The Harvest is Great... but the Laborers are Grumbling!

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PART I

When love and unity mark the church, God the Father is honored and glorified. Jesus' prayer in John chapter 17 makes this clear, especially verses 20-26. In Gethsemane just prior to His arrest, trial and crucifixion, Jesus prayed for us. "For those who will believe" (v. 20)—this includes all Christians living today.

What did He ask the Father on our behalf? He didn't pray that we would be happy or healthy or go unhurt by the actions of others. He prayed that we would get along with one another, that we would be one. "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me" (v. 23).

When a congregation of believers are “one”, we reflect the unity and character of the triune God we have committed our lives to serving. The glory of God is thus seen in His people, and the Father is well pleased.

Disunity is the Devil's Delight
Anything that pleases God is a target of His enemy. Satan, our adversary, promotes disunity. He is out to destroy the church. He is highly skilled and experienced in using church people to accomplish this. These are not demon-possessed people. These are true believers, well-meaning saints. Often they are pillars within the church community with strong personalities, deserving of respect, but they are sometimes used unwittingly by Satan... to divide the church.

Satan can use us by filling our hearts with self-seeking motives. He is an expert at taking our unresolved anger and causing great pain to everyone it touches. We easily become blinded to what we are doing, and soon we become his instruments for causing divisions in the Body.

The real enemy is not the person we are reacting against because of some disruptive behavior in the church or a personal grudge against a brother. "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world" (Ephesians 6:12). The enemy is the Devil, who delights in creating disunity. He hides in the background, preferring we not recognize his role in our conflicts. Riding on our selfishness and insecurities, he can work through well-meaning folks like us to wreak havoc in the church. Most of the time we don't even realize he is using us to create mischief and discord.

He can even encourage us to quote Bible verses to prove our point and in the process widen the schism among brothers. He comes as "an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). He enjoys our sanctimoniously asking special prayer for the "terrible things that are going on." This raises suspicions that weaken the church and destroy its credibility before the watching world.

Paul rightly warned the church to "watch out for those who cause divisions" (Romans 16:17). He also appealed "in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought" (1 Corinthians 1:10).

Division Today
We should hate sin in the church. We should deplore the inroads worldly thought has made in subverting the purity of the church. The obvious ones make us look like we've cloned the world's values: materialism, pride, the sins of the flesh.

But the one most prevalent in the church today is the one that cripples the local church most often - division, divisiveness. This sin concerns most of the letters in the New Testament. Divisiveness is what the false teachers brought to the Early Church, and divisiveness is having a heyday in the church today.

Divisiveness seems to originate from tried and tested seeds that bring forth division and discontent. We see it most often in the following:

The worship wars: “Why don't they sing the right kind of music?” (Translation: “My kind.”)
Who really leads the church: The preacher? The elders? “We don't like the preachers or the elders leadership style.”
Wrestling with change: “We've always done it this way. How dare you suggest changing.”

Sinful Acts
Usually the real issue is one of power. Each person wants a rightful place as one who knows what needs to be done. After all, we often think we have been around long enough to have some influence with others. So we create an issue, if not a crisis. Paul, in Galatians 5:19-20, reminds us that the acts of the sinful nature include, "sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like" . A divisive spirit is listed with sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft. Dissension keeps wicked company.

Jude describes these people in verse 16 as "grumblers" who are governed by their own evil desires. They "boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage."

If you ask Christians today to write down words or phrases that best describe their church, "grumbling" would likely be mentioned at the top of the list. We seem to think it's all right to complain. After all, ours is a free country with the right of free expression. But the Bible does not teach this sort of freedom within the Church. "Freedom in Christ" does not translate to "open season" on anything and everything that you don't like about the church, its operation, it's leaders or it's members.

Acceptable Sins
"There are six things the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers" (Prov. 6:16-19).

God hates the actions and attitudes that stir up dissension among brothers. Yet when was the last time elders in your church have personally addressed people who sowed dissension through grumbling?

More is said in the New Testament about love and unity in the church than about divorce or even adultery. Yet we tend to let the grumblers and gossips get away with their remarks. Are these "acceptable sins"?

As laborers in the Kingdom, we work hard to bring the good news of Jesus the Christ to all people. The world sees us and asks, "Why can't you get along with one another?" Ouch... that hurts! No wonder Paul was always exhorting the New Testament churches to pursue unity. Perhaps Godliness is best demonstrated when we speak the truth to one another and among one another in love.... when we learn to bear with one another's weaknesses... when our expectations for one another do not exceed that set by our Lord. Unity must be the benchmark of Christian brotherhood regardless of our personal preferences and assumed rights. If you find yourself squabbling, grumbling, bickering and complaining about your brothers and sisters... then maybe it's time for a renovation of your heart and mind. There is still time.