Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Peace In Pain & Conflict: Beatitudes Part 7: Matthew 5 Cont'd


mother mary statue


Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God”

“ It takes a much greater warrior to wage peace than it does to wage war. The end goal of the gospel is peace. Our goal...is to bring peace...so that the world will crave the one who is peace.”
-Pastor Chan Kilgore

We are to be followers of Christ first, not a party, a culture or a social cause. Christ is always to be our cause.

The word for church in the Greek is ekklésia, or people called out. The church was meant to be an assembly of people called out for the purpose of God. Sometimes the bride of Christ(the church) does not seem called out, in fact it can seem called in: to political agendas and fights about dumb stuff. It can be easy to get distracted from making Jesus the center of our lives, however, when we become too mired in the opinions of people, we lack the ability to be peacemakers.

We are not in competition on this earth because our God is not in competition. He is the only God, we are to be His representatives in this world. We are to be referees, with the ability to call foul when necessary, as people war with each other. We have no need to win arguments to feel better, we have Jesus.

Questions:

  1. How can causes and opinions separate believers from each other and the world around them?
  2. How can we be peacemakers in the face of these conflicts?
  3. A proverb developed much after Jesus says, “blessed are the peacemakers, for both sides shall shoot at them.” Have you found this true in your own life? 


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