Day21: Protecting Your Church

 Protecting Your Church

You are joined together with peace 

through the Spirit, so make every effort 

to continue together in this way.

Ephesians 4:3 (NCV) 

Most of all, let love guide your life, 

for then the whole church will 

stay together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:14 (LB)

It is your job to protect the unity of your church.

Unity in the church is so important that the New Testament

gives more attention to it than to either heaven or hell. God

deeply desires that we experience oneness and harmony with each

other. 

Unity is the soul of fellowship. Destroy it, and you rip the heart

out of Christ’s Body. It is the essence, the core, of how God

intends for us to experience life together in his church. Our

supreme model for unity is the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit are completely unified as one. God himself is the highest

example of sacrificial love, humble other-centeredness, and perfect

harmony.

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Just like every parent, our heavenly Father enjoys watching his

children get along with each other. In his final moments before

being arrested, Jesus prayed passionately for our unity.1 It was our

unity that was uppermost in his mind during those agonizing

hours. That shows how significant this subject is. 

Nothing on earth is more valuable to God than his church. He

paid the highest price for it, and he wants it protected, especially

from the devastating damage that is

caused by division, conflict, and

disharmony. If you are a part of

God’s family, it is your

responsibility to protect the unity

where you fellowship. You are

commissioned by Jesus Christ to do

everything possible to preserve the unity, protect the fellowship,

and promote harmony in your church family and among all

believers. The Bible says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the

Spirit through the bond of peace.” 2 How are we to do this? The

Bible gives us practical advice.

Focus on what we have in common, not our differences.

Paul tells us, “Let us concentrate on the things which make for

harmony, and on the growth of one another’s character.” 3 As

believers we share one Lord, one body, one purpose, one Father,

one Spirit, one hope, one faith, one baptism, and one love.4 We

share the same salvation, the same life, and the same future—

factors far more important than any differences we could

enumerate. These are the issues, not our personal differences, 

that we should concentrate on.

We must remember that it was God who chose to give us

different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences, so we

should value and enjoy those differences, not merely tolerate

them. God wants unity, not uniformity. But for unity’s sake we

must never let differences divide us. We must stay focused on

what matters most—learning to love each other as Christ has

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Nothing on earth is more

valuable to God than his church.

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loved us, and fulfilling God’s five purposes for each of us and his

church. 

Conflict is usually a sign that the focus has shifted to less

important issues, things the Bible calls “disputable matters.” 5

When we focus on personalities, preferences, interpretations,

styles, or methods, division always happens. But if we concentrate

on loving each other and fulfilling God’s purposes, harmony

results. Paul pleaded for this: “Let there be real harmony so there

won’t be divisions in the church. I plead with you to be of one mind,

united in thought and purpose.” 6

Be realistic in your expectations. Once you discover what

God intends real fellowship to be, it is easy to become

discouraged by the gap between the ideal and the real in your

church. Yet we must passionately love the church in spite of its

imperfections. Longing for the ideal while criticizing the real is

evidence of immaturity. On the other hand, settling for the real

without striving for the ideal is complacency. Maturity is living

with the tension.

Other believers will disappoint you and let you down, but

that’s no excuse to stop fellowshiping with them. They are your

family, even when they don’t act

like it, and you can’t just walk out

on them. Instead God tells us, “Be

patient with each other, making

allowance for each other’s faults

because of your love.” 7

People become disillusioned

with the church for many

understandable reasons. The list could be quite long: conflict,

hurt, hypocrisy, neglect, pettiness, legalism, and other sins.

Rather than being shocked and surprised, we must remember

that the church is made up of real sinners, including ourselves.

Because we’re sinners, we hurt each other, sometimes

intentionally and sometimes unintentionally. But instead of

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We must passionately love 

the church in spite 

of its imperfections.

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leaving the church, we need to stay and work it out if at all

possible. Reconciliation, not running away, is the road to

stronger character and deeper fellowship.

