For all of you who have been reading this little series on Order and thought that I was going to write about balance next, I still plan on doing so. I actually did post something about balance but didn't like it so I took it down. Here are some further thoughts on order.
I am all about natural order over planned order. The way that I am thinking of it is similar to the creation of city roads. When you look at a place like the city of Houston that has been around for awhile you will find that all the roads criss-cross, zig-zag, and are all over the place. Now if you were to go visit a city like Omaha Nebraska and you look at a map of it you will see that all the roads are neatly and perfectly set up like a grid. The difference between these two places is that in one city (Houston) the roads were created in conjunction with the growth of the city. As the road was needed so the road was created. In Omaha, the roads were prepared and planned ahead of time before the growth ever happened. Rather than the people deciding which way they should take, with the roads prior creation, their ways had already been prepared for them. A kind of predetermined direction.
It is true that the planned roads would be the most economic and convenient way to go, but they just aren’t authentic. They’re not genuine roads.
Both of these kinds of roads have an order to them but the order of the natural roads unfold through the needs, wants, and growth of the city, and the order of the planned roads post-date the needs, wants, and growth of the city. In actuality the planned order tells the city in what way and in which direction to grow.
What kind of order should we have in our services: A natural order that develops and unfolds through the service, or a planned order that develops and unfolds the service? Surely we have all seen these two orders.
One could say that when the Church gathers together they are like a city (on a hill), and the order of the service is/are the roads on which the Church is traveling. The Church has direction in which it is going. Yes, it has a destination place. But, I am of the opinion that the Holy Spirit doesn’t want the same order for every service. But that He wants to take us into new truths, new dimensions, and into new revelations in Christ Jesus through different orders.
What I am getting at here is that I believe our services should be Spirit led rather than order led. I need to make it clear though that this does not mean order is unimportant, for it is, because God is a God of order (a discussion for a later post). What I mean is that the Holy Spirit should be the order maker.
I once heard that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If this is true need I say what has happened to some of our congregations?
When I say that I am all about natural order rather than planned order I am not saying that I don’t believe things shouldn’t be planned but that things should not be planned shut. Things should be planned from an open-ended perspective. What happens is that plans are for some like children are to parents. To separate them from their plans would be to separate them from their very blood and life. When we have a scheduled service let us not be so disappointed when the scheduled plans get suspended by a schedule much larger and demanding than ours. You never know when a “Suddenly” might happen (And the Lord you seek, will suddenly come to His temple Mal 3:1).
Any thoughts from the readers? I am only developing here not constructing anything-at least not yet.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
The artist with no eyes
Wow!! Everybody has got to watch this video. There is more to vision then just seeing through the eyes. This could make for some interesting conversation.
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
Let All Things Be Done. Order Part II
Let all things be done.
How?
Decently and in order.
I am not sure when it happened or why it happened but I am for sure that it did happen. What happened? The second part of I Corinthians 14:40 happened.
Someone, somewhere, in real time, got a little too passionate about decency and orderliness and forgot to let all things be done.
The context in which decency and orderliness is to be exercised in, is one of liberty. Genuine liberty has order and genuine order must have a sense of liberty. To exercise order without liberty leads to manipulation and control. In turn, to exercise liberty without order leads to chaos.
Let all things be done. What things? All the gift things. This was the context—still is today.
Some church bodies don’t see all the gifts. Perhaps, too much order and not enough liberty? Most likely.
Some church bodies abuse all the gifts. Most likely, too much liberty and not enough order.
Balance is important. But what is balance? I have some thoughts but plan on saving them for another post.
How?
Decently and in order.
I am not sure when it happened or why it happened but I am for sure that it did happen. What happened? The second part of I Corinthians 14:40 happened.
Someone, somewhere, in real time, got a little too passionate about decency and orderliness and forgot to let all things be done.
The context in which decency and orderliness is to be exercised in, is one of liberty. Genuine liberty has order and genuine order must have a sense of liberty. To exercise order without liberty leads to manipulation and control. In turn, to exercise liberty without order leads to chaos.
Let all things be done. What things? All the gift things. This was the context—still is today.
Some church bodies don’t see all the gifts. Perhaps, too much order and not enough liberty? Most likely.
Some church bodies abuse all the gifts. Most likely, too much liberty and not enough order.
