Real Reasons for Fighting

“What is the real reason you guys fight?” James asks this question, already knowing the answer. History has shown that there have been many disagreements among church goers. One denomination sprinkles water, another dunks in water. One group drinks wine, the other abhors it.

Why do we always find disagreement among the group of people that Jesus said would be known by the love and unity they have for one another.

James says it pretty straightforward:

“What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.” James 4v1-2

Here are the bullet points: Why do church people quarrel and fight?
You…

• have evil desires
• are greedy
• are a schemer
• are willing to kill
• are jealous
• are a thief

James tells it like it is. If we were to examine our motives and dig deeper into our reasons for the in-fighting and disagreements, we would find that our own personal desires have taken over.

It is hard to fight with someone who is agreeable. It is harder to fight with someone when we are looking to give generously and freely.

But what about those things that need to be fought against?

There are sometimes when a church goer will need to stand up for injustice within their church and even part ways. We cannot walk past what God calls evil and let it exist without a challenge.

Yes, there is evil in the church. As long as sinful people make up the church, evil will show up from time to time.

Eating a cracker or a wafer for communion is not about purging the evil out of the church.

Spiritual leaders who abuse those that they are responsible for is an evil that the church must argue and fight against.

The other things, those on the bulleted list, well, those things all have to do with what we want, not what God wants. Those things are what make the church sick and weak.

Are you going through a time of disagreement with someone?

Take some time to examine your motives and ask yourself these questions:

• Why are you really part of this?
• What is the end result of this disagreement?
• Is there someone with experience that can help you navigate this?

When all is said and done, there will be a time when God will ask us to give an account for what we did on this earth during the years He gave us. What will you say about those times you disagreed and fought with your brothers and sisters?

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