The Battle Of The Church Series

III. The answer for church conflict

God gave us an end-time picture of those who overcame. In this, He gave us a description of their victory. Rev 12:10-11 “And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.”

No victory over Satan is found by repeating his fault-finding and accusations, his gossip and side-seeking. They did it through three things that are important to us:

A. The Blood of the Lamb.

The battle Satan wages against the Church is always in relationships. Eph 4:1-4 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call…”

Every family has some family member that you have to tolerate. You tolerate him or her because they are family. We are a family, by the blood of Jesus, no less. That person may be the pastor. It may be the music director. It may be the youth director. This person may be you and it may be me, but we love them, tolerate them, help them, encourage them, instruct them, guide them, because of the importance of the blood of Jesus coursing through our veins. We are family with Jesus’ blood in common. Satan should not be more powerful than that.

B. The word of their testimonies.

The Sword of God will not come out of our mouths until it has first gone through our hearts. This is where it first confronts strongholds in our lives. God wants to replace faultfinding and gossip with love and intercessory prayer. He wants to replace division with unity. It is done by intercession, worship; the lips.

True worship brings forth this peace, unity, love and growth, whereas division, discention, isolation and rejection diminish the worship of God in our lives. Psalms 84:4-6 “Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.”

True worship heals wounds, helps us die to self, releases pride and anger, lack of forgiveness and bitterness. Intercession repairs the wounds in our hearts.

C. Not loving their lives more than the cause.

Division comes from too much self-love. Romans 8:28 states the promise of good from all things for “….those who love God.” His love is what helps us see the good in all things. To walk close to God, you must be committed to walking free of criticism and fault-finding, bitterness and anger, rights and offenses. You will walk committed to love, forgiveness and intercessory prayer.