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March
6, 2005
Wednesday Night Bible Class 7:30pm
Sr. Pastor-Teacher: Rev. Mark A. Cain
SERIES: THE
STUDY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS
 CHAPTER 15:
THE LORD CONVERTS THE DIVISION OF PAUL AND BARNABAS INTO MULTIPLICATION FOR THE CHURCH
TEXT (L49): Acts 15:32-41
Memory Verse— 39 “And there
occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one
another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
40 But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to
the grace of the Lord.”
Acts
15:39-40 (NASB)
HOW
TO RESTORE A RELATIONSHIP1. Talk to God before talking to the person. Instead of looking to God, we look to others to make us happy and then get angry when they fail us (Js. 4:1-2).
2. Always take the initiative. It doesn't matter whether you are the
offender or the offended: God expects you to make the first move (Matt. 5:23-24).
3. Sympathize with their feelings. Don't try to talk people out of how
they feel at first. Just listen and let them unload emotionally without being defensive (Ps. 73:21-22).
4. Confess your part of the conflict. If you are serious about restoring
a relationship, you should begin with admitting you own mistakes or sin (Matt. 7:5; 1 Jn. 1:8).
5. Attack the problem, not the person. You cannot fix the problem if
you're consumed with fixing the blame. A soft answer is always better than a sarcastic one (Prov. 15:1).
6. Cooperate as mush as possible. Peace always has a price tag. Sometimes
it cost our pride; it often costs our self-centeredness (Rom. 12:10, 18; Phil. 2:3; Matt. 5:9).
7. Emphasize reconciliation, not resolution. It is unrealistic to expect
everyone to agree about everything. Reconciliation focuses on the relationship , while resolution focuses on the
problem. Christians often have legitimate, honest disagreements and differing opinions, but we can disagree
without being disagreeable (1 Pet. 3:11; Matt. 5:9).
Source:
THE PURPOSE DRIVEN
Life, Chapter 20
By: Rick Warren
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