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“And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all…..”
2 Timothy 2:24a
There is so much going on in the world today that is capable, (if adequate care is not taken) of sweeping off a young minister off his feet in the work of ministry. Paul wrote to Timothy in the text above about how it must never be heard of that someone who professes to be a servant of God is found in the act of quarrelling. But the other twist to this is the fact that taking offenses could lead to quarrel. Now, it is possible for one to think like this and ask the question: Why should a minister of God quarrel in the first place? That should never be heard of them at all.
Well, the truth is they do! If it was not possible, Paul wouldn’t have deem it fit to write to Timothy about it. In his article “when godly people quarrel” by Jacob Ninan, he has this to say about the possibilities of godly people quarrelling and why they do so:
“People of God in all walks of life – husbands and wives, brothers and sisters in families and in the church, Christian workers, and even ‘men of God’ – quarrel. Christian churches and groups quarrel with one another. God’s name is blasphemed among the heathen because of the way His people behave (Romans 2:24). While it is tragic that people of God quarrel, it is more tragic because many times quarrels are based on wrong assumptions about what the others are doing and why they are doing those things. Of course people of God should not quarrel even for so-called valid reasons. Even when someone has done us harm God expects us not to return evil for evil, but a blessing (Luke 6:27-31). But if we quarrel thinking that others have done us harm when they were actually planning to do us good, isn’t it ridiculous? It is really tragic because the devil is sitting there and laughing.”
The above statement explains the possibilities of people of God involving in one form of quarrel or the other but more importantly, it explains the tragic events that follows and the mockery of the devil if those quarrels are taking out of context and viewed as being a measure of punishment rather than an avenue that we all as believers become better people to one another. While it is never a sort of impossibility for brethren to get offended; being quarrelsome or holding grudges is one level of being offended which should never be given a room amongst believers.
But let us leave this here for now and concentrate on the young minister which is our focus. Let me explain to us a number of scenarios that can warrant a minister finding himself or herself in the act of quarrel.
There are a number of ways in which a minister of God can be found in the act of quarrelling, irrespective of how the quarrel could have come about. A quarrel could be thrown at him or her, but the prerogative to accept or reject it lies with the young minister. Moses found himself being quarreled with by the children of Israel. In Exodus 17:2 (AMP), the Scripture says: “Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water so we may [have something to] drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you tempt the Lord and try His patience?” Moses could have chosen to quarrel back with the children of Israel, but he instead took the matter to the Lord, and the Lord told him what to do.
In the instance above, a minister could find himself in the midst of a quarrelsome people, but he must never be tempted to quarrel in return. Instead of quarrelling back, he can return the supposed hostile gesture back with some level of gentleness. No wonder the Scripture says concerning Moses that he was very meek (gentle, kind, devoid of self-righteousness), even more than all the people who were on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3). This is one thing every young minister must emulate from the life of Moses.
A minister of God may also be found in the act of quarrelling if he or she takes offence. Offence is defined as “annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult or disregard for oneself.” A minister may perceive that he or she has being resented and so, may take offence, which in turn may lead into an act of quarrel with the people or persons where he or she believes the perceived resentment is coming from. But here is what the Scripture says about taking offences. Proverbs 18:19 (AMP) says “A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city..” And this is where I believe the offended minister should take note.
Offence is capable of driving you out of the faith if you are not careful and if that happens, that Proverbs says winning you back would become an arduous task. So, for a young minister, it is for your own good, both in the short and long run, if you do not take offence or be quarrelsome. Even if you do take offence, how you deal with it matters so much. Also in Matthew 24:10, the Scripture says offence is capable of leading to hatred. “And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” I believe you know that hatred is a No! No! for you as a young minister. I believe you don’t want to allow hatred to foster in your heart even as you begin to rise in ministry.
Stay Blessed and God bless you!
Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!
Source: [Centre for New Dimension Leadership]
