Why we serve in and through the tension

By Dean Collins

”There are only two things certain in life; death and taxes,” said Benjamin Franklin in 1789. And, like men and women throughout the centuries since then, we nod and agree. We agree because we’ve lived long enough to have paid our taxes and watched loved ones die. But death and taxes aren’t all we’ve seen over and over again. We have seen many other certainties, and we are living large in the middle of one of them right now. We can be certain that in life there will be conflict.

Every marriage, every business, every family, every community, every church, even internally every person has conflict. Its partner is tension, and like the chicken and the egg, sometimes it’s tough to tell which comes first. Conflict and tension are so closely related we often use the words interchangeably. Maybe the tension is the first twinge that something might not be right. The decision, the strategy, the path forward might have a hiccup. Someone might not see it or experience it as intended. Or maybe the intention really was wrong, so tension emerges and soon there is conflict.

Repeating pattern

Throughout the grand drama of Scripture we see tension and conflict followed by resolution. Right out of the gate (i.e., garden) we see tension in Eve’s mind as she considered whether God is right or whether she knew—or should know—as much as God. She and Adam shared a forbidden bite, and conflict emerged with God that resulted in separation.

But immediately God put in place a plan and path for resolution. That pattern continued to repeat. Over and over men and women could not resolve their inner tensions or their conflicts with each other. Finally God sent a Savior who would pay the greatest price to heal and restore all things, remove all tension, resolve all conflict. Those who choose to accept God’s resolution to our sin problem become part of the kingdom of God and the body of Christ as we push closer and closer to the ultimate resolution when Jesus returns to restore all things.

As we read the story of the church in Acts we see the apostles preaching the good news of the resurrection of Jesus and the Jewish audience eagerly accepting the promised Messiah. One by one , tens, hundreds, even thousands repent of their sins, are baptized declaring a new identity, and experience a resolution to the conflict they have lived in their relationship with God. And this transformation brings immediate unity of purpose and identity. The account tells us the church was one, had everything in common, met daily, shared their possessions as anyone had need, and lived out the kingdom of God.

But tension and conflict grew in Jerusalem. Some Jewish people accepted Jesus, and others didn’t. The Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus had tension and conflict with those who accepted him. That conflict moved the opponents of the apostles to deal with them much as they had Jesus. These religious authorities watched, captured, harassed, threatened, and even punished the apostles for teaching about Jesus and the resurrection.

Resolving conflict

After much debate and argument among the Jewish leaders concerning what to do about this growing tension and conflict, the leading Jewish authority made an attempt to resolve the conflict.

Gamaliel told the Jewish leaders to stay away from the Jewish Christians and leave them alone. If this gospel is truly from God, you can’t stop it, he said. And if it’s made up by man then it won’t continue on its current trajectory, it will fail. The Jewish leaders took Gamaliel’s advice but still exerted their power by having the apostles beaten and telling them again to stop talking about Jesus and doing good in his name.

The good news for us is that the early church counted it a privilege to suffer for Jesus, so they continued to preach, to heal, to share as people had need, and to extend the kingdom of God. And Gamaliel was right, nothing can stop what God is doing. No amount of abuse, no amount of suffering, and no amount of political or religious power can stop what God is accomplishing.

No amount of abuse, no amount of suffering, and no amount of political or religious power
can stop what God is accomplishing.

So today if you are a Christ follower and you have tension and conflict with those who are not, remember the example of the early saints. We can and must continue to love others, share our resources with others in need, endure suffering nobly, and watch God extend his kingdom. And yes, the message of the gospel will always be in conflict with the systems of the world. It has been so since the beginning and will remain so until Jesus returns. What we can’t do is act hatefully and viciously with those who don’t know Jesus or walk according to his will. We must extend love, grace, and mercy as we serve both those within the household of faith and those outside. The work of God will not fail.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Acts‬ ‭5:38-42‬, ESV‬‬

Photo by Jessica Da Rosa on Unsplash