How can we handle conflicts in the church and be peacemakers to the glory of God?

In this video, Joel Beeke offers some practical ways to strive for unity and peace, even in the midst of strained relationships.

The first step is to pray for peace and for those who disagree with us. Prayer can soften our hearts and help us to see others as God sees them. The second step is to remember that we are called to strive for unity with humility and a willingness to esteem others higher than ourselves. We should remember our own sins and not judge others too quickly.

Finally, when striving for peace, we should be willing to admit our own wrong, even if it is less than the other person's wrong. By being the first to apologize, we can often encourage the other person to also seek forgiveness and work towards reconciliation. Ultimately, our goal should be to have the mind of Christ and be willing to be humble and make sacrifices for the sake of peace among the brethren.

Matthew 5:9 (NKJV) - "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

Life in the church is not always easy because even inside of believers there is always the remnants of indwelling sin. And Satan wants to sow seeds of division. So it's quite easy to have conflicts arise in church between personalities and all sorts of things. Satan wants to sow seeds of divisions. So, how do you handle that?

How do you be a real true peacemaker to the glory of God in the church? Well, number one is you pray. You pray for peace, you pray for those who disagree with you, you pray for your enemies. You pray with them, and you pray for them. You see, it's pretty hard to be an enmity against somebody that you're praying for.

So prayer can soften us and humble us. And then you remember that you're called to strive for unity in the bonds of peace as Paul says in Ephesians 4, with lowliness of mind, esteeming the other higher than yourself. So before you quickly judge your brother in the church over some conflict, remember your own sins. Remember you don't stand above him. You're beside him.

You're a sinner too. Apart from God's grace you go the wrong way every time. And then you need to remember also that When you work for peace in the midst of strained relationships, be willing to admit your own wrong, your own wrong, even if it is less than the other person's wrong. I have a flesh and blood brother who is a real peacemaker and he said to me one time, he said, you know if you're 10% wrong and the other person is 90% wrong, you go to him and you say I'm so sorry For what I've done wrong. You don't tell him it's only 10% but you apologize and You ask for forgiveness And he said have you ever noticed that when you are the first to apologize?

That often the other person's conscience is speaking. They'll say, yeah, but will you forgive me too? I was altogether right either. And of course they won't admit they're 90% wrong. So leave the numbers out of it.

But reconcile, always be aiming for reconciliation. That's the will of God. Let this mind be in you that is in Christ Jesus, that you're willing, you're willing to be humble, you're willing to be made of no reputation for the sake of peace among the brethren.