Living on the Edge

Guest (Male): Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.

Chip Ingram: You have probably heard God has a wonderful plan for your life. Well, did you know that Satan has a plan for your life as well? That is right. Satan's plan has three easy steps: He wants to kill, steal, and destroy everything you love and cherish. And he will stop at nothing to accomplish his agenda.

The good news is, we know his tactics and his methods. Today, I will help you learn how to protect yourself from his diabolical plan and keep you from falling prey to his schemes.

Dave Drewe: Differences alone do not destroy relationships, but differences plus unmet needs plus a perceived loss of power. Well, that is the formula the enemy has been using since the first century.

I am Dave Drewe and today on Living on the Edge, Chip Ingram shares five specific practical principles from Acts 6 on exactly what to do the moment you feel division begin to form in a marriage, a friendship, a small group, or a church. And just ahead, Chip will also update us on the mid-year match and why this month is such a critical moment for this ministry.

It is coming up right after the message. Now, here is Chip Ingram with his lesson titled Divide and Conquer.

Chip Ingram: So, are you ready? We are going to go on a journey. Open your Bibles to Acts chapter 6.

Now, I want to give you a little context here. Write down the context is rapid growth or change. I want you to get that. And that is where the enemy causes division.

Are you ready? Acts chapter 6. In those days, in the days of this rapid growth, the number of the disciples was increasing. The Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebrew Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of the food. So, the 12 gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables."

Now, here is the solution side. So, you have a complaint. That is what is happening. Notice what happens. The disciples say, "We have a problem." They realize they are going to have to realign their priorities.

Here is the response. Brothers, choose seven from among you who are known to be full of the spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them, and we will give our attention to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

Well, this proposal pleased the entire group, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and also Philip and Procus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenius and Nicholas from Antioch, who was a convert to Judaism. And they presented these men to the apostles who prayed, laid hands on them, basically delegated the authority.

So, what the apostles basically said was, "Wait a second, this thing is growing, but we have to step back, not respond emotionally." I mean, this is real stuff. They are complaining. "What is wrong with you? Hey Peter, I thought you loved God. How come my, you know, my aunt is a widow? What is the deal?" Right? This is, this is heavy stuff.

They step back and they realize, "We are overwhelmed. They listen, and they say, 'You know what?'" So they appoint seven of the most godly people, and they come up with a solution. And it pleased the people, and then look at verse 7.

So the word of God spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

And so, notice on your notes here, you have got rapid growth. You have an unmet need. And then here is the core. Differences are fertile ground for division when growth or change create real or perceived unmet needs.

See, the core issue is, the disciples understood that when things grow and multiply, unmet needs accentuate the differences, and when there are differences, that is where the enemy gets in.

The presenting problem is, hey, these widows are not getting enough food. The disciples' response is, our goal has to remain the same. We cannot allow the differences to divide us. So, leaders step back, re-evaluate roles and priorities to make sure the needs get met.

In fact, what you see in this passage is in the first half of this passage, you see differences that could have divided. And you get wise leadership, and we will talk about our practical application in a minute.

Pick it up in verse 8, and you are going to see that something happens, but the division and the desire and the differences get people doing some very, very ungodly things. Watch how the enemy gets into this. Now, Stephen, verse 8, a man full of God's grace and power did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.

Opposition arose, however, from members of the synagogue of the Freedmen as it was called. They were Jews from Cyrene and Alexandria, as well as men of the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. So, these are these Greek-speaking people who have come into town. Stephen is one of them. He is doing these amazing miracles. He is authenticating that Christ is the Messiah.

These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the spirit by which he spoke. And so they are saying, "Wait a second, Stephen, what are you talking about? You cannot change anything about the law." And Stephen would say, "No, Christ fulfilled the law."

"Well, what about the temple?" And Stephen would say, "No, yeah, we had a temple. And that was a former day. And this temple is important, but we are now the temple of God." And so Stephen is applying all that Jesus said and it is causing this huge division.

But see, here is what happens. When change or growth begins to mess with your world and my world, there are certain traditions and habits that keep us comfortable and sometimes we do not want any truth. And we do not want the change and the implications of truth.

And the enemy gets in and instead of it being different or I need to grow, the enemy gets in and says, "You know what, you have to take that person out." And so, notice what happens. Then they secretly persuade people to speak against him and say that Stephen has been speaking words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.