Balance is important. But what is balance? I have some thoughts but plan on saving them for another post.
Monday, February 18, 2008
What is ORDER? Part I
Paul, in speaking of the charismata (spiritual gifts) said "let all things be done decently and in order." What I am wondering is "did Paul have the same definition of order that we have today." Think about it. Two thousand years have passed since Paul penned those words under the inspiration and authority of Holy Spirit. Don't you think that the order in Corinth may have been a little different than the order in present day United States?
Believe it or not but order does have a kind of relativity to it that hinges upon the context of the situation. Things such as geography, culture, language, time limits, etc. all have an influence on how we define order. Practically speaking, all one has to do is join a bunch of different families of different cultures for dinner and just watch how they interact. What for one family may be chaos for another family may be the normal order of interaction.
“Order” is not fixed, but is dependent upon a given situation. To discover the proper order in any situation one must first have an intimate understanding of it. If I were to walk “cold turkey” into a business meeting with my job and presume to start setting things in order (according to my predetermined assumptions) by telling people what to do and how to do them I would most certainly be mocked, and a few people would probably get angry with me.
This is why I find it somewhat troublesome and comical when non-charismatics visit a charismatic church. They often have a different experience of order. One that is usually very unfamiliar with the Charismatic position. Without even knowing it, some dismiss the entire experience at the expense of wanting to preserve the order they have always known. It is an easy thing to judge that with which we are unfamiliar.
In asking what order is some may be tempted to just use whatever definitions the dictionary gives. I advise against it for the moment because even dictionaries are the products of cultural constructions. Meaning that dictionaries weren’t created in vacuums but were created by people like you and I who are in culture.
If anybody is interested in dialoging, I ask “what you think Order really is?” What is your experience of Order and how should the Church exercise order? In my opinion the Church has abused the word/practice. What is your opinion?
Believe it or not but order does have a kind of relativity to it that hinges upon the context of the situation. Things such as geography, culture, language, time limits, etc. all have an influence on how we define order. Practically speaking, all one has to do is join a bunch of different families of different cultures for dinner and just watch how they interact. What for one family may be chaos for another family may be the normal order of interaction.
“Order” is not fixed, but is dependent upon a given situation. To discover the proper order in any situation one must first have an intimate understanding of it. If I were to walk “cold turkey” into a business meeting with my job and presume to start setting things in order (according to my predetermined assumptions) by telling people what to do and how to do them I would most certainly be mocked, and a few people would probably get angry with me.
This is why I find it somewhat troublesome and comical when non-charismatics visit a charismatic church. They often have a different experience of order. One that is usually very unfamiliar with the Charismatic position. Without even knowing it, some dismiss the entire experience at the expense of wanting to preserve the order they have always known. It is an easy thing to judge that with which we are unfamiliar.
In asking what order is some may be tempted to just use whatever definitions the dictionary gives. I advise against it for the moment because even dictionaries are the products of cultural constructions. Meaning that dictionaries weren’t created in vacuums but were created by people like you and I who are in culture.
If anybody is interested in dialoging, I ask “what you think Order really is?” What is your experience of Order and how should the Church exercise order? In my opinion the Church has abused the word/practice. What is your opinion?
How do I find forgiveness?
How can a murderer find forgivenes? All the old man wants is a straight answer. From the TV show "ER."
Saturday, February 16, 2008
My Future Funeral Service
I have never been a fan of funerals. Especially, when they are the epitome of gloom and doom. Having gone to my fair share this is what I have to say—it is meant to be purposeful to those who are of the Christian faith.
Before I say too much though, I invite you to come into the kind of funeral that I have in mind. Take a seat, and experience the atmosphere with me.
It is 6:00 P.M. and cars are beginning to spill into the cemetery from the freeway. Most of the people are on time except for a few who probably weren’t too close to the deceased. Once parked, and people begin to unfold themselves from their seats and step out of the vehicles the message is clear enough. People are grieving. Some are just sad.
Everybody knows they are to keep their voices hushed. And all of the children have already been threatened that if they don’t behave they may end up being the next one in the casket. Furthermore, beginning with the children and ending with the elderly, everybody is donned in blackness. The message is clear. Death is in the air.
