“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive for my work. Now I appeal to Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.”
Philippians 4:1-2 NLT
In a world that prefers secrecy and generalization, Paul hits hard with admonishment that is direct , personal and still simple. In this public letter to the church at Philippi, he calls out the name of those in conflict and directs them to settle in heir differences. This isn’t an issue of pride but rather an. Issue of the larger unity and the effect of damaging conflict on the watching body. Apparently it was enough of a public problem that Paul felt it necessary to speak directly of. As leaders, it is often easy to miss the mark in our admonishment. We can feel the need to be bated into settling a debate. This feeds our own ego as we rush in to be the strongest most mature voice. Paul doesn’t do this. We can also feel the need to ignore conflict and pretend it has no effect on the body. Paul plays his role skillfully and demands the two sisters in Christ solve their conflict with proper reverence for God and the effect it is having on their church. This is the proper stance for a leader to take when faced with such conflicts. Conflicts are, after all, unavoidable. They are a necessary aspect of interacting with finite human beings. But if dealt with properly, they can bring God’s glory to the forefront as he melds all things together.
JOSH McGARY. COM 