Conflict Done Right

Conflict is going to occur in churches and families. It is inevitable. How should we navigate conflict? Can we do a better job stopping it before it begins? How do we work through it once it starts?

This is the actual manuscript I used for this message on November 19, 2017. Normally, I would only want to post background info on this page, but this sermon was a sensitive subject, so here is the whole thing. After the introduction, the message was simply a reading of Philippians as if it were written to Bishop Branch Baptist Church. If you open your Bible to Philippians, you can follow along section by section as you work through this manuscript. You can also download the manuscript and print it.

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We have embarked on a series of messages about church membership. When we decide to be members of a local church, it means we've made a commitment. First, our commitment is to our covenant relationship with Jesus Christ. And it's a commitment to our brothers and sisters in Christ. As I have already said, it's not commitment unless our comfort and convenience is compromised. When we are truly committed, at some point it will be inconvenient and uncomfortable. When that happens, it is not uncommon for conflict to arise. We often cause a problem because we are uncomfortable or inconvenienced.

The Conflict