The funeral home is divided in two parts: the first is what I call the preparatory room, where everybody really prefers to hang out in. It is the preferred room because it is where all the old friends and family that haven’t seen each other in a long time get to do some catching up, and figure out where they should all go eat for dinner. The second part of the home is (in my mind) the room of death. Yes, it is hear that everybody is confronted with the cold-hard fact of death. Much less is said in this room for fear of maybe waking up the dead. People cry but not too loudly so that they don’t make those who aren’t crying feel too uncomfortable. The message is clear. Some people are sad.
Now the ceremony begins. To be sure, most of what is done is deeply rooted in a traditional fashion, not to much unlike some of our modern church services. ORDER! Everything that is done is done in such a timely order. One or two songs are sung. A witty solemn prayer is published. Words of comfort are given and then the preacher presents the substance of what he had been rehearsing the night before. A simple, eloquent, and waxy message to give the crowd a pat on the back for still being alive.
The following is my favorite part. This is the part that the crowd is allowed to get involved in. Those who are going to share have probably been thinking about it all day. What to say and how to present it. And as you listen to them stumble across their broken and saddened thoughts you can’t help but feel that for some of them their pain is profoundly rooted in regret. All that they are saying now they wish they would have said before. The message is clear. Some are grieving. Others are sad. And some have regrets.
Once the service reaches its paid time limit, the hand picked casket carriers carry the box from the home to the car and then we all make a pilgrimage from the home to the grave. A hole has been dug. It is here that I need you stop with me for a brief “second.” The Box. I have never been able to understand the need to spend so much money on a box. Dude! There is absolutely no reason to lavish so much on a dead person. Think of all the living that could use such money to help keep from dying. “Second” over. The whole experience is brought to a conclusion with dirt. The hole is covered.
So let me explain to you why I have disagreement with this traditional way of remembering and honoring our dead brothers and sisters. Let me do so first by defining the manner in which I would want my death to be honored. Perhaps a list shall serve my purpose here.
When I die this is how I would like it to be:
1. Everybody wears white or Hawaiian shirts. For goodness sake, I am going to be leaving this dark and dim world and entering into a greater light. Don’t glorify the moment in blackness but celebrate the light.
2. No gloomy-doomy music. I want the best live tunes that can be found. I want it to be an occasion to worship Jesus—and radically so.
3. Invite as many lost people as you can to my funeral and preach the uncompromising truth of the Gospel.
4. If you are going to cry then cry for everybody to hear. If you are going to laugh then don’t hold back-let it roar. Don’t compromise on your emotions-be real.
5. If my body happens to be available after death, then I want to be buried in a cardboard box. And if there is some silly law out there that says you can’t be buried in a box, then use the next cheapest thing. Maybe someone could nail together some two-by-fours. Be creative.
6. If the moment is going to be sad then let it be the most joyful and fun sad moment you have ever had. May Christ be celebrated and worshiped.
7. I want nothing to do with all the structure and formality that dictates the atmosphere in funerals. I know I won’t be around to voice my opinion about this but all who read and happen to be alive once I die are personally responsible for making sure my desire is fulfilled.
8. Lastly, have a good time and don’t worry about waking me up. Talk as loud as you want.
Simply put, I don’t want people to be fake. No pretending at my funeral. If you want to say something about me then talk about Jesus. If you want to honor me then worship Jesus. Let everything that is done be done in the freedom and liberty of Christ. And please, don’t let the service be dictated by a time schedule. 30 minute to 1 hour long services speak more about the western capitalistic way then anything else. What an amazing thing it would be if everyone just lost track of time while worshiping the eternal God who is not bound by time. Time loses its meaning the closer it gets to eternity. Thus the closer we get to Jesus the less we will care about being bound to our religious time schedules.
If I could decide on how I would like my funeral to look it would be as I have loosely defined above.
I think all funerals of every Pilgrim should be unique, genuine, and real. It should never be the case that reality is suppressed for the sake of wanting to keep a silly tradition. And trust me, I have seen and heard a lot of silly things at funerals. May Christ Jesus be magnified ever so abundantly in the falling asleep of His bride.
To be completely honest my main beef with the modern funeral is that they just aren’t very Christ-like and Christ centered. They should be one of our greatest evangelistic tools for communicating the faith, hope, and love of Christianity.
Done.
Before I say too much though, I invite you to come into the kind of funeral that I have in mind. Take a seat, and experience the atmosphere with me.
