Trouble & Strife

Trouble and Strife

In my younger days, in the London I knew as a boy, ‘trouble and strife’ was rhyming slang for ‘wife’. I have no idea why anyone should refer to his wife as trouble and strife but in the poorer, ‘Cockney’, area of London in the 1840’s – that’s what it was, and it stuck to this day. I don’t think James and Paul were thinking of marital partners when they penned their letters, but trouble and strife was certainly on their minds.

"For where envying and strife is, there is disorder and every evil work" (James 3:16).

^“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.  For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.” Romans 16:17-18 They were none other than a self-centered, backslidden group who "served their own belly" (verse 18). Division that is caused by the proud and arrogant, catering to their own  self-interests.

Envy, strife, smooth words, flattering speech – not very encouraging words, are they? Yet these are the words I would use to describe various parts of the church today. The trouble with that is that even if such things are limited to small parts, the wound can bring great pain and discomfort to the whole body. Another problem is that the ‘infected part’ may well be in the leadership. Envy of anothers church size, or ministry, or anything else is like a poison to the whole body. Strife between members and or leaders is another poison, as is the damage caused by insincere smooth words and flattering speech.

All these poisons, and more besides, are sent by Satan to damage the church of Jesus Christ. If they are allowed to fester and continue, then the outcome is almost inevitably a schism, a split, and the downfall of one or both parts. So – what is the answer? Only repentance and restoration to unity can heal such problems. Even then there has first to be a realisation and conviction of sin and pride will be the stubborn opponent of that.

If we cannot achieve unity within a church, what hope have we of achieving it in a town? If the local church behaves as does the rest of the world, what is there to suggest anything good to the casual observer? Only a real move of God’s Spirit among the failing churches can produce anything attractive to the unsaved man or woman. Only a repentant church can cry insistently enough to persuade God to send His Spirit into action.

A little repentant unity right now would go a long way towards that goal.