By Nikole Hahn
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. – Philippians 4:6 NIV
Disunity is challenging in ministry, especially cross-culturally. Tension can come from different ways of doing things, working in a different culture, pressure, stress, personalities, or lack of sleep. In the anxiety of dealing with an unpleasant situation, it’s easy to pick up the phone and talk about it with a close friend. Even more so, have it weigh heavily on your mind for days, irritated that it happened or trying to figure out if you could have said or done something different. In times when I’ve struggled with disunity, I am guilty of forgetting to pray. I am so overwhelmed by the tension that I forget the One person who could fix it.
During his time in Asia, Joel frequently worked with another ministry leader, *Jose. One day, during a meeting, Jose became very angry with Joel. He stood in front of Joel, clenched his fists, and threatened to punch him—this, in front of a roomful of people. The meeting abruptly ended, and everyone went home.
Two women in the Bible – Euodia and Syntyche – also had a serious disagreement; it was such a heated argument that Paul heard about it while in prison. No one knows what the women were arguing over, except they were well respected by Paul for their work with him in the city of Phillipi.
When Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians, he wanted them to resolve the matter and “to be of the same mind in the Lord” (Philippians 4:2). We don’t know what happened with Euodia and Syntyche, but we do know what happened between Joel and Jose.
Joel prayed. Next, Joel contacted his Missionary Encouragement Team (MET) in California and asked them to pray for the situation. MET was a group of six people who met once per month and prayed for Joel and his family while they served in Asia. The next morning, their family had a visitor. Jose stood at the front door and apologized for his outburst. And this was a big deal.
Jose was a lead pastor at his church in a culture where leaders do not admit wrong, much less utter an apology. The Holy Spirit worked through the situation and brought peace back to Joel and Jose. Not every situation ends well, but God desires that we seek Him in these situations and allow Him to work in all of our hearts toward repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and unity. One question we need to ask ourselves: “will I let Him?”
“To be sure, unifying love in the body of Christ includes a rugged commitment to do good for the family of God whether you feel like it or not (Galatians 6:10). But, as difficult as it is for diverse people, the experience of Christian unity is more than that. It includes affectionate love, not just sacrifice for those you don’t like. It is a feeling of endearment. We are to have affection for those who are our family in Christ.” (What is Christian Unity, Desiring God)
Discussion:
On your social media or in the comments, answer one of these questions.
- How can we cultivate a heart of humility as seen in Jose’s apology and forgiveness as seen in Joel’s efforts? What barriers often prevent us from reconciling with others?
- Joel’s story illustrates the power of both personal prayer and community prayer in restoring broken unity. How can we better utilize our support networks during difficult situations?
Other Articles:
- Learn about Joel Eyestone here.
- WorldVenture::In Review – The Posts in Ireland
- One Woman Makes All The Difference
- #AskAMissionary: How Can Churches Help?
* Name changed.