Peacemaker Chapter 3: Trust in the Lord and Do Good

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Editor’s Note: You can listen to the class and download the handout.

The LORD’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him. (Psalm 32:10b) (NIV)

When you have a deeper understanding of how God relates to this world and His creatures, you get a better understanding of the purpose of conflict. This is what Ken Sande draws out as essential to seeing conflict the way the Bible presents it: as something God, in His sovereign power and goodness, purposely designed for us. You would think reading about the sovereignty of God would be discussed in situations solely dealing with theology—not so, according to Scripture. Without God’s “supreme, unlimited and totally independent” power (p.60), which is what sovereignty means, conflict could not be seen in any other light than what most people think: as a negative consequence natural in relationships, void of hope and resolution. This common view is what needs to be corrected by the truth of God’s sovereignty and goodness.

God is Sovereign

“One reason that Jesus and Paul trusted God so completely is that they knew he was in complete control of everything that happened in their lives. This perfect control is often referred to as ‘the sovereignty of God.’” (p.60)

What God alone has is power over everything that has happened, and also what will happen. His control extends to every government, as well as individual lives and where they go. What differs from society’s misconception of God is that He is very involved and wanting to know us individually, taking great interest in the details of our lives, like what Psalm 8:3-4 says: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” What is included in this great control God has is control over many events in life that cause pain. One example comes from Isaiah 45:5-7, which tells us: “I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.” This shows greatest in the crucifixion of the only innocent man on the earth who has ever lived, and who is also the Son of God: “this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men” (Acts 2:23). Thus Sande writes,

Jesus did not die because God had lost control or was looking the other direction. God was fully in control at all times. He chose not to restrain the actions of evil men so that his plan of redemption would be fulfilled through the death and resurrection of his Son (Romans 3:21-26). (p.61)

Knowing this should not get us thinking that we have nothing to be held responsible for when in conflict (Matthew 12:36). We know that God ordains or orchestrates the events in our lives with a purpose in mind, including our conflicts, which should draw us to be ever more ready to handle conflict when it arises, because God designed this world knowing conflict would be inevitable.

God is Good

If all we knew was that God is in control of all that takes place, we would have a right to be afraid, since we would not know if He could do anything He pleases, which would either be good or bad. The great joy for Christians is that God has revealed Himself as good, and for our good in the most pure sense. Psalm 62:11-12a says: “Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, and that to you, O LORD, belongs steadfast love.” So, every trial that we go through is also for our good:

God also uses our trials to teach us how to minister to others when they are suffering (2 Cor. 1:3-5). Through our trials, we can set an example that will encourage others to depend on God and remain faithful to his commands (2 Cor. 1:6-11). (p.63)

One promise God has given to His people is that of 1 Corinthians 10:13, which tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” He does this in 2 ways:

  1. Sometimes He takes the problems away once they have fulfilled their purpose in our lives (2 Cor. 1:3-11).
  2. He leaves problems in our lives, giving us the strength that is enough to win the battle over them on a daily basis, which shows His sustaining grace (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

Ken Sande sums up our response to this truth is

“…instead of wasting time and energy trying to figure out things that are beyond our comprehension, we need to turn our attention to the promises and instructions that God has revealed to us through Scripture. The Bible tells us that God is both sovereign and good, so we can be sure that whatever he has brought into our lives can be used to glorify him, to benefit others, and to help us grow.” (p.65)

The Path Has Been Marked

What these truths should lead a Christian to is trust in our God. “Trusting God means that in spite of our questions, doubts, and fears we draw on his grace and continue to believe that he is loving, that he is in control, and that he is always working for our good. Such trust helps us to continue doing what is good and right, even in difficult circumstances” (p.65). Among the godly who have shown great trust is Job (Job 42:2-3), Joseph (Gen. 37-50), David (Psa. 37:1-6), Peter and John (Acts 4:24, 27-29), and Paul (2 Cor. 4:7-18). Modern day examples include Jim and Elisabeth Elliot, as well as Joni Eareckson Tada. She writes (Sande quotes),

If examining the sovereignty of God teaches us anything, it teaches us that real satisfaction comes not in understanding God’s motives, but in understanding his character, in trusting in his promises, and in leaning on him and resting in him as the Sovereign who knows what he is doing and does all things well. (p.69)

What led to this trust is a recognition and conviction that God really is in control of all that happens in one’s life, and an unswerving commitment to stay firm in that truth, which comforts in the hardest of times, knowing that any and every trial, suffering, persecution comes not as an unexpected act by someone or some natural disaster, but ultimately by a God who loves us and will do all He can to show us His grace for our good. Even if it hurts, you can never accuse God of not wanting you to see Him in it and that He will get you through it, when you trust Him.

