Don't Fight Naked (or put on the full armor of God)

This month we are preaching a sermon series from the Ephesians passage of putting on the full armor or God. Our youth week theme of Don't Fight Naked is based on the same Scripture passage. I wrote an article in our newsletter this week that reported that one of my favorite songs based on this Scripture is Hard Fighting Soldiers. This song basically says that 'I am a hard fighting soldier, on the battlefield. I’ve got a helmet on my head, in my hand a sword and shield. I keep on bringin souls to Jesus by the service that I give. You gotta walk right, talk right, sing right, pray right, on the battlefield. I keep on bringin souls to Jesus By the service that I give.' The end of the song moves from I keep on bringin souls to Jesus to we keep bringin souls to Jesus by the service that we give.

One of the most important aspects of being a soldier is working successfully with a team. It tests your skills as an individual and the talents of every soldier around you. In the army, there are many opportunities to receive unit training. Similarly, it is important for the people who make up the body of Christ – the church – to work successfully as a team. It is important to move from I to we. We often find this easier said than done. People seem surprised that people in the church have conflict. They should not be.

From the very beginning of the church there has been conflict, evidenced by the many references in the Bible that we strive for unity. There would not have been need for the many letters encouraging the early Christians to bear one another in love and keep unity if in fact everyone was living in peace. The entire Bible is in some respects a record of conflict--between God and mankind, between all mankind, and between the forces of good and evil.

There is an old adage that where two or more are gathered together there will be conflict. Conflict is a natural part of life. It should be expected when new ideas come into contact with established routines, when modernization bangs into tradition, and when there is fear or misunderstanding.

Most people are aware that conflict can be destructive. Conflict within the church can create dissention within the body of Christ, sap the energy of those involved, divert the focus of ministry, transform longtime friends into adversaries, create a decline in morale and in giving, damage the church’s reputation in the community, negatively impact people’s faith and the way they view church. But conflict can help us stretch and grow and can be positive catalyst for change.

Every church conflict is unique with many contributing factors. Everything that happens in church contributes in some way to its health or dysfunction. Everything is forming people—either to be authentic followers of Jesus, or followers of something or someone else. Constant conflict is often a sign of lack of faith in Jesus. Our focus has been diverted from our faith in Jesus. We are placing our faith in our own agenda. Conflict allows us to see ourselves truthfully and to see the fruit of what we are forming.

Just as the Bible is a record of conflict, it is also a record of forgiveness. The Bible commits us to the message of reconciliation. Conflict allows us to take inventory and determine the path to reconciliation. Reconciliation provides the opportunity for our hard fighting soldiers to find the way to successfully work together as a team that can bring souls to Jesus by the service that we give.

So the challenge is to find a way to work together.