Getting Along With Others Series

Getting Along with Others

Philippians 4:2-3

Rev. Brian Bill

March 22-23, 2025

Several years ago, Thom Rainer, former CEO of Lifeway Resources, conducted an online survey to assess what kinds of conflict congregations are afflicted with. After sifting through a long list, he picked his favorites and wrote a post entitled, “Twenty-Five Silly Things Church Members Fight Over.” Here are a few, along with some commentary.

• A church had considerable conflict about whether a clock in the worship center should be removed. Most preachers I know ignore clocks anyway.

• A dispute arose in one congregation over whether the worship pastor should have his shoes on during the service. Thanks for keeping yours on, Pastor Chad.

• The members of another church disagreed about whether deviled eggs should be served at a church dinner. I think it’s fine, as long as we balance it out by serving angel food cake for dessert.

• In one church, two deacons got into a heated argument and decided to settle it in the parking lot. They could have sold tickets to this event and raised a lot of money.

While this list seems silly, it shows how conflict can cause serious problems in the church. Disagreement and division must be dealt with, not in a cage match, but face-to-face and heart-to-heart. Beginning with the relational rupture between Cain and Abel, which eventually led to one brother killing the other, we find ourselves in bombastic battles with people made in the image of God.

Someone quipped: “Where two or three come together in Jesus’ name…there will eventually be conflict.” That’s because the church is made up of selfish sinners who still sin. Disagreements can lead to disunity and division. Criticism can lead to conflict. As one person has said, “If criticism is like a sprained ankle, conflict is the fracture.”

We hear Psalm 133:1 quoted: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” And yet, we wonder why this kind of good and pleasant unity is so elusive. Could the problem be me? Could it be you? Could it be us? The answer is yes, it’s me. Yes, it’s you. And yes, it’s us. As we go through this passage, let’s ponder what it is that the Lord has for each of us personally. That’s what I’ll be doing.

Actually, there are many contributors to conflict.

• Me. James 3:17 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder.” Jesus put it like this in Matthew 7:3: “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”

• You. I think of Proverbs 15:18: “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

• The world. Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The division in our world today is palpable.

• The devil. 1 Peter 5:8: “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” Satan is the accuser and loves to cause chaos and conflict, especially if he can get two believers to go at it. Someone has said, “The devil doesn’t take sides; he just provides the ammunition.”

I’m reminded of the saying, “To dwell above with the saints we love, O that will be glory, but to dwell below with the saints we know, well, that’s a different story.” Conflict among Christians is inevitable so it’s imperative that we learn to get along.

I came across a couple sobering statistics this week.

• 91% of pastors who often think of leaving their church, state conflict as the reason.

• 40% of pastors report a serious conflict with a church member at least once a month.

We’ve been on a journey to joy in our verse-by-verse study of Philippians. Last weekend we learned this truth: You will never coast into Christlikeness because spiritual growth is intentional, not automatic. Our text today is very short, but it packs quite a punch. Listen as I read Philippians 4:2-3: “I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.”

Here’s our main idea: If we want the gospel to move along, we must get along.

This passage gives us seven principles to help us get along with others. I’m grateful for the notes on Euodia and Syntyche that Shiela Kuriscak passed along from the Edge Women’s Learning Lab last Saturday.