Trust Is a Decision

How you view God will deeply affect the way you see conflict. If you see God as solely sovereign but not good, He would be an accurate description of how Christopher Hitchens views God: a heavenly dictator. If He is good but not sovereign, you have a Santa Claus figure who cannot do a thing when trouble comes. The goal is not just resolved conflict, but a trust in the living God, who is both sovereign and good. Real resolution comes from a full trust in the God of Scripture who has spoken and has already resolved the deepest conflict that is the root of all other conflicts: the broken relationship between man and God in their full rebellion against His authority, character, and law. Our trust in God to help us resolve conflict comes from His willingness to send Jesus, His Son, to die on a cross for our sins and to remove the wrath that God has for everyone who continues to reject the only way of getting back to Him. They trust in their own “power” and “goodness” to get by in this world, including resolving conflicts, that never addresses the heart of the issue, and lives like those who say “‘peace, peace,’ when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). Our God saves, our God heals, and our God strengthens when we feel our weakest, because He is our strength, He is our healer, and He is our Savior.

LBC Weekly SPARK – March 22, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC Family and Friends,

I hope you are doing well and walking in the Lord. March has been a tremendously busy month with the Mission Bowl tournament and singles retreat, but the month has also been a huge blessing. Much of ministry is a learn on the job kind of thing, and the Lord has been gracious to teach me more and more to depend on Him in all circumstances.

I wanted to let you know of a prayer request. As some of you are aware, Mike Chon, Cesar Vigil-Ruiz, John Kim, and I will be heading to Argentina this week to meet up with the church in Tucuman to talk through missions planning. We would appreciate your prayers for God’s grace to provide safe travel, good communication while we are there, and a profitable trip. We will be away from March 23-30, which means that we won’t be around this weekend. Pastor Wonbin Song will be preaching for us so please show him gracious hospitality and kindness, as I know you will.

In His grace,

Pastor Patrick

Here are some announcements for this week:

  1. Sunday Services – For the Sunday School hour this week, GraceLife will not be meeting. You are welcome to sit in on the Peacemaker class in the sanctuary or in Fundamentals of the Faith in Room 107. All the children’s and youth classes will also be meeting.
  2. Friday Night Bible Studies – The Friday night Bible studies will be meeting this week except for the UCSD Campus Fellowship. They will not be meeting due to spring break. Visit the church website for more details about the affinity groups.
  3. Ultimate Frisbee – We will be participating in the Hope Harvest International Ultimate Frisbee tournament this Saturday. This will be at the Nobel Recreational Center. The tournament begins at 9:00am and will be running pretty much all day. If you are interested in coming out to cheer on our team, please contact Teddy Yu for details.
  4. Men’s Breakfast – On Saturday, April 2, we will be having the first of several men’s breakfasts at the church. This will be a time of fellowship and prayer as well as an opportunity to examine the theme of biblical manhood. We will meet at the church from 7:00am to about 9:00am.
  5. Members Meeting – Our next members meeting will be on Sunday, April 10, at 4:45pm, at the church. All members are highly encouraged to attend as the elders present some important matters. Please make an effort to be there. As always, dinner will be provided.
  6. LBC Banquet – The annual all-church banquet will be on Sunday, May 22, at 4:45pm. This year, the banquet will be at the church. The cost for tickets is only $35/adult (children 0-12 are free)! This is a wonderful time to reflect on the Lord’s kindness this past year to the church. Please mark your calendars!
  7. Vacation Bible School – VBS will be from June 20-24 this year, from 9:00am-5:00pm each day. Please mark your calendars! You can talk to Josh Liu or Abram Kim for more details or for registration.