Divorcing your church at the first sign of disappointment or

disillusionment is a mark of immaturity. God has things he wants

to teach you, and others, too. Besides, there is no perfect church

to escape to. Every church has its own set of weaknesses and

problems. You’ll soon be disappointed again.

Groucho Marx was famous for saying he wouldn’t want to

belong to any club that would let him in. If a church must be

perfect to satisfy you, that same perfection will exclude you from

membership, because you’re not perfect! 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was martyred for

resisting Nazis, wrote a classic book on fellowship, Life Together.

In it he suggests that disillusionment with our local church is a

good thing because it destroys our false expectations of

perfection. The sooner we give up the illusion that a church must

be perfect in order to love it, the sooner we quit pretending and

start admitting we’re all imperfect and need grace. This is the

beginning of real community.

Every church could put out a sign “No perfect people need

apply. This is a place only for those who admit they are sinners,

need grace, and want to grow.”

Bonhoeffer said, “He who loves his dream of community more

than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the

latter. . . . If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian

fellowship in which we have been placed, even when there is no

great experience, no discoverable riches, but much weakness,

small faith, and difficulty; if on the contrary, we keep complaining

that everything is paltry and petty, then we hinder God from

letting our fellowship grow.”8

Choose to encourage rather than criticize. It is always easier

to stand on the sidelines and take shots at those who are serving

than it is to get involved and make a contribution. God warns us

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over and over not to criticize, compare, or judge each other.9

When you criticize what another believer is doing in faith and

from sincere conviction, you are interfering with God’s business:

“What right do you have to criticize someone else’s servants? Only

their Lord can decide if they are doing right.” 10

Paul adds that we must not stand in judgment or look down on

other believers whose convictions differ from our own: “Why,

then, criticise your brother’s actions, why try to make him look small?

We shall all be judged one day, not by each other’s standards or even

our own, but by the standard of Christ.” 11

Whenever I judge another believer, four things instantly happen:

I lose fellowship with God, I expose my own pride and insecurity, I

set myself up to be judged by God, and I harm the fellowship of

the church. A critical spirit is a costly vice.

The Bible calls Satan “the accuser of our

brothers.” 12 It’s the Devil’s job to blame,

complain, and criticize members of God’s family.

Anytime we do the same, we’re being duped

into doing Satan’s work for him. Remember,

other Christians, no matter how much you disagree with them,

are not the real enemy. Any time we spend comparing or

criticizing other believers is time that should have been spent

building the unity of our fellowship. The Bible says, “Let’s agree to

use all our energy in getting along with each other. Help others with

encouraging words; don’t drag them down by finding fault.” 13

Refuse to listen to gossip. Gossip is passing on information

when you are neither part of the problem nor part of the

solution. You know spreading gossip is wrong, but you should

not listen to it, either, if you want to protect your church.

Listening to gossip is like accepting stolen property, and it makes

you just as guilty of the crime.

When someone begins to gossip to you, have the courage to

say, “Please stop. I don’t need to know this. Have you talked

directly to that person?” People who gossip to you will also gossip

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DAY TWENTY-ONE:

PROTECTING

YOUR

CHURCH

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about you. They cannot be trusted. If you listen to gossip, God

says you are a troublemaker.14 “Troublemakers listen to

troublemakers.” 15 “These are the ones who split churches, thinking

only of themselves.” 16

It is sad that in God’s flock, the greatest wounds usually come

from other sheep, not wolves. Paul warned about “cannibal

Christians” who “devour one another” and destroy the

fellowship.17 The Bible says these kind of troublemakers should be

avoided. “A gossip reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a

babbler.” 18 The fastest way to end a church or small group conflict

is to lovingly confront those who are gossiping and insist they

stop it. Solomon pointed out, “Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and

tensions disappear when gossip stops.” 19

Practice God’s method for conflict resolution. In addition

to the principles mentioned in the last chapter, Jesus gave the

church a simple three-step process: “If a fellow believer hurts you,

go and tell him—work it out between the two of you. If he listens,

you’ve made a friend. If he won’t listen, take one or two others along

so that the presence of witnesses will keep things honest, and try

again. If he still won’t listen, tell the church.” 20

During conflict, it is tempting to complain to a third party

rather than courageously speak the truth in love to the person

you’re upset with. This makes the matter worse. Instead, you

should go directly to the person involved.

