Decades ago, I lived in South Dakota’s Black Hills. I loved it. Minutes from my house, the national forest called—miles of trails, scenic lakes, rushing streams, and very few people. It was a naturalist’s dream.
But every summer, we got a taste of how things changed when a million people came to visit over ten days for the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. You’ve never seen anything until you’ve seen hundreds of thousands of Harleys come to town—and heard the constant roar of those machines echo through the hills.
What brought all those people together? A love of motorcycles. That’s the force that united them. But if you zoomed in closer, you’d find plenty of disagreements: the best brands, customizations, tires, engines, or routes to ride.
Whenever you gather humans together in one place, disagreements are inevitable. The key is learning how to handle those disagreements.
And that’s true in the church too. We disagree on methods of ministry (i.e., how evangelism should be conducted), worship practices, church leadership decisions, doctrinal emphases (e.g., the role of grace and obedience in salvation, fellowship boundaries, and church autonomy), and personal convictions (alcohol, entertainment choices, modesty, political involvement, how parents raise children or choose schools, how to handle matters of conscience).
So, it should be easy to see that when you can fill a room with people who love Jesus, share the same mission, and believe the same gospel, there will still be disagreements. With all the potential for problems, will we see one another as brothers or adversaries?
Conflict Is Inevitable
Even in Scripture, faithful people struggled to get along with one another. In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas had a “sharp disagreement” over whether to take John Mark on their next journey. Both were committed and righteous men, yet they saw things differently.
James explains why this happens:
“What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you?” (James 4:1).
Conflict often exposes the real battle… not between us and others, but between humility and pride within ourselves.
When Conflict Turns Toxic
Today, we often handle disagreements in ways that destroy unity. Some, without much conversation, go nuclear. They post harsh words online, tag names publicly, and draw lines of fellowship before ever sitting down face-to-face.
When that happens, trust dies. Communication stops. Brothers become opponents.
Tragically, people called to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) often mirror the hostility of the world.
Jesus’ Command Cuts Through the Noise
Jesus said,
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:44-45).
We might not call fellow believers “enemies,” but we sometimes treat them like it. We roll our eyes. We speak with contempt. We stop seeing them as people Christ died for.
But that’s exactly who they are, blood-bought believers. People for whom Jesus shed His blood. Acts 20:28 says He “purchased the church of God with his own blood.”
When I mistreat a brother or sister, I’m mistreating someone Jesus died to save. How I treat them is how I treat Christ.
Before You React, Remember This
The person you disagree with bears God’s image.
Jesus shed His blood for them.
The Father calls you to love them, even when you’re frustrated.
Conflict will happen. But contempt doesn’t have to.
Tomorrow’s Post:
Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to speak the truth in love—why avoiding conflict isn’t the goal, but handling it in a way that honors Christ is.