Learning to Lean

by Pastor Patrick Cho

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Pastor James Lee of Pillar Bible Church as he gave three challenging messages on the topic of dependence and prayer. It was a wonderful time to study God’s Word, but a convicting time of evaluating our hearts and prayer life. Sadly, prayer is a much neglected and downplayed discipline. Many believers do not give it much effort because they doubt that it will do any practical good. This reflects not only our poor faith and understanding, but also our tendency towards self-sufficiency and self-reliance. These are blatant displays of our pride.

One of the hardest truths about living the Christian walk is that it requires a daily taking up of the cross (Mark 8:34). One realizes that if he wants to grow in faith, it is going to require the painful process of pruning (John 15:2). But what results is greater faith, greater maturity, and greater reliance upon the Lord. Because of this, the Christian joyfully accepts trials (James 1:2-4). He understands that it is worth it to sell all to obtain the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:45-46).

Paul understood this truth well and gladly accepted the exchange. He referred to the hardships he faced as a result of the gospel as light momentary affliction, and compared it to an eternal weight of glory to be had in heaven (2 Cor. 4:17). He understood that in his weakness, God’s strength could be put on display (2 Cor. 12:9-10).

It is very difficult to be in the place where you do not know what to do, what to say, or even what to think about a hard situation or your difficult circumstances. It can be a terrifying experience to be at the end of yourself, where all you can do is pray and trust in God. There is a certain amount of faithlessness that most Christians struggle with when they get to that point because of the sense of vulnerability, powerlessness, and ignorance.

But still, the truth remains that there could be no better place for the believer. In Christ, and with Paul, we can boast about our weaknesses. As we lean on the Lord, how much more will we be amazed at what He accomplishes through us? And when we see spiritual fruit, we can confidently praise God because we know it was Him and not us. This is a difficult road, indeed, but a glorious one as well. The one who takes to this road will see the Lord more clearly, will know the Lord more deeply, and will experience His power more consistently.

Weekly Links (3/21/2011)

by Stephen Rodgers

Thanks for your patience.  The earthquake/tsunami/nuclear reactor catastrophe in Japan last week and the Singles’ Retreat last weekend pushed the Weekly Links to today.  Also, before we get to the Weekly Links, I wanted to point out that John Piper has some comments on the situation in Japan, and Desiring God has put up a list of Christian relief organizations as well.

First of all, I wanted to direct your attention to the Recommended Resources page, particularly the Software and Study section.  It used to just be the “Software” section, but I added “and Study” so that I would have somewhere to put resources like Biblegateway.com, CCEL, and the NET Bible.  Enjoy!

And with that out of the way, we can get to a few other links that you might like…

  • A few weeks ago I posted a link to an audio version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. If you’re not sure exactly what the WSC is, then perhaps you would like to hear Curtis Allen and DA Carson rap an explanation for you? (Trust me, this is probably the only time you’ll ever hear DA Carson holler “west side!”) (AUDIO)
  • Over at the Ligonier blog, RC Sproul Jr. has an article entitled 5 Things I’m Surprised I Can’t Find in the Bible. In it, he highlights a number of issues where Christians hold to different opinions.  (WEB)
  • I can’t remember how I found it, but there’s a video on Youtube that shows word clouds for all 66 books of the Bible (for those who don’t know what a “word cloud” is, it’s basically a grouping of words from a particular document, where words with higher frequency counts are represented in larger font). (VIDEO)
  • Over at Triablogue, they recently had a great article with an excerpt from a book describing Christianity’s Influence on Friendship. (WEB)
  • And this one goes out to all the hard-working servants in our own Youth Ministry.  In 2002 John Piper delivered a powerful challenge to men and women who are responsible for leading youth and college ministries.  You can listen to or download the sermon here. (AUDIO)

There you go!  Thanks again for your patience.

Pro Rege

I Have Exalted One Chosen Out of the People

by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

From Psalm 89:19

Why was Christ chosen out of the people? Speak, my heart, for heart-thoughts are best. Was it not that He might be able to be our brother, in the blest tie of kindred blood? Oh, what relationship there is between Christ and the believer! The believer can say, ‘I have a Brother in heaven; I may be poor, but I have a Brother who is rich, and is a King, and will He suffer me to want while He is on His throne? Oh, no! He loves me; He is my Brother.’ Believer, wear this blessed thought, like a necklace of diamonds, around the neck of thy memory; put it, as a golden ring, on the finger of recollection, and use it as the King’s own seal, stamping the petitions of thy faith with confidence of success. He is a brother born for adversity, treat Him as such.

