A men's meeting had been called at church. We all made our way to one of the classrooms. They jumped into the business at hand. Some wanted to get rid of the preacher, some did not. Tension was raised, arguments began to ensue, anger grew to pure hostility. It became obvious even to me, the youngest fellow in the room, that the preacher issue was just the tip of the iceberg. These guys had some deep seeded issues with one another. I was shocked with what was happening. How could grown men, men that I respected and admired, behave so? The broader question in my mind was, "Is this Christianity?"
There was a man in the room whom I was certain could bring order to this chaos. I expected him to give words of encouragement, at least a plea for peace. He remained silent and stared at the floor. Several years later I learned that he was the instigator of the whole thing! He had went privately to these men and pitted one against the other with his ability to persuade. My sadness overwhelmed me. I was sick to my stomach. By the time I made it to my truck, I broke down into tears. I could hear people talking. "Look at David. See how upset he is!" I was embarrassed as I drove away. Though I was spiritually shaken, I never really thought of quitting church. I thought of leaving that congregation, but leaving God was not an option for me. Weeks later there was reconciliation and healing. Grown men cried and asked God and each other for forgiveness. It strengthened my faith in Christian principles!
The fellow that sowed the seeds of discord had watched his harvest during that bitter men's meeting. He had also seen God's harvest as the seed of Christianity in these men brought forth repentance. Surely he must have known that two of the seven things that God hates are found in Proverbs 6:19 "A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."
There was a man in the room whom I was certain could bring order to this chaos. I expected him to give words of encouragement, at least a plea for peace. He remained silent and stared at the floor. Several years later I learned that he was the instigator of the whole thing! He had went privately to these men and pitted one against the other with his ability to persuade. My sadness overwhelmed me. I was sick to my stomach. By the time I made it to my truck, I broke down into tears. I could hear people talking. "Look at David. See how upset he is!" I was embarrassed as I drove away. Though I was spiritually shaken, I never really thought of quitting church. I thought of leaving that congregation, but leaving God was not an option for me. Weeks later there was reconciliation and healing. Grown men cried and asked God and each other for forgiveness. It strengthened my faith in Christian principles!
The fellow that sowed the seeds of discord had watched his harvest during that bitter men's meeting. He had also seen God's harvest as the seed of Christianity in these men brought forth repentance. Surely he must have known that two of the seven things that God hates are found in Proverbs 6:19 "A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."