it's so comforting the comfort of his love.

I love that song all the wonder of it all the wonder of it all. Just to think God loves me. I hope you're not the kind of verses as well. I am pretty lovable. I don't negatively wonder to God loves me. Remember that that fairytale of the beautiful princess was in a kiss. The ugly toad you know that everybody knows it and it's always struck me as odd because what toad wouldn't want to be kissed by beautiful princess. That's great, great best day of his life. But what princess would ever want to kiss dirty slimy odorous toad. I can't think of one.

The ultimate kiss in history is John 316 for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever would believe in him would not perish so there is great comfort in God's love for us that he would now to that extreme, but you know that you have a capacity to love you. Have a great and deep capacity to love the unlovable to love the unruly to love the nasty because the Bible says the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts, that the love we have received from him. God is given us all the wonderful she huge limitless capacity to show love to another. It's a wonder why we don't we have that capacity. Fourth reason because were a spiritual family that's another and final basis of getting along because were a family. He continues, if there is any fellowship in the spirit fellowship in the spirit with Artie covered fellowship.

You know what it means. Quinn Enea joint partnership and a common interest you and I are joined together were part of the family. We have the same spiritual resources same spiritual blessings were part of the same spiritual family is one of the basis God put us together were in his family.

I'm a child of God, you're a child of God.

That means you're my brother, my sister, and vice versa. If there is any fellowship in the spirit.

The next phrase is also family related look at that before we close. If there is any affection and mercy.

He says in verse one fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind any affection. In verse now if you do happen to have an old King James Bible.

This is where the translation goes from really wonderful before being glory to a little bit weird because if you have a King James version says if there are any dowels of mercy, bowels, merciful bowels, merciful bowels this morning. It's an old word to speak of deep-seated emotional affection because the Hebrews believed that that the place you feel the most emotion is in your gut. If you show genuine compassion to a person short in the bowels Jesus saw the multitude it says he was moved with compassion. The Greek word spelunking up means the bowels.

She felt deeply compassion and emotion so as members of the same spiritual family. We are to show compassion to each other to value each other because we have been forgiven. We have been blood bought. We are under this covenant, so that is the basics and the basis of getting along, close of the story seem to the young man was returning from war. He was a veteran he survived. He came home to the shores of the United States of America. First thing he did. He was a good boy got on the phone call his mama said he's coming home. There were excited to hear each other's voice on to tell you the story now as I read it as they talked for a while. Eventually the young man said to his mother. Mama, I have my best friend in the whole world and I want to bring them home with me. He saved my life.

He was one of my buddies out in the field when a hand grenade was thrown into our foxhole and he was wounded saving my life as a result, he continued tentatively. He has only one I and one arm and one leg and mommy doesn't have any family except ours. He said this with hope in his voice. I've told her mom that he can come home with me. I would like your permission for him to come and be one of our family and to live with us from now on.

Kenny's voice trailed off anxiously awaiting a reply, you bring them home son. She said, and then a few days will be able to find a place for him where I know he'll be happy.

I'm so anxious to see you, she said, trying hard to hold back the tears were welling up in her eyes but he pleaded mother I wanted to come home and be a part of our family not to go anywhere else but to live with us will son your so young, she reason it be all right for a short time, but after a while we would get tired of always having to care for him, but you can bring him home for three, four weeks, she conceded. During that time will find him a place you understand don't you yes mother's voice sounded so far away.

I think I do.

They said their goodbyes and they hung up. The mother was so excited that she would see her son in a few days. The next day the next day, a government official stopped at that home with tragic news. Her son had taken his own life. The mother was obviously shocked and perplexed and wondered how this could ever have happened in a few days the sun's body arrived in their hometown numb with grief. She went down to view the body of her precious son. She looked into the coffin.

Then she understood. He had only one I one arm and one leg, and he had tested her love and her love had fallen short, having become crippled.

He no longer felt he had any value. How very different is that from the love of Jesus Christ, who has come for the crippled and the brokenhearted and the lame and the fatherless, and since less than the direction lasts and says I got a place to and with that he commissioned to us to say exactly the same to those of the calls to my friend.

You are one of those who have been cool to those who Jesus is great love is looking for is willing to die.

Never heard that you heard but decided not to pay any attention before now. Let this opportunity slip away seems this moment to be embraced by the love of Brian. His forgiveness and new life. He now offers you like to talk with someone about how you can do that.

Just call 1-800-922-1880, as we share some time with Skip and Lydia more thoughts about division in the church when you Skip today address division in the body of Christ, and that is such a painful thing and I think it's been around since the early times. I am appalled I am of the pollen and then to London on the 12th night, and then some even said I'm of Christ. You know like they were that supercenter spiritual ones, and it saddened and it's something we want to avoid as much as possible. Discuss with us the importance of harmony within the body of Christ and the consequences that disunity brings the I'd love to. When it comes to the body of Christ. Just think about that. The body of Christ that God loves us and and is so intertwined with his people relationally that he descends.

Condescends to call us his body were all a part of him, so no who are we to think we can break that up or we can hurt that. And no matter how you feel toward another brother or sister, you and I we need to promote harmony. First of all because of Jesus death. He died for those people he loves those people begging to be in heaven with you and they belong to Christ because of Jesus death. Second, because of Jesus prayer. It was the will of the father. Consequently, the will of the son in this prayer to the father in John 17 when he said, I pray that they will be one even as you and I father are one. So for those two reasons. And then there's 1/3 because of the worlds need the world needs to see something that is functioning something that is whole something that is loving and forgiving, not perfect. No one is but when they know there's a group of people who will eradicate their differences and erase problems in the past and come together on on a common love for Christ and for each other. There is healing and that and Jesus said by this Michelle thing all that men know that you are my disciples, and by the love you have not for them but for one another. There's something magnetic about seeing people love each other as we see a loving family and you're not a part of. When you go boy I wish I had that gap will thanks for that encouragement.

Skip a line you and don't forget to pick up a copy of today's message avoiding church splits. It's available on CD for just four dollars plus shipping. When you contact us at 1-800-922-1888 or when you visit connectwithskip.com or write to us at PO Box 95707, Albuquerque, NM 87199 join is next on as we examine one of the key components of church right here in the weekend edition of presentation of connection is connecting you guys never changing and ever-changing time