Christ was also chosen out of the people that He might know our wants and sympathize with us. ‘He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin.’ In all our sorrows we have His sympathy. Temptation, pain, disappointment, weakness, weariness, poverty-He knows them all, for He has felt all. Remember this, Christian, and let it comfort thee. However difficult and painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of thy Saviour; and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt find His footprints there. In all places whithersoever we go, He has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry, has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.

‘His way was much rougher and darker than mine
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?’
Take courage! Royal feet have left a blood-red track upon the road,
and consecrated the thorny path for ever.

1.23a

Praying Through Disaster

by Elder Mike Chon

(Editor’s note: Given the recent disaster in Japan, the Weekly Links has been delayed to bring you this article instead.)

The recent catastrophic disaster in Japan is a solemn reminder of the fallen world we live in and God’s impending judgment on this world. It appears that it is going to get worse before it gets better in Japan. A “natural” disaster is not something uncommon, but when these things occur many are left with questions and too many have trivial answers.

We need to be careful before we presume on God and assume that somehow God has given us the knowledge of why this happened, when it happened, and to whom it happened. God warns against assuming that people suffer more in this world because of some sin they committed (Luke 13:1-5). Some of us are too quick to give the “God is sovereign” answer and walk away from the horrific reality of the magnitude of the disaster that just occurred. Some of us may just think that it was “bad luck” and that “nature” just didn’t like them. Many of us in America are too busy with our own lives to even take time to consider how we should respond to such a disaster on the other side of the world.

One thing is certain, thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people have had their lives completely changed from this earthquake and the subsequent tsunami. During times when the world cannot give comfort, when the world cannot give an answer, and when the world has no solutions, people begin to search for something. When we realize that our lives can be completely turned upside down in a matter of moments, when all our hopes and dreams can be taken away, suddenly the people begin to search for something. Sooner or later people begin to realize that their understanding of the world is deficient. They cannot understand how and why something like this can happen. They need answers from the only One that can give answers.

This is the time to pray for the people of Japan. This is not the time to debate why this happened. We need to pray for those families that have been devastated and for their daily needs. We need to pray for people to go and preach the gospel to the people of Japan. We need to pray for the gospel to reach the people of Japan to show them the glory of God in the face of Christ. We need to pray for people to turn from their sin and turn their lives to the one and only Lord of this world. Apart from the financial support that they will need to recover, the people of Japan desperately need our prayers for God to display His glory. Let us kneel before our Lord and pray for the people of Japan.

LBC Weekly SPARK – March 17, 2011

by Pastor Patrick Cho

Dear LBC family and friends,

By now, I’m sure you’ve all been aware of the disastrous tsunami that hit Japan and the devastating effects of its aftermath. Please pray for our brothers and sisters who are there ministering to the needs of those who are suffering and representing the true gospel of Christ. It’s in times like these that the church is called to band together and pray as one. Please take some time to pray for Japan today.

As tragic as events like these are, they also serve as a sobering reminder of the frailty of this life and the curse of death in the world. Life is short and tomorrow certainly is not a guarantee. As I’ve preached recently from the pulpit, if you knew this day would be your last, how would you spend it? The person who has a clear understanding of the brevity of life, and who understands that an eternity of heaven or hell is to come, typically will not allow sin to go unchecked in his life. He’ll live in anticipation of his coming King. He’ll represent Christ in this lost and dying world.

As we consider the hardships of those in Japan and offer up our prayers for that nation, let’s pray that God would work to turn what is a generally atheistic nation to Him. Let’s also be reminded that this life is not the end. This earth is not our home, but our citizenship is in heaven if we truly are in Christ.

