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Kingdom Peace? First of all, I wanted to reiterate to Andy how awesome this Kingdom teaching has been. I was pondering Andy’s talk tonight and thinking specifically about how Jesus is the ‘Prince of Peace’ (could there be a better title than that?) despite the fact that he is declaring war on Satan and his powers and principalities that oppress and enslave. It occurred to me that Jesus’ peace is a different type of peace than we would generally imagine. Rather than a peace of comfort, of riches, of ease, our Christ promises us a peace more like that of the martyr. Nothing scares the powers opposed to God’s Kingdom more than people who have peace in the face of death. When we realize that our lives our God’s and cannot be ‘taken’ we have Christ’s peace and have come to a place of complete freedom: we can do or say anything to advance God’s Kingdom with no fear of repercussions. Obviously this is an extreme example, but I think it helped express to me the type of peace that Jesus promises those under his Kingship. The more we surrender our lives to Christ’s sovereignty, the more we can expect to come into conflict with ‘the world’. The more we fight those Kingdom battles, the more we can count on Christ’s peace that goes far beyond human understanding. I hope there are some responses or comments on this because I am kind of just working this out as I go. Am I on the right track here?  The Reality of PEACE...Submitted by Rebecca Brooke on Tue, 2007-12-18 12:27.
Hey guys... good dialogue. Got me thinking about the reality of peace in my life and calling it like it is. Some of you know of my health challenges in the past few years. Now the most current news that the 2 surgeries I have had in the past year have not 'cured' me. Now I need to look at either more surgery or radiation. Can I affirm that all things work together for good to those who Love the Lord and have been CALLED according to HIS purposes. The health updates that I send out go to not only my family of faith, but also many other peops who don't KNOW Jesus YET. A common response that I have been getting is that people are amazed at the peace and 'good spirit' that I have in the midst of this. I do know that this is the peace of Jesus... but as of late with this kindgom talk... I REALLY KNOW it is the peace of Jesus. He is speaking through this story and I praise Him for it. Glad to be journeying with you all... May the PEACE of Christ dwell in you richly my friends! Love Rebecca.  Right on...Submitted by andy on Mon, 2007-12-17 16:43.
In prep for Sunday, I had intended to stop at two points to open the floor for interaction - but in both cases I got carried away and forgot! Ha. I'm glad you've brought it to the "floor" here. Love it. I think you are spot on. This is certainly one of the angles that the peace of the Kingdom is going to work itself out in our lives. I was grappling yesterday to help people think beyond the "serenity" thing - and I think your thoughts accomplish this greatly. The promise of peace in this present age is not "ease". Certainly Jesus cross and the martyrdom of the Apostles gives credibility to this - these were the early announcers of the Kingdom to the people of Israel and beyond and it didn't turn out so well for them. Yet, I'm most certain that they were tasting the wonders of kingdom peace - even as they approached death (at least they were tasting the inklings of what would become full when they saw their maker face to face). Could this be why Paul would say, "I have learned the secret of being content in every situtation."? Good thoughts Scott. |
Definitely on the right track
Hi Scott,
Great post. Good thoughts in there. I definitely agree that this peace is of a wholly different variety than the world envisions. Like you mention, the world envisions peace through comfort and ease, which come about through trying to accumulate material possessions. In fact, that pursuit brings enslavement, not peace. The peace that Paul talks about later in the New Testament, the peace that "passes all understanding" occurs exactly in the middle of all the chaos and struggling. Paul certainly knew what it meant to be engaged in that battle; just look at his list of "accomplishments":
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked." (from 2 Cor 11)
And yet, Paul discovered what it meant to experience peace in all this. "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." So yeah, I think that you're on the right track here, because that's that the track that Paul seems to lay out for us.