The Hurting Church

I was lead to talk about this topic and I thank the Lord for the revelation. The Hurting Church. The church is a place of refuge and restoration; along with many other things. The church is also a safe haven for someone who is lost and looking to be closer to God, wants a renewed life and renewed spirit. The Church is a precious place to me. It is a place where I can go to receive a powerful word from the Lord and it is also a place where I can be free in my prayer, praise and worship to Him.

Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." Amen!

The purpose of the church is to worship God (Luke 4:8; John 4:23; Rev. 4:10), study His Word (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Cor. 4:6), pray (Acts 2:42), love one another (John 13:35; Phil. 1:1-4), help each other (Gal. 6:2), partake of baptism and the Lord's supper (Luke 22:19-20), to learn how to live as godly people (Titus 2:11-12), and to be equipped to evangelize to the world (Eph. 4:12; Matt. 28:18-20).

Although there isn't one verse that defines the purpose of the church, Acts 2:42 gives a nice synopsis.  It says, "And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."  All churches should model themselves after this verse.

Now these verses show and prove the great attributes of the church and the power that lies within it! Glory to God! 

Now...what do we do when the opposite occurs? How do we heal a hurting church? Why do we get hurt and why do we hurt others? How do we break this cycle which seems to happen more often than we care for?
Let's see what the book of James chapter 4 says regarding this. The version of the following verses are from the God's Word translation for a clearer understanding.

Jas 4:1  What causes fights and quarrels among you? Aren't they caused by the selfish desires that fight to control you?
Jas 4:2  You want what you don't have, so you commit murder. You're determined to have things, but you can't get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don't have the things you want, because you don't pray for them.
Jas 4:3  When you pray for things, you don't get them because you want them for the wrong reason-for your own pleasure.
Jas 4:4  You unfaithful people! Don't you know that love for this evil world is hatred toward God? Whoever wants to be a friend of this world is an enemy of God.
Jas 4:5  Do you think this passage means nothing? It says, "The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own."
Jas 4:6  But God shows us even more kindness. Scripture says, "God opposes arrogant people, but he is kind to humble people."
Jas 4:7  So place yourselves under God's authority. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
Jas 4:8  Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners, and clear your minds, you doubters.
Jas 4:9  Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom.
Jas 4:10  Humble yourselves in the Lord's presence. Then he will give you a high position.
Jas 4:11  Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God's teachings. If you judge God's teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them.
Jas 4:12  There is only one teacher and judge. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor?
Jas 4:13  Pay attention to this! You're saying, "Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money."
Jas 4:14  You don't know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears.
Jas 4:15  Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans."
Jas 4:16  However, you brag because you're arrogant. All such bragging is evil.
Jas 4:17  Whoever knows what is right but doesn't do it is sinning. 

When some conflicts arise in church and among members, know that it is the "spirit" that we have an issue with, not the person. As the scripture says in Ephesians 6:12, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (KJV)

A few methods one can consider to diffuse conflict in the church are:

1. Know what you are fighting against/Know your enemy

2.Don't be angry for long. (Don't let the sun go down before your issues are resolved).

3. Be accountable.

4.Acknowledge pride.

5.Be willing to stand for what is right in the church according to the Bible.

A writer stated, "When conflict threatens your heart and your church, as it always will, seek first to be intentional about raising the prayer banner in your life and in your church. This invites the Spirit of God to be at work in the lives of those involved and minimizes our tendency to lean on our own understanding. It moves us toward recognizing afresh our utter dependence on God and God alone is the hope of the hurting church."

I pray that this information blesses you and helps with a positive resolution in your church life and personal life. Be blessed.

Roslynn