Hello, LifeWay Family!
It’s Edwin, and I wanted to take a moment to say how excited I am for this Sunday! For those of you who may not know, this Sunday will be my first opportunity to preach to the church as a whole! I am so elated to be able to share something that God has really been placing on my heart this year.
Have you ever had a conflict with an unbeliever?
Has a conversation and attempt to share the gospel ever gone south quick?
Have you ever disagreed with what the rest of society is telling you just to accept?
It should come as no surprise that following Christ means we will often find ourselves at odds with our neighbors (John 15:18)—but the conflict we experience in our lives doesn’t just pertain to culture.
What about other Christians?
That is what we are going to navigate together this Sunday: how to manage our conflict with culture, one another, and even God. We will be discussing what the scriptures say about how to deal with the messier side of relationship, and what the Bible says when it comes to our own contention with God at times.
Many times in the Bible, we see people getting upset with one another— believer and non-believer alike—and often we even find that people disagreed with God. (Look at 1 Chronicles 13!) Let’s face it, emotions happen. It’s not so much the emotion but how we handle the emotion that matters.
I pray that in the week ahead, you would ask God to shed light on areas in your own life in which you can improve the delivery of your message to world. Ask God to soften your heart to what he can teach us about conflict and what we can do to ensure that everything we do would reflect the endless love that Christ has shown us.
I can’t wait to see you all this Sunday! Blessings!
In His Name,
Edwin M. Michaels
Children’s & Youth Pastor