Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Conflict”
Our Bible verse for today: “But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face because he stood condemned.” Galatians 2:11 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Sometimes conflict is necessary”
Peter was being a hypocrite. He was in Antioch and having himself a good time just visiting and eating with Jews and Gentiles alike. It was a good thing, really. The Jews of his day were notoriously prejudiced against the Gentiles. The new Jewish-background Christians such as Peter largely believed that Christianity was just for the Jews and if any Gentiles wanted to become Christians, they had to agree to observe many old Jewish customs as well. But it was time for the Good News to spread to the Gentiles and God’s plan was for them to become Christians without first becoming Jews – and without observing Jewish customs and rituals.
Peter was the leading edge of that change, and at first during his visit to Antioch he was doing a good job of it. But then the fundamentalists arrived. And Peter was afraid of them. He was afraid of what they might think and he was afraid of what they might say. So, he reverted back to his old ways and as long as the fundamentalists were watching, Peter stopped interacting with the Gentiles and began acting like one of the fundamentalists. Worse than just being a hypocrite, Peter was damaging his testimony with the Gentiles and hurting the cause of Christ in Antioch.
Enter the Apostle Paul. He would allow none of it. He saw what was happening, appreciated the danger and the damage it was causing, and he publicly called Peter out. The potential for conflict was real and it was large. Peter was a well known and well respected leader in the church – one of the original twelve apostles. But Paul called him out and dressed him down. Why? It was because this issue is an example of what we call “A hill upon which to die.” That’s an old military phrase which means that this hill is so important and strategic that we must defend it at all costs, even at the cost of our lives.
Many issues are not worth the cost of conflict. The truth is that most things which people fight and argue over are small and should have been ignored. But some things are too important to let go. Some of them have to be fought for. Such was the situation in Antioch.
The key of course, is to correctly identify which issues are small potatoes and not worth arguing over, and which are the proverbial hill upon which we are prepared to die. This is usually a judgment call on the part of the individual and needs to be the matter of much prayer. Conflict, especially among God’s people, is a serious thing and should not be entered into quickly or thoughtlessly. Some conflicts are necessary, but most are not. Pray and ask God to give you the wisdom to know the difference.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 