Generation One
Discovering Keys to a Fruitful Life from the First Generation of the Church
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Chapter 10
Conflict!
With three young boys in our house (my wife would say four!), anything that growls, chomps, or roars is of particular interest. My boys and I love to watch those TV shows in which professionals catch alligators and other menacing creatures. What fascinates me about alligators, though, is how they stalk their prey. They often float just beneath the surface, with only their eyes protruding out of the water. Under the surface, their feet are slowly churning, stealthily moving them closer to their meal. The narrator with the British accent speaks in a hushed tone, “Closer …Closer… Closer.” Chomp! The gigantic mouth opens wide and powerful, viselike jaws turn little ducky into lunch! I know—not a pretty picture. But neither is unhealthy conflict in a church. Like the alligator, it often floats just beneath the surface for a time, suddenly striking and devouring the congregation in its powerful jaws. There is a misconception about conflict, however. Conflict in itself is not dangerous. Conflict can actually be a good and healthy thing, sometimes even a necessary step for positive growth. In fact, I would suggest that church splits do not occur over conflict. They occur because people have handled conflict in unhealthy, selfish, and childish ways. This is actually good news. If conflict were the real culprit, then every church on the planet would be doomed. Because conflict is going to arise. But if how we handle the conflict is the issue, then that means any situation can theoretically be resolved in a positive way if we will learn to handle it correctly! The church in Acts faced its first major conflict fairly early. In the first five verses of chapter 15, the church in Antioch is flourishing and becoming the new headquarters of Christianity. The church in Jerusalem had already been suspicious of this and had sent Barnabas to verify the authenticity of the Antioch church. But apparently, there were still some people in the church at Jerusalem who didn’t like the reports of all these new people coming to Christ and changing everything around. Aren’t you glad that doesn’t happen in the church today? If you were sitting across from me, you would hear the sarcasm in my voice! In any case, these “Judaizers” go to Antioch and tell these Gentile converts that unless they are circumcised and follow the Law of Moses they are not saved. Obviously, Paul and Barnabas are not happy about this, simply because it is horrible theology, and the last thing they need is someone with horrible theology messing up what God is doing among the Gentiles at Antioch. Accordingly, they and some other believers (including Peter) make the trip to Jerusalem to meet with the church leaders there. And here is what happens:
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
If you hang around any given church in America long enough, you will eventually hear someone say, “God only calls us to be faithful!” It is a quaint little saying that sounds good as it rolls off the lips. But there is a serious problem with it: it just isn’t true. God calls us to be more than faithful. He calls us to be fruitful. John the Baptist put it simply, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8), and Jesus Himself said, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 15:8).
Too many have settled merely for a faithful life. They faithfully attend church, faithfully give of their finances, and faithfully try to be nice to people. That’s commendable, but do you long for something more than that? Does your heart cry out for a life that transcends faithful duty and actually bears fruit—fruit that will last for eternity? Then this book was written with you in mind. Using humor, inspiration, and everyday illustrations, pastor and author Adam Parrish looks to the first generation of the Church for instruction and inspiration to help us fulfill God’s call to be fruitful.
About the Author
Adam has been pastoring in various capacities since 1996, and holds his Master of Divinity from Nazarene Theological Seminary. His ministry passion is to present the truth of God’s Word in an inspirational, thought-provoking, and humorous way. He is a very blessed husband and a proud father of three boys.