So then they stirred up the people. Notice division? And the elders and the teachers of the law, and they seized Stephen and they brought him before the Sanhedrin, which is the ruling council of the Jews. And they produced false witnesses who testified, "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs of Moses handed down to us." And they have taken some truths and just tilted it in such a way.

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. First part of the chapter, differences, potential division, wisdom, the church continues to grow, roles change, paradigms change, people understand, "We need to stay on track. Our differences are not wrong. It is just a different day."

I need to be flexible. I need to respond. I need to hear God's voice. The second group, just the opposite. The change threatens their power, threatens their security. Well, let's talk about you and me.

So, where do we go from here? What are specific principles at the first signs of disunity? Number one, do not be defensive. Listen objectively. I love the apostles. I mean, they could have said, "Wait a second, we saw him rise from the dead. Do not you worry about these widows, we will take care of this." And instead it was, "Listen."

"Maybe there is an issue we do not understand. We are overwhelmed right now. We cannot meet all the needs." They listened objectively. If you have any sense of division, if you have any resentment, if there is someone that you are not getting along with, just let us stop.

And before you blame and shame and it is all them, just just just listen. Second, get to the core issue and refuse to blame.

Get to the core issue. Third, seek outside help. There is a there is a third alternative. The disciples said, "You know what, we are all Hebrew Jewish boys. We have a Hellenistic-speaking problem. Why do not we get the seven wisest, most godly, smartest, Hellenistic Greek-speaking Jews and ask them what we ought to do and how to do it?"

And then why do not we delegate it? And why do not we stay in what only we can do and address this issue that way? There was a third alternative. It was not "feed them more or do them less." It was "it is time to change the paradigm."

The new wine demands new wineskins. We have to change how truth never changes, methods, roles always change.

And so for some of you, you know what, you have been banging on each other. There is a third alternative. It is not you are right or she is right. Go to a quality Christian counselor and sit down and get the issues on the table and get down to the core. There is a third alternative.

You know, in a friendship, you know, find a good friend that you both trust and sit down. And stop sending stuff to people, and stop talking to other people, and go directly to them with a humble heart, not blaming, not defensive, and say, "I know we are brothers or we are sisters or whatever in Christ, and God wants unity, and we do not have it."

What do we need to do? Get outside help. It is a third alternative. We all do not have to worship the same. We all do not have to have the same style. We do not have to like the same music. But we have to our allegiance to Christ and those coming to Christ and those who come to Christ mature, and those who are mature loving and caring for people.

The fourth is be flexible, accept roles and priorities will always change in healthy growing environments.

And by the way, we all have to do that all the time. You have to do that with friends, you have to do that in a small group, you have to do that in your marriage. What, you know, have you ever stopped to ask, what is God's agenda in this conflict that I am having in my marriage? What is God's agenda in this conflict that we are having in this small group? What is God's agenda in these parts of, you know, this Ingram guy and he is just doing some stuff?

One week I like him, and the next I just hate him. And then, you know, but I cannot say that because it is so ungodly, so I just email sort of these passive-aggressive little things to other people and tell them, "I am not sure this is really where we ought to."

We are not all going to agree on everything. We are just different. And a lot of this is not right or wrong. But we have to be flexible. We have to accept, you know, every season roles change, priorities change, things are going to be different. When things are growing, they are alive. When they stop growing and they are the way we like them all the time, here is what you need to know. You are dying.

Dave Drewe: You are listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Before we continue, a quick word about something happening right now at this ministry.

June is mid-year match month, and for a limited time, every dollar given to Living on the Edge is being matched dollar for dollar by a generous group of partners. That means your gift works twice as hard and reaches twice as far. You can learn more about it at livingontheedge.org and Chip will tell you more after the message. Right now, let us get back to it.

Chip Ingram: Fifth, refuse to fear. Change means different, not wrong.

See, the disciples, they were not afraid of the conflict. Here is the deal, it is normal. Conflict is not even bad. It is just normal. But the synagogue of the Freedmen, they were afraid. They are afraid of the power. They are afraid of the shift. They are afraid that their roles and their way was going to get changed. And so it produced some very, very negative, unhealthy, ungodly behavior.

