Soul Shaping

“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. John 4:34-35

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of the kindergarten teacher who gave her class a “show and tell” assignment. Each student was instructed to bring an object to share with the class that represented his or her religion.

The first student got up in front of the class and said, “My name is Benjamin. I’m Jewish, and this is a Star of David.”

The second student joined him in front of the class and said, “My name is Mary. I’m a Catholic, and this is a rosary.”

The third student also came before the class and said, “My name is Tommy. I’m Baptist, and this is a casserole.”

That says a lot about us doesn’t it? From dinner on the grounds and pot lucks to Wednesday night dinners and ice cream fellowships, Baptists along with believers of many stripes love to eat. There’s just something good about getting together with other believers for a time of fellowship while enjoying a good meal at the same time.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:26-29

In my previous post I sought to better understand doubt based on the story of Thomas. In this post I want to take it another step to show how to break free from the smothering clutches of doubt. While our doubts may not totally go away, they no longer have to cripple and rob us of the joy we have in Christ. So based on Thomas’ experience, here is how to break the bondage of doubt.

Doubt is overcome by small steps of willing trust.

When Jesus first appeared to His disciples, Thomas was absent. A week passed with no further appearances. It would have been easy at this point for Thomas to have washed his hands of the whole thing, packed up and left the group. But he didn’t. For some reason he stayed. It may have been a small step, but that small act of trust opened the door for his doubts to be addressed when the resurrected Jesus came to the disciples again.

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:36-41

In this final post on dealing with differences between Christians, we will once again reflect on the relational breakdown between Paul and Barnabas in order to better manage the conflict that comes when believers disagree with one another.

Forgiveness and forbearance help relationships between believers to hold together as they work through their differences.

Let’s face it. People let us down from time to time. That includes believers. You will be disappointed in them, hurt by them and perhaps bewildered by their actions, words or attitudes. Sadly, we will do the same to them as well. Such is the tragic reality of our old nature when it rears its ugly head. That’s why the twin graces of forgiveness and forbearance are so important.

To forgive means that I refuse to hold a grudge or maintain the need to get even. Though I don’t pretend that the offense didn’t happen, neither do I dwell on it. Bitterness is a form of self-imprisonment. Nothing good comes from it. Forgiveness sets us free to better living and keeps the door open for potential reconciliation.

To forbear is to stay with the relationship in whatever way is healthy and potentially renewing. We may need to establish boundaries, but we draw those lines carefully, prayerfully and after considerable expressions of patience. As surely as we are called to do this with others, they are at times doing this with us as well.

Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:36-41

As I noted in my previous post, even sincere Christians can differ from one another as we see in the relationship between Paul and Barnabas. In this post I will continue to offer some observations based on the story in Acts 15 that hopefully will help us deal with the differences we have with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Allowing time for emotions to settle provides space for working through differences.

Serious disagreements tend to have strongly felt emotions attached to them. We may feel angry that the other person in question even dares to have a different opinion. We may find that we distrust the other person, simply because we cannot see how they could possibly hold the viewpoint they have. We may even feel hurt or betrayed, because the difference seems to be personal in nature. Whatever the case may be, strong emotions and effective reconciliation do not mesh well.