Thread by @sometimesalight

B/c some of you might need permission to mute & block, here it is:

"As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once & then twice, have nothing more to do with him." (Titus 3:10)

#yourewelcome

I reread this passage recently & was convicted by how much time, attention, & emotion I yield to people who have little interest in anything more than stirring up strife & gaining power thru conflict.

Sometimes the godly thing to do is to ignore & reject those who are clamouring for attention. But this takes spiritual maturity & willingness to establish boundaries, to say "No," & hold a hard line.

I have been in ministry situations where a divisive minority were allowed free reign to scuttle the whole work. B/c their voices were given credibility, they came to dominate the entire conversation, holding psychological sway over everyone thru bullying & aggression.

The proper response to those who cause division is not to draw up battle lines & cause further division in response. It is simply to ignore, reject, & avoid them--to simply not give them the power they seek.

This is a hard truth tho & harder still to apply--which is why Proverbs says that it is the mark of a wise, mature person to reject scoffers & ignore certain people.

Wisdom requires two things:

1. Knowing who to listen to
2. Knowing who to ignore

And when you learn who to ignore, you find your mind & heart free to enter into the good work God has called you to. Strife doesn't necessarily go away, but it doesn't have power over you.

And in case it needs to be said, honest disagreement looks very different from fighting & division. Fighting & quarreling is rooted in thwarted desire for control, power, & wealth (James 4). Learning to distinguish the two--both in ourselves & others--is essential to godliness.