Introduction

·      There are two types of conflict resolution people: “Can’t we all just get along” types and “Bull-in-a-china-closet” types.

·      Illustration: In his autobiography titled Number 1, Billy Martin recounts a humorous story about hunting with Mickey Mantle.

·      Paul shows us a better model for solving conflict and taking a stand.

If we’re going to stand our ground, we must be sure of the ground we’re standing on.

·        Paul stood his ground about preaching to the Gentiles and about their freedom from the Jewish law because he was sure of what God had revealed to him.

      -     Galatians 2:2

·        God reveals solid ground to us today through the Bible.

·        We also need to be discerning about which fights we want to pick.

      -     Illustration: Disputing neighbors erect parallel fences two feet apart on their      Canadian farms.  

If we’re going to stand our ground, we must be sure of our motivation.

·        Paul respected authority and confidently went to Jerusalem to explain his preaching to Gentiles.

·        Paul and his message were accepted by the leaders in Jerusalem along with the right hand of fellowship.

·        Illustration: Helt recounts a story of a night shift job he had with about six people.  One of them had an attitude of rebellion and made everyone’s life miserable. 

If we are going to stand our ground, we have to know when to compromise.

·        We can compromise our actions without compromising our principles.

·        Titus, Paul’s associate, was a Christian Greek who did not believe he had to be circumcised to evangelize the Gentiles (Galatians 2:3).

·        Circumcising Timothy gave him more credibility with the Jews he was evangelizing (Acts 16:1-3).

·        There’s a time and a place for compromise.

If we are going to stand our ground, we have to stay on target.

·        We can’t get side tracked by standing our ground; we must keep our eyes on our original goal.

·        Galatians 2:10

·        Illustration: In 1987, 1,500 meter sprinter Eamon Coughlan was in the midst of one of history's greatest comebacks when he took his eyes off the finish line and was defeated.