The cause of strife in the church
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; …” (Philippians 2:3, KJV).
One of the causes of strife in the church is vain glory (Phil 2:3)
If there are people in the church who have selfish ambition and are pursuing vain glory,
there will be strife in the church.
A good example is the "the congregation in the wilderness” (Acts 7:38).
If the wilderness church is a Presbyterian church,
then the pastor of the church is Moses and the elder is Aaron.
And in the wilderness (Presbyterian) church session
there is a pastor Moses, a teaching elder, and an elder Aaron, a ruling elder.
But “Korah son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and certain Reubenites--Dathan and Abiram,
sons of Eliab, and On son of Peleth--became insolent and rose up against Moses.
With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council” (Num. 16:1-2).
I think Korah was the leader of the group that was against the session of the wilderness church.
I don’t know why people within the church are making a party strife.
How foolish they are who had been won over to the opposition party.
This group of the opposition said to Moses and Aaron:
“You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them.
Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD's assembly?” (v. 3)
“When Moses heard this, he fell facedown” (v. 4)
(What can the pastor do except crying out to God).
And then Pastor Moses gave this rebuke to Korah and to all his crowds:
“You Levites have gone too far!” (v. 7)
How did Korah and all his crowds go too far?
They looked down on the grace of God.
They lightly regarded the precious duty that God had separated them from the rest of the congregation of Israel,
to serve the people of Israel in the tabernacle of God (v. 9).
So they sought Aaron's priesthood (v. 10).
Because they regarded their duty that God had given them as small and light,
their thoughts, words from their mouths and their actions went too far in going against Moses and Aaron.
The reason was their selfish ambition and vain glory.
The Bible says that they did not only went against Pastor Moses and Elder Aaron
but also against God who had established the wilderness church (v.11).
Just as there were people like Korah and his crowds in the wilderness church who went against Moses and Aaron,
they are people in our present churches (especially big churches?) who are against the Lord and a session of the churches.
They have selfish ambition and are pursuing vain glory.
They make their own party by recruiting other church prominent members and go against the session.
As a result, there is conflict and strife in the church.
And usually all this starts with one person who is against the Lord and against the session.
It is surprising to see that such one person can cause such a great problem in the church.
Why is he causing such a big problem in the church? What is his intention?
The Scripture James 4:1-2 comes to my mind:
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want.
You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.”
Now he is fighting and quarreling with the church session because of his desires that battle within him.
And the reason he does so is because he want something in his greed.
What does he want?
Maybe he thinks too much about himself that he wants to be exalted in front of the congregation of the church.
Maybe he wants the vain glory.
But even he wants it he cannot have it because he has covetous heart.
So he is quarreling and fighting more and more.
Here who is “he?"
Who is now full of vain glory in the Presbyterian Church, quarreling and fighting in the church,
over-thinking, speaking and acting too far?
Isn’t he a church elder, a church pastor?
It is a serious problem indeed.
I think the big problem in the Presbyterian Church is not church laymen but church pastors and elders.
Why are the elders so displeased with the pastor?
Did Elder Aaron, who spoke well, despised Moses and kicked him out of the wilderness church?
How about the pastor? Why does the pastor dislike elders?
Did Pastor Moses whom the Lord spoke face to face (Exod. 33:11) discipline Elder Aaron
and depose his eldership because he made the Israelites getting out of control? (32:25)
If the pastors and elders who are session of the Presbyterian Church don’t have the same mind
but quarrel and fight, how can the church be peaceful?
Dear pastors and elders,
the church saints are hurting now.
They are leaving the church now.
Now the church is being criticized.
Not only to the people of the world are criticizing the church,
but also to the saints within the church are criticizing the church as well.
Now we are hurting the heart of the Lord who is watching His church.
Dear pastors and elders,
Please stop fighting.
Please reconcile and be in peach with each other.
Please have the same and one mind.
I hope and pray that you will have the humble mind of Jesus (Phil. 2:3, 5).