Who among us has been appointed the next Elijah? Who among us has been given the cloak to be the next Elisha? Who among us has been charged with being the next John the baptizer? Who among us has been ordained to be the next Apostle Paul?

Far too many times people talk themselves into believing they have a special mission to the body of Christ or this world that gives them the right to be as the prophets of old. Oh it sounds so good to say “I am the man of God”, but who among us honestly can say we are in the same category as Moses, David, Isaiah, Peter or John?

Sometimes I want to pull my hair out and just scream as I watch the power struggles arise within the Church. Just as the 12 disciples of Jesus wrestled among themselves as to who was greatest, so Christian leaders today spend more time arguing with each other than reaching out to those suffering around us.

I have said before and wanted to “officially” say again now after the latest nuclear war here at Christian Blog that I absolutely refuse to be drug into never ending word battles, endless debates and open warfare with another believer. I never have and still do not understand how anyone can justify words spoken in anger or disgust, accusations flying like a flock of geese or deliberate attempts made to discredit, dishonor or destroy another believer.

My dad taught me when I was a young boy to just “walk away” from potential conflict. I was taught that when the bully came to cause trouble, I was to walk away and not get into a fight with him. I was taught it was better to be perceived a “wimp” than to end up in the hospital with broken bones or expelled from school for fighting.

We live in a culture rife with conflict. Fighting is not only acceptable behavior but encouraged through sporting events and even “fight clubs”. People pay big bucks to watch two people knock the daylights out of each other in a ring (or cage). Physical fighting is so common that no one pays any attention to it anymore.

The culture of conflict has spilled into politics, religion and business. I believe this culture is not healthy for it always ends up hurting someone. Besides, most of the conflicts I see stem from or turn into events prompted and driven by anger, wrath, the desire for revenge or even hatred. These are not good words when you read the Bible.

Of course Paul said to “fight the good fight”, but he was not referring to engaging in endless word battles. More than anything else, Paul was exhorting believers to fight for the unity of our faith. If half as much time were spent fighting for unity as is spent fighting for pride or a mistaken belief one is better than or more right than another; the end result would be constructive conflict instead of the destruction that comes from relentless word battles.

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