Removing Factions in the Church

1 Corinthians 3:7

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.

In any ministry that aggressively goes after the lost and is a growing ministry, you will find those within the ministry competing with each other to the detriment of the work of that ministry. Paul saw this cancer in the church of Corinth. The powerful personalities that had graced the presence of this church had become a cancer because of the factions within the church that followed each personality. Some were saying they were of Paul, and others were saying they were of Apollos. Paul reminded this church that both he and Apollos were serving God together, and that the factions in the church only hurt the cause for which Paul and Apollos tried to get this church to do. Paul reminded them that it did not matter who planted or who watered, but the only thing that mattered was that God gave the increase and that everyone won because God gave that increase.

Any church that will be a force for Christ must keep God as its focus and soul winning as its mission. Factions in the church will hurt their focus and mission; therefore, we must do all we can to make sure we understand that, at the end of the day, everyone wins when God gives the increase. Let me share several mindsets and actions that will keep a church from developing factions.

First, every church needs to develop a “we” mentality instead of an “I” mentality. Paul said, We are labourers together. Notice the words we and together. The only way a church wins is if we keep the “I” out of the church. The only superstar in the church is Christ, and anyone who thinks they are God’s gift to that church and that the church will not function without them is self-centered and must be corrected or avoided at all costs. The “I” mindset in the church will hurt the ability of that church to reach the lost. “We” will always reach the world better than “I.” Every church must constantly be reminded that we are in this ministry of serving God together and that ALL ministries and people in the church are essential to the church’s ability to reaching their city for Christ.

Second, you turn a church into a “we” mentality by labouring together. You can't be unified by desiring to be unified, but you become unified by laboring together. I don't get involved in serving God to be unified, but I serve God because it is the right thing to do, resulting in finding myself laboring together in unity with fellow believers. The goal is to serve the LORD, but the result is unity through laboring.

Third, you must have a together mindset to remove factions from the church. Nobody can do their own thing, but everyone must do the same thing together. If one person ignores the policies and procedures of the church, you create factions in the church. Just because you don't like the policies and procedures does not mean you can do your own thing. Laboring together means everyone follows the policies and procedures that are set in place for their church as they labor, which removes any faction from forming in the church.

Fourth, you must have God as the focus to remove factions from the church. You will notice they labored together with God. The church must have a spiritual mindset of staying focused on God to remove factions. My friend, when you labor together with God, everyone succeeds and wins together when God chooses to give the increase.