Finally, beware, our perceived loss of control and power makes us vulnerable to divisive words and behavior.

I mean, they lost power, did not they? And pretty soon, they are followers of God and they are getting false witnesses. They are followers of God and they are making up stories. Have any of us ever done that?

Any of us ever made up stories about how it is going, you know, with a relationship or how it is going in a marriage or kind of, you know, we talk with one another. I am always amazed. I do a lot of studying in coffee shops, and I, I, I do not try and listen to people, but some of them just talk so loud.

And and and I mean, you ought to try this sometime, I do not know if I should say that, but maybe not on purpose listen. And and just like ask yourself of the five conversations that I heard, was there even one where two people were not talking about someone else that did not measure up to their expectations or did something to them?

I study for about three hours in a Starbucks around the corner and you know, you know, people here, people here, people there. And I was there for two hours, so they rotate, you know, new group came. And I just and I am studying this. You know what, my daughter-in-law, I just do not know what she is thinking about, and that boyfriend live in. I just, you know, she has no respect for me and. Well, I do not know. My supervisor, I tell you what this whole job. I mean, it was just like.

And I just wonder if Satan is not laughing and dividing. And here is what scares me. I know when I have been faced with differences and when I have been wounded and when I do not like the change, I have been that person.

And in sophisticated ways with an occasional Bible verse wrapped inside of it, I have made other people look bad. I had a season of my life where I thought my view was the truth, and I was convinced.

I it was such a disease in my life earlier, I actually wrote on a card, "My perspective of this situation is not necessarily the truth. It is simply my perspective. It may or may not have anything to do with reality." And I read it over and over and over and over.

So when something comes to me or a person comes to me or I look at something, I I can just be at least try and be like the disciples and step back and say, "Now, wait a second," because my immediate reaction is, "That is dumb, that is ungodly. This is the way it is. They should not do that."

And I have responded in that way at times, only to find out, I did not have all the facts, that as objective as I think I am, I am not. I actually come from a background and a language and a set of values, and I look at things like this, and sometimes they are not like this. They are like this.

And what I know when there is conflict and differences and division emerging, whether it is in my marriage or with a close friend or with a group of elders or with a staff member or with someone out on a basketball court, what I know is that whatever I am feeling that makes me want to blame and divide is Satan's at work. And I need to realize, "You know what, this is how I see it."

But how I see it is not necessarily reality or true. And so I do not want to be defensive and I do not want to blame and I want to ask some questions and with humility, I am going to say, "Our unity matters more than me getting things the way I think they ought to be." And I ask, "What is God's agenda?"

Some of you need to probably go to a counselor and get some of those differences on the table.

Some of you may walk out of here and say, "You know something, I have never thought of myself being divisive." But I talk about other people all the time.

And I complain and I grumble. I mean, I do it in very sophisticated ways that when something comes out of your mouth or my mouth, and when we are done, someone looks at the person we are talking to less than when we opened our mouth, it is divisive. It can be slanderous. It could be gossip.

And you can take that and go to the front of your notes and write it in the box that says "diabolical." Because that is what God thinks of it.

You think there is a reason why there is 575,000 different denominations? I do not know how many there are. I just made that up. Every time someone gets wounded, we will start our own group. We will start our own group. We will start our own group. We will start our own group.

Could it be that the real issue of the vision that we talked about of a powerful, supernatural work, the problem is not out there? The problem is not the hardened hearts of this secular community. Could it be the lack of unity and the acceptance of what I would call moderate disunity that we live with and a sense of superiority of those that are outside of Christ or different than us? Could it be that that very thing is what holds and limits the power of the Holy Spirit to pour out blessing through us and transform this place the way he has done in past?

And that maybe the the next step is not the big thing out there, it is the first thing in here. And every single one of us saying, "Boy, do I need to apologize to someone?"

I I can tell this person. There is coldness between us. Do I need to ask someone, "Is there are things right between us? Is there an issue we need to deal with?"

And just say, "God, my perspective, I do not I have no idea whether it is right, true, wrong." Here is what I know, there is agreeing to disagree and coming together around unity and forgiving even what you do not understand is way, way better than allowing any kind of disunity that you know, that is Satan's agenda, divide and conquer.

