Elevation Church Pastor: Conflict Is Not Always Bad, but God's Plan? (Look at Moses)
Although Christians struggle with many different internal conflicts in their life, they must look to the story of Moses to find that often times "the conflict is the resolution," Pastor Jonathan Josephs of Elevation Church in Charlotte, North Carolina, said during a sermon Sunday.
Josephs, who serves as a campus pastor at the church, which was listed as one of the largest evangelical churches in the United States by Outreach magazine, spoke on the topic of reconciling internal conflicts during his message titled "Conflict Resolution."
Every person struggles with their identity, Josephs says, because everyone plays different roles in their life: the role of a father, the role of a pastor, the role of an employee, the role of a husband, etc.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Josephs describes this struggle as the "third word," or trying to put the perfect noun to define yourself after the phrase "I am."
"I've got all these different third words and sometimes it's hard for me to reconcile how they all fit together," the pastor told the congregation.
What Christians fail to realize, he adds, is even though they may be constantly struggling to piece their internal conflicts together, these quarrels can actually work together to serve God's plan.
Josephs points specifically to the story of Moses, who was born a Hebrew but was sent in a basket down the river to live as a prince in Egypt. Moses struggles with this internal conflict, and further complicates his life when he murders an Egyptian and hides him in the sand.
Moses then attempts to flee his past by hiding in the wilderness, where he encounters the burning bush. It is there that God tells Moses He will lead the Israelites out of Egypt, and Moses changes his perspective, realizing that all of his past experiences prepared him for this opportunity.
"I feel like God sent me here tonight to tell you that when you begin to embrace all the pieces that God has placed into your life — all the titles, all the third words, and you bring it before God, He'll show you the purpose He has for you," Josephs says. "The conflict you feel, God's preparing all along to be the resolution, not only for you but for other people too."
The pastor went on to say that he has now realized all of his previous experiences, which seemed to be conflicting, can actually work together to make him better in all of his roles. For example, as he grows as a husband, he's becoming a better pastor.
"I am fearfully and wonderfully made. It wasn't by mistake. It had to happen," the pastor says.
Going back to the concept of "the third word," Josephs says Christians should focus more on the "I am" rather than the noun, quoting Moses when he tells God: "I am here."
Josephs concludes his sermon by calling on all Christians to come before God and tell Him "I am here," so they may sooner see how their internal conflict is actually a part of God's plan.
