DAY 680 - How to Deal with Quarrelling in Your Church? (請按此處收聼廣東話Cantonese podcast click here)

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                               Today's Reading: Philippians 4:2-9

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Please click this link to read Philippians 4:2-9

English(ESV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians 4&version=ESV

Chinese:http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=腓 立 比 書 4&version=CUV 

Bible Study

     Here in today's passage, Paul wants to deal with a particular situation. Two women, both leaders and servants of God, disagree with each other and quarrelling with each other. Do you have such kind of things happening in your church recently? How can you help your church to deal with that? 

Bishop N.T. Wright says ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N._T._Wright ) :
     You never know when it's going to happen.  Two people who one day are good friends, working alongside each other in the church or community  can suddenly get across each other… I remember my grandfather, a pastor himself, telling me of such things.  I in my turn have had to deal with a few such incidents, and I guess most pastors have done the same.
     It is particularly sad and tragic when it occurs within a Christian community where the whole ethos ought to be one of mutual love, forgiveness and support…
     Two women in Philippi, Euodia and Syntyche, have fallen out, and Paul is appealing publicly for them to come to agreement.

N.T. Wright. Paul for Everyone:The Prison Letters. Louisville,KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p.129.

     So, it happened in Bishop N.T. Wright's grandfather's time, it happens in Bishop Wright's time since he was a pastor, later a Bishop. It happens since I become a priest quite a few times. No one can escape this tragedy! What can you do?  
     

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time up to Jesus as you listen to him, while listening to "Gabriel's Oboe":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmax47l2hLU

Spiritual Journal

    The title I heard from Jesus today is: How to deal with quarrelling in your church

    The message I got from Jesus today is a good way to deal with quarrelling in churches:
1.  We need to acknowledge that this kind of sadness and tragedy happen quite frequently.
2.  We need to have someone like Paul in a higher position to deal with those people.
3.  We need to put back three things to maintain that church in good order so that the quarrelling won't cause even worse situation, like division and destruction:
     a. Lots of prayers and fasting, for joy and peace to replace anxiety and darkness. (vv. 4-7)
     b. Think of goodness rather than let those bad thought and actions corrupt your church. (v.8)
     c. Follow the good examples of those faithful servants of God (v. 9)

    So, that's what Paul wants to say to the Philippians and also you. Do you think you can follow Paul's wisdom to help your church to remove all those darkness away and to reclaim peace and joy back to your church through many, many prayers and fasting?  

Dear Lord Jesus,
Lead us to have Paul's wisdom to help our church to get rid of all kinds of quarrelling so that our church can be full of joy and peace again. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

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You may choose to follow my other daily blog: 

Daily Devotion on Fire 2(2 years plan -One year New Testament, one year Old Testament): 

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Daily Devotion on Fire (3 years and 3 months plan, one chapter a day to finish reading the whole Bible): 

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.ca/

Break.Build (40 days daily devotion- For Renewal or First Step for new Christians): http://www.breakbuild.blogspot.ca/

Emmanuel330 (40 weeks First Step Bible Study): 

http://emmanuel330.blogspot.ca/

This blog:
Discipler 123 (Daily devotion using N.T. Wright's NT for Everyone as source)

http://discipler123.blogspot.ca/


Rev. Nicky Gumbel's daily devotion: Bible in One Year
http://www.htb.org.uk/bioy