Unity is, or should be, a primary goal in every Christian congregation. With the possible exception of ongoing rank heresy or unrepented mass wrongdoing going on there should be no reason why Spirit-led Christians cannot work through all their differences and get along.

The above is, of course, very easy to write. As this past sermon pointed out, it's not so easily lived out. The old nature still existing to some degree in even the best followers of Christ ensures that. So do the provocative actions of the Enemy of our souls and his minions. People angrily leave churches all the time in 21^st century America. Worse than that, sometimes whole congregations are split by interpersonal clashes. Such “catastrophic conflict” can even begin with a single argument between two people.

This potential for strife is so prevalent in churches today that we dare not ignore it. Despite our very real focus on transparency and authenticity in relationships, that potential exists at True Life as much as it does anywhere else. This is not something to be taken lightly.

So what is the answer? Not so long ago we heard a very effective sermon series on “The Offense Trap.” In it our pastor explained what causes people to become offended, and what un-dealt-with-resentment from continuing offenses can do to people individually and collectively. This series deeply resonated with many of us at TLC, my wife and I included. Its deepest message was a straightforward one: we must be willing, with God’s help, to do whatever it takes to deal with ongoing conflict between people in our lives.

Our leadership desires for this to be a major priority in our relationships both inside and outside of our church, but perhaps even more so inside. After all, if Christians cannot live together in unity and love we aren’t going to make much of a difference trying to be “peacemakers” in dealing with those outside the faith.

It seems to me that there are two primary actions we must take to safeguard the unity that has helped True Life Church continue to grow and prosper as part of God’s Kingdom purposes in Central NJ over the past seven years:

1. We must regularly and fervently pray for both the resolution of current conflicts we personally know exist in our church as well as against the beginning of new ones.
2. We must consistently examine ourselves to make sure we are not part of the problem, but part of the solution.

The reality is that not one of us is free of negative feeling towards others all of the time. This is just a fact of fallen human nature. To recognize this in a real and ongoing way is to know that we must pray not just for others caught in the “Offense Trap” but also for ourselves, since we are often no less likely than anyone else to be so captured.

Heartfelt and Spirit-led prayer is powerful no matter who and what the subject of it is. It is particularly effective in helping us learn to both love (and even like!) our brothers and sisters in Christ.  Prayer is therefore our first line of both defense and offense against destructive conflicts at TLC.

Therefore may the Holy Spirit help us as we make up our minds and hearts to make such petition to God a regular part of our ongoing -- and hopefully growing --- prayer lives. If we do, we can rest assured that all the power of Heaven will be brought to bear to stop, heal, and prevent anything in our midst that would destroy the unity that our Lord Jesus prayed for all His people on the very night before he gave His life for every one of us on the cross of Calvary.