As we wrap up our series unpacking the Faith Church Membership Covenant, we hope and pray you have been encouraged. The aspects of this covenant apply to us inside and outside of Faith Church, and are great reminders to live biblically and be an accurate representation of our great God!
Wrapping up, let’s look at this last section to examine:
I believe that the Bible commands all believers to make every effort to live at peace and to resolve disputes with each other in private or within the Christian community, in keeping with 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Matthew 5:23-34, and Matthew 18:15-20. Therefore, I agree that if I have any controversy, claim or dispute with Faith Ministries or members of Faith Church, I will seek to settle it biblically…
The Bible tells us much about conflict and how to communicate in a way that solves problems rather than enlarging them.
At Faith Church, we teach one aspect of communication and problem-solving from Ephesians 4:25-32. That aspect is what we can the “Four Rules of Communication.”
Rule #1: Be Honest. Verse 25 tells us, “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.” Truly, we are to be absolutely truthful as we seek to problem-solve with others. This would include not exaggerating or using wording that is too absolute (i.e. you ALWAYS… you NEVER…)
Rule #1: Keep Current. Verses 26-27 state, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” We are to deal with problems quickly, and not bring up things from the past that do not help solve the situation. We should stay with the problem at hand, and do not keep putting it off.
Rule #3: Attack the Problem, Not the Person. This concept comes from verses 29-30: “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Attacking a person and tearing them down with our words is never what we are called to do in scripture. We should keep our focus on solving the problem rather than hurting the other person.
Rule #4: Act, Don’t React. Verses 31-32 state, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” This kind of problem-solving takes careful thought. We must stop ourselves from simply reacting to our emotions, and instead seek to act in order to solve the problem.
At Vision of Hope, we teach our ladies how to handle conflict biblically. Using these rules and knowing when seeking help from others is necessary are very important concepts to understand that affect each of us all throughout our lives.
Let’s keep these rules in mind, and ask the Lord to give us wisdom to please Him in the way we handle conflict.
For a more intensive study of communication and these four rules, click here!