It is 6:00 P.M. and cars are beginning to spill into the cemetery from the freeway. Most of the people are on time except for a few who probably weren’t too close to the deceased. Once parked, and people begin to unfold themselves from their seats and step out of the vehicles the message is clear enough. People are grieving. Some are just sad.
Everybody knows they are to keep their voices hushed. And all of the children have already been threatened that if they don’t behave they may end up being the next one in the casket. Furthermore, beginning with the children and ending with the elderly, everybody is donned in blackness. The message is clear. Death is in the air.
The funeral home is divided in two parts: the first is what I call the preparatory room, where everybody really prefers to hang out in. It is the preferred room because it is where all the old friends and family that haven’t seen each other in a long time get to do some catching up, and figure out where they should all go eat for dinner. The second part of the home is (in my mind) the room of death. Yes, it is hear that everybody is confronted with the cold-hard fact of death. Much less is said in this room for fear of maybe waking up the dead. People cry but not too loudly so that they don’t make those who aren’t crying feel too uncomfortable. The message is clear. Some people are sad.
Now the ceremony begins. To be sure, most of what is done is deeply rooted in a traditional fashion, not to much unlike some of our modern church services. ORDER! Everything that is done is done in such a timely order. One or two songs are sung. A witty solemn prayer is published. Words of comfort are given and then the preacher presents the substance of what he had been rehearsing the night before. A simple, eloquent, and waxy message to give the crowd a pat on the back for still being alive.
The following is my favorite part. This is the part that the crowd is allowed to get involved in. Those who are going to share have probably been thinking about it all day. What to say and how to present it. And as you listen to them stumble across their broken and saddened thoughts you can’t help but feel that for some of them their pain is profoundly rooted in regret. All that they are saying now they wish they would have said before. The message is clear. Some are grieving. Others are sad. And some have regrets.
Once the service reaches its paid time limit, the hand picked casket carriers carry the box from the home to the car and then we all make a pilgrimage from the home to the grave. A hole has been dug. It is here that I need you stop with me for a brief “second.” The Box. I have never been able to understand the need to spend so much money on a box. Dude! There is absolutely no reason to lavish so much on a dead person. Think of all the living that could use such money to help keep from dying. “Second” over. The whole experience is brought to a conclusion with dirt. The hole is covered.
So let me explain to you why I have disagreement with this traditional way of remembering and honoring our dead brothers and sisters. Let me do so first by defining the manner in which I would want my death to be honored. Perhaps a list shall serve my purpose here.
When I die this is how I would like it to be:
1. Everybody wears white or Hawaiian shirts. For goodness sake, I am going to be leaving this dark and dim world and entering into a greater light. Don’t glorify the moment in blackness but celebrate the light.
2. No gloomy-doomy music. I want the best live tunes that can be found. I want it to be an occasion to worship Jesus—and radically so.
3. Invite as many lost people as you can to my funeral and preach the uncompromising truth of the Gospel.
4. If you are going to cry then cry for everybody to hear. If you are going to laugh then don’t hold back-let it roar. Don’t compromise on your emotions-be real.
5. If my body happens to be available after death, then I want to be buried in a cardboard box. And if there is some silly law out there that says you can’t be buried in a box, then use the next cheapest thing. Maybe someone could nail together some two-by-fours. Be creative.
6. If the moment is going to be sad then let it be the most joyful and fun sad moment you have ever had. May Christ be celebrated and worshiped.
7. I want nothing to do with all the structure and formality that dictates the atmosphere in funerals. I know I won’t be around to voice my opinion about this but all who read and happen to be alive once I die are personally responsible for making sure my desire is fulfilled.
8. Lastly, have a good time and don’t worry about waking me up. Talk as loud as you want.
Simply put, I don’t want people to be fake. No pretending at my funeral. If you want to say something about me then talk about Jesus. If you want to honor me then worship Jesus. Let everything that is done be done in the freedom and liberty of Christ. And please, don’t let the service be dictated by a time schedule. 30 minute to 1 hour long services speak more about the western capitalistic way then anything else. What an amazing thing it would be if everyone just lost track of time while worshiping the eternal God who is not bound by time. Time loses its meaning the closer it gets to eternity. Thus the closer we get to Jesus the less we will care about being bound to our religious time schedules.
If I could decide on how I would like my funeral to look it would be as I have loosely defined above.