Private confrontation is always the first step, and you

should take it as soon as possible. If you’re unable to

work things out between the two of you, the next

step is to take one or two witnesses to help confirm

the problem and reconcile the relationship. What should

you do if the person is still stuck in stubbornness? Jesus

says to take it to the church. If the person still refuses to

listen after that, you should treat that person like an unbeliever.21

Support your pastor and leaders. There are no perfect

leaders, but God gives leaders the responsibility and the authority

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to maintain the unity of the church. During interpersonal

conflicts that is a thankless job. Pastors often have the unpleasant

task of serving as mediator between hurt, conflicting, or

immature members. They’re also given the impossible task of

trying to make everyone happy, which even Jesus could not do!

The Bible is clear about how we are to relate to those who

serve us: “Be responsive to your pastoral leaders. Listen to their

counsel. They are alert to the condition of your lives and work under

the strict supervision of God.

Contribute to the joy of their

leadership, not its drudgery. Why

would you want to make things

harder for them?” 22

Pastors will one day stand before

God and give an account of how

well they watched over you. “They

keep watch over you as men who must give an account.” 23 But you

are accountable, too. You will give an account to God of how well

you followed your leaders.

The Bible gives pastors very specific instructions on how to

deal with divisive people in the fellowship. They are to avoid

arguing, gently teach the opposition while praying they’ll change,

warn those who are argumentative, plead for harmony and unity,

rebuke those who are disrespectful of leadership, and remove

divisive people from the church if they ignore two warnings.24

We protect the fellowship when we honor those who serve us

by leading. Pastors and elders need our prayers, encouragement,

appreciation, and love. We are commanded, “Honor those leaders

who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of

urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them

with appreciation and love!” 25

I challenge you to accept your responsibility to protect and

promote the unity of your church. Put your full effort into it, and

God will be pleased. It will not always be easy. Sometimes you will

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We protect the fellowship 

when we honor those 

who serve us by leading.

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have to do what’s best for the Body, not yourself, showing

preference to others. That’s one reason God puts us in a church

family—to learn unselfishness. In community we learn to say

“we” instead of “I,” and “our” instead of “mine.” God says,

“Don’t think only of your own good. Think of other Christians and

what is best for them.” 26

God blesses churches that are unified. At Saddleback Church,

every member signs a covenant that includes a promise to protect

the unity of our fellowship. As a result, the church has never had a

conflict that split the fellowship. Just as important, because it is a

loving, unified fellowship, a lot of people want to be a part of it!

In the past seven years, the church has baptized over 9,100 new

believers. When God has a bunch of baby believers he wants to

deliver, he looks for the warmest incubator church he can find. 

What are you doing personally to make your church family

more warm and loving? There are many people in your

community who are looking for love and a place to belong. The

truth is, everyone needs and wants to be loved, and when people

find a church where members genuinely love and care for each

other, you would have to lock the doors to keep them away.

Day Twenty-one

Thinking about My Purpose

Point to Ponder: It is my responsibility to protect the

unity of my church.

Verse to Remember: “Let us concentrate on the things

which make for harmony and the growth of our fellowship

together.”  Romans 14:19 (Ph)

Question to Consider: What am I personally doing to

protect unity in my church family right now?

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YOU WERE CREATED 

TO BECOME LIKE CHRIST

Let your roots grow down into Christ 

and draw up nourishment from him. 

See that you go on growing in the Lord, 

and become strong and vigorous in the truth.

Colossians 2:7 (LB) 

P U R P O S E  # 3

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