5 Tools for Sowing Discord

5 Tools for Sowing Discord

So, you want to sow a little discord in a local congregation?  Do you want to cause some division and disorder, maybe get some of the brethren to leave (that is, people you don’t like or with whom you disagree)?  Want to know how to get the local brethren really riled up so that there is constant bickering and tension?  Well, here are some tools you might consider using to sow the seeds of discord in your spiritual family.

1) Pride – If you want to really alienate yourself from the brethren and make sure there is constant disagreement, always start with pride.  Always make sure you are putting yourself before your brothers and sisters.  Make sure you win every argument (whether you’re right or wrong).  DO NOT consider the feelings of your brethren or try to see things from their point of view!  Philippians 2:3 says “let nothing be done through strife and vainglory, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”  Ignore that, and just wait for the sparks to start flying!

2) The Tongue – Say what’s on your mind without thinking.  Whatever you have to say, say it and don’t wonder what effect your words will have on the brethren.  Follow the example of Diotrephes in III John 1:9,10, that is, make sure you are preeminent among the brethren, speak malicious words against the them, and refuse to have fellowship with people you don’t get along with.  Throw in a little ill-spirited sarcasm (Prov. 26:19,20), speak discouraging and hurtful words to others (especially when they are having difficulties), a little murmuring and complaining when things aren’t getting done the way you think they should (I Cor. 10:10), maybe a little gossip when you can get it in (Prov.11:13), and you will be well on your way to causing spectacular problem

3) Pessimism – Do not allow your brothers and sisters to think that anything is going well!  Whenever someone points out something good that’s happening in the local congregation, make sure you respond by bringing up a few problems in the church.  If everyone is rejoicing over a recent baptism, bring up individuals you can think of who were baptized then walked away from their faith.  If the attendance at the assemblies seems to be improving, point out the fact that the local congregation is still small compared to some other congregations.  If a young man is brave enough to step in and serve in the assembly, make sure to remind everyone that he stuttered in his prayer or tripped in the aisle.  In the parable of the Prodigal Son, there was rejoicing that the lost son had returned, but your role is that of the angry older brother: don’t rejoice with everyone else, but instead point out all the wrong your erring brother committed.

4) Subtlety - The smallest of splits can cause the greatest of rips.  If you want to tear the brethren apart, you can be as quiet and subtle as you’d like.  You don’t have to turn every little dispute into an explosive argument.  Just a sprinkle of complaining here, a dash of discouragement there, and you can transform a savory scent into a repulsive one.  We are told in the KJV of Genesis that, “the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1).  Look at how much damage just a little twist of words caused.  If you can just get one person worked up enough, just get one person to feel like there is dissonance among the brethren, who knows the extent of damage you might cause!  Remember, “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” (I Corinthians 5:6)

5) Subjectivity – Make sure everything you think and say begins with words like, “I think”, “I feel”, or “seems to me”.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking there is a difference between your personal feelings and conviction on a matter and what God’s word teaches!  Make sure to use your own life experience, expertise, knowledge, and intuition as a battering ram whenever someone else’s reason or even God’s Word is thrown up to thwart you.  If you allow any kind of objective standards of right or wrong, you’re setting yourself up to be exposed as the troublemaker that you are!

He who sows discord is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 6:19).

s.

JEREMY KOONTZ