I think all funerals of every Pilgrim should be unique, genuine, and real. It should never be the case that reality is suppressed for the sake of wanting to keep a silly tradition. And trust me, I have seen and heard a lot of silly things at funerals. May Christ Jesus be magnified ever so abundantly in the falling asleep of His bride.
To be completely honest my main beef with the modern funeral is that they just aren’t very Christ-like and Christ centered. They should be one of our greatest evangelistic tools for communicating the faith, hope, and love of Christianity.
Done.
Friday, February 15, 2008
This is what I want
With all that is within me I want to shout. In the same way a lion roars I want to create a noise from the depths of my belly that is so load it makes the earth tremble and causes the deaf to hear. Then, when I am done I wish…..
To cry like I have never cried before. To drench my shirt in all the tears society and culture has always told me to suppress. How wonderful it would be to cry in the presence of my God and to weep uncontrollably upon His feet. How amazing it would be to not care what anybody thought and to simply let myself cry in places that the public has said is wrong to cry in. How liberating it would be to see their awkward and uncomfortable faces while I cried and to have no care for what they would think. They would all desire to do likewise but none would ever admit it. Once drained of all my tears…
I would laugh. Yes!! I would laugh uncontrollably and nobody would be able to quench it. It would be untamable and all who felt its vibrations would be drawn into its influence. Yes! To laugh like a man without a care in the world because his only care is found in heaven. Yes, that is the laughter I desire. How freeing it would be.
Oh, what a beauty it would be to sing. I love to sing despite all the criticism to do contrary. I so desire to fill my lungs with the songs of heaven and to sing in unity, beauty, and harmony. I will sing, I must sing, and no one will rob me of my God given right to sing. How freeing it would be to raise my God-given voice in the grocery store and to siiinnnngggg.
And when all the noise is done and over I wish to take a vow of silence. And in such a silence to hear the roar, the cries, the laughter, and the song of my God. Yes, this is my desire—to hear the Groom speak to His Bride.
To cry like I have never cried before. To drench my shirt in all the tears society and culture has always told me to suppress. How wonderful it would be to cry in the presence of my God and to weep uncontrollably upon His feet. How amazing it would be to not care what anybody thought and to simply let myself cry in places that the public has said is wrong to cry in. How liberating it would be to see their awkward and uncomfortable faces while I cried and to have no care for what they would think. They would all desire to do likewise but none would ever admit it. Once drained of all my tears…
I would laugh. Yes!! I would laugh uncontrollably and nobody would be able to quench it. It would be untamable and all who felt its vibrations would be drawn into its influence. Yes! To laugh like a man without a care in the world because his only care is found in heaven. Yes, that is the laughter I desire. How freeing it would be.
Oh, what a beauty it would be to sing. I love to sing despite all the criticism to do contrary. I so desire to fill my lungs with the songs of heaven and to sing in unity, beauty, and harmony. I will sing, I must sing, and no one will rob me of my God given right to sing. How freeing it would be to raise my God-given voice in the grocery store and to siiinnnngggg.
And when all the noise is done and over I wish to take a vow of silence. And in such a silence to hear the roar, the cries, the laughter, and the song of my God. Yes, this is my desire—to hear the Groom speak to His Bride.
The New Atheism And The Endgame Of Secularism
If you have time this is a really good series of lectures (W. H. Griffith Thomas Memorial Lectureship)by Dr. Albert Mohler Jr. on the New Atheism.
here
here
Sunday, February 10, 2008
My New Blog
So I have created a new blog site specifically for a devotional purpose. The idea is to try and post daily on there. Check out My PAD Time at www.padtime.blogspot.com
I will also continue to try and post here weekly.
I will also continue to try and post here weekly.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Some Broader Thoughts On Pacifism
For some time now I have been posting some of my thoughts regarding the relationship of the Christian to war, self-defense, death penalty, etc. For all who may take these issues seriously here are some articles you should read. The first four (which are very good) are from Gregory Boyd and the last two are from Albert Mohler and the Weekly Standard. They do a much better job of articulating the issues then what I can do at the moment.