I had one of the sweetest moments with God and another human being that I ever had here about three months ago. I I have a I had a very divisive, painful, I could give you pages and pages and pages of me feeling how I was wronged in many ways with this individual. And I think he could have had a list equally of me.

And I took years to thank God, pray for him, I am practicing being a Romans 12 Christian and doing doing all that.

And I happened to be doing something in a city where I knew he was. And early in the morning, God prompted me, "Why do not you call him and ask him if he wants to have lunch?" Oh Lord, you know, I have already forgiven him. I just do not want to be around him, you know, I have forgiven him. You know, well,

Chip, this is sort of not a negotiable. You know, I am not giving suggestions. I want you to understand that unity really matters to me.

And and I had heard some good things about him that I actually rejoice, so I know I had really forgiven him.

And we sat in another city for two hours, and I had lunch with the man, and and we both came to a point of tears. Where he looked at me and I never thought I would hear this. He goes, "Chip, I am so sorry. I do not know what happened." "I really do not even know what happened." "And I do not know what I was thinking." "But man, it got ugly, did not it?" I said, "It did."

I said, "John, same here. I know you are a godly man. I know you love God. I, you know," And we looked at each other and we prayed together and then he asked about my family. And I will never forget walking out of there and getting in that car and driving back to the hotel and tears coming down my face thinking, "We have a redemptive God."

"We have a forgiving God." "He can take the worst and pull it back together." And I thought, "Oh Jesus, that is your agenda. That is his agenda for your marriage and your small group and with your kids and with your friends and with the co-worker that does not even know Christ. That is his agenda."

It takes power, but you have got it because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

Dave Drewe: You have been listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. In the end of a message titled Divide and Conquer, part of our current series called The Jesus Revolution.

We will hear more from Chip in just a moment, so do not go anywhere. And if you would like to connect with our growing online community, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. And for the full uncut version of Chip's messages, subscribe to the Chip Ingram Sermon podcast, available wherever you listen to podcasts.

In a coffee shop for three hours, not trying to eavesdrop, but every conversation Chip overheard involved someone being talked about who was not there, making them look worse, making the speaker feel better. And his confession was this, "I have been that person." Sophisticated, Bible verse wrapped and still divisive. The antidote? Stop. Ask what God's agenda is in this conflict. Consider that your read on the situation might simply be wrong. Pursue unity more than you pursue being right.

And if there is someone you have been cold to or someone you have been talking about, rather than talking to, today might be the day you make the call. Now, Chip has more for us about the global reach of this ministry and what your gift this month actually makes possible.

Chip Ingram: In Acts chapter 10, God does something that shocks everyone, including Peter. He sends the gospel to the Gentiles. The wall between Jew and Gentile, centuries in the making, comes down in a single afternoon.

The movement Jesus started was never meant for one group of people. It was always meant for the whole world. A movement with no borders, no boundaries, no gatekeepers, just the Holy Spirit drawing people from every nation into the family of God.

You know, Living on the Edge started out as a broadcast ministry right here in the US, and then God decided to do something different. He started to take it around the world on satellites and partnerships and videos and TV, and then pretty soon pastors were asking for help. And right now Living on the Edge is ministering in over 50 countries, and our resources are in 38 languages.

It just reminds me, the movement is God's movement. He is the one that does the work. He is calling us to be available. And so I would remind you, this little thing that started in the outskirts of Jerusalem, when an itinerant preacher was crucified on a cross, is a movement that is sweeping the world, and it will not stop until every person on the face of the earth hears the message of Jesus.

We are called to join him in this movement, to share the gospel by what we say, by how we live, by how we give. I am inviting you today to join me, and when you give in this month of June, every dollar you give will be doubled, dollar for dollar. Would you consider giving to this mid-year match and make the revolution something that happens not just in your area, but all across the globe?

Dave Drewe: 50 countries, 38 languages, one message. And right now, every dollar you give this June is matched dollar for dollar, making your gift go twice as far. Partner with Living on the Edge through the mid-year match at livingontheedge.org or by calling 888-333-6003.

Or send your donation through the mail by writing to us at Living on the Edge, P.O. Box 3007, Atlanta, Georgia 30024. I am Dave Drewe and next time Chip moves to Acts chapter 7, exposing one of the most subtle and dangerous enemies our faith can face. Join us next time on Living on the Edge.

Today's program is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.