1. God, Government and Christian Anarchy
2. The Insignificance of Governments and Armies
3. Satan, Government and Christian Anarchy
4. Where do you find your security?
5. God, Moral Judgment, and the Death Penalty
6. Religion And The Death Penalty
1. God, Government and Christian Anarchy
2. The Insignificance of Governments and Armies
3. Satan, Government and Christian Anarchy
4. Where do you find your security?
5. God, Moral Judgment, and the Death Penalty
6. Religion And The Death Penalty
A Season of Peace
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 “To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to tear, and a time to sew; A time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of PEACE.”
It is my conviction that the time we are living in as Sons/Daughters of God is a time of Peace. (Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:9)
Micah 5:2-5 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; And this One shall be Peace.”
Ephesians says it this way: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.”
Colossians 1:19-20 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Man’s original coexistence with God was one of perfect peace. The entire earth was at peace. But when man sinned against his maker the peace of God that held all things in perfect unity and harmony was thrown off balance.
It was Aristotle that once said “man is a political animal.” And I think Aristotle was right but only because politics became the substitute for peace when humanity sinned. When God gave Adam and Eve his authority he gave them authority and dominion over the earth and animals only, not over other people. Humanity’s sinful nature will always corrupt authority. Because peace was lost, death, sickness, and war were introduced to the history of the world.
Just as Ecclesiastes states that there is a season and time for all things—a time for war, and time for peace—I believe that the time we are living in now is a time of peace.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Just because war and death is all around us doesn’t mean we can’t have peace, for the peace that Christ gives is not like the peace the world gives (John 14:27). The peace of Christ is stronger than any worldly peace. Jesus Christ has already overcome the world and he has told us that we are in the world but not of the world. Therefore, taking all of this into account, how is it that the Church has become so violent? How is it that the Church can possibly believe that peace can come through worldly politics? The peace of humanity can only come in having peace with God.
As Christians we have a responsibility to be peacemakers—not through violence but through the life of Jesus Christ.
It is the way of the world to make peace through war, it should be the way of the Christian to make peace through the life of Christ.
I have read dozens of different arguments as to why Christians should have the right take arms and go to war. And it is a strange thing how almost everyone of the arguments I have heard/read never articulates its theory by using the gospels. It is as if they find no support for their logic in the teachings and life of Christ. To argue for the just war they must go elsewhere.
I know this is a very controversial subject and may make many angry when reading my thoughts, but it is a subject that I feel must be talked about—in love.
It is my conviction that the time we are living in as Sons/Daughters of God is a time of Peace. (Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matt 5:9)
Micah 5:2-5 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. Therefore He shall give them up, until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of His brethren shall return to the children of Israel. And He shall stand and feed His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God; And they shall abide, For now He shall be great to the ends of the earth; And this One shall be Peace.”
Ephesians says it this way: “For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation.”
Colossians 1:19-20 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Man’s original coexistence with God was one of perfect peace. The entire earth was at peace. But when man sinned against his maker the peace of God that held all things in perfect unity and harmony was thrown off balance.
It was Aristotle that once said “man is a political animal.” And I think Aristotle was right but only because politics became the substitute for peace when humanity sinned. When God gave Adam and Eve his authority he gave them authority and dominion over the earth and animals only, not over other people. Humanity’s sinful nature will always corrupt authority. Because peace was lost, death, sickness, and war were introduced to the history of the world.
Just as Ecclesiastes states that there is a season and time for all things—a time for war, and time for peace—I believe that the time we are living in now is a time of peace.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
Just because war and death is all around us doesn’t mean we can’t have peace, for the peace that Christ gives is not like the peace the world gives (John 14:27). The peace of Christ is stronger than any worldly peace. Jesus Christ has already overcome the world and he has told us that we are in the world but not of the world. Therefore, taking all of this into account, how is it that the Church has become so violent? How is it that the Church can possibly believe that peace can come through worldly politics? The peace of humanity can only come in having peace with God.
As Christians we have a responsibility to be peacemakers—not through violence but through the life of Jesus Christ.
It is the way of the world to make peace through war, it should be the way of the Christian to make peace through the life of Christ.
I have read dozens of different arguments as to why Christians should have the right take arms and go to war. And it is a strange thing how almost everyone of the arguments I have heard/read never articulates its theory by using the gospels. It is as if they find no support for their logic in the teachings and life of Christ. To argue for the just war they must go elsewhere.
I know this is a very controversial subject and may make many angry when reading my thoughts, but it is a subject that I feel must be talked about—in love.
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