In His grace,

Patrick

Here are the announcements for this week:

  1. Friday Night Bible Studies. The youth and SDSU college groups will be having their regularly scheduled Bible studies on Friday night. The UCSD Bible study will NOT be meeting this week due to finals. The college group meets on campus at UCSD and SDSU at 7:00pm. The youth will be meeting at the church, also at 7:00pm. Visit the church website for more information. The singles ministry will not meet for regular Bible study as we have our annual retreat this weekend at Pine Valley Bible Camp.
  2. Sunday Service. Please pray for Peter Lim as he prepares to preach this Sunday while your pastor is away at the singles retreat.
  3. Sunday School. Because of the number of people who are going to be away for the singles retreat, we will be cancelling our Sunday School classes this weekend for both adults and children.
  4. End Times Bible Study. To coincide with our study in 1 Corinthians 15, Pastor Patrick will be continuing his Sunday evening series on end times. Come find out what the Bible says about eschatology through this helpful series. The remaining meetings will be at the church from 6:00-8:00pm on March 20 (this Sunday!), April 3, and April 17. For more information, please talk to Pastor Patrick.
  5. Men’s Breakfast. On Saturday, April 2, at 7:00am, we will be having a men’s breakfast fellowship at the church. Come out as we discuss what it means to be a man of God and enjoy a time of prayer together. Bring a breakfast item to share. Coffee and juice will be provided.
  6. Members Meeting. On Sunday, April 10, we will be having our next members meeting at 4:45pm at the church. Please mark your calendars. All members of LBC are highly encouraged to attend. As always, dinner will be served.
  7. Prayer. Don’t forget to come to church a little early on Sunday for a time of corporate prayer in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be open for prayer at 8:45am, and prayer requests will be projected on the wall. If you are out in the foyer talking with one another, I would encourage you to remind each other of this time and come in to pray for the church.

Reflections on the College Life Retreat

by Brandon Cai

As many of you probably know from the sudden inflow of pictures of cheery-faced collegians on Facebook, (or if you aren’t an avid user of online social-networking websites), are suddenly hearing ridiculous stories about snowball fights, pantyhose competitions (Editor’s note: it’s not what you think), and dance-offs…it’s that time of the year again. Assuming you’ve been to Lighthouse Bible Church before or personally know some of the collegians, (otherwise this introduction would have been quite nonsensical), Lighthouse recently hosted its annual February College Life retreat at Pine Valley, California.

If you haven’t already scrolled down the page due to lack of interest (I understand) then I must congratulate you. You already know more about the retreat than I did when I loaded my bags into the car and prepared for the trip down to Pine Valley. I did not expect to be pelted by snowballs in a wonderland of white. Nor did I expect to compete against an opposing team member with only a pantyhose over my head and improvised head-twirling techniques. Most of all, I did not expect to be heading off to retreat to be learning about a topic I already knew about, or at least I thought I knew.

The theme of this year’s College Life retreat focused on the grace of God. Reading this aloud to yourself, you may readily accept this given theme without any hesitation. But here already, we have an expression that is contradictory to the character of the God whom we worship. From what I discovered at retreat from our speaker, Dan Nah, pastor of Cornerstone Bible Church, the grace of God simply cannot be defined as “grace.” Rather, there needs to be a defining adjective which, quantitatively and qualitatively, only can satisfy the true attribute of our God’s grace. This is why our theme for this year’s retreat was phrased, the “Scandalous Grace” of our Lord God.

“Okay,” I said to myself, God’s grace can be defined as “bountiful,” “abounding,” “rich,” and the list goes on and on. But out of all the words that could be used to describe grace, why “scandalous?” The point is, Pastor Dan states, some of us one end of the spectrum may know how gracious our God is in our daily lives, but we do not realize just how far His grace encompasses us, even to the worst of sinners. From our reactions towards His grace, it is evident some of us may feel as if His grace does not fully satisfy our sinful nature; we work and work, often with futile efforts to satisfy the Law. On the other end of the spectrum, the nature of God’s grace is so foreign to some that they react in outrage and anger towards the grace of God, desiring to go as far as to murder the One who stops stones from being thrown and restores even adulterers to positions of righteousness. God’s grace is simply put, outrageous in every respect.

There are so many evidences of God’s grace in the Bible, from the splendor of the Garden of Eden given to man in Genesis, even to the last book, Revelation, written to give hope to those who suffer for Christ’s sake. Pastor Dan focused on several books of the Bible that shine the spotlight on just how outrageous God’s grace is. Genesis, 1 Kings, Hosea, Jonah, Matthew – these books all depict numerous accounts of God’s loving good will towards those found righteous or sinful in His eyes.

But what I found most compelling from Pastor Dan’s sermons on scandalous grace was how God’s grace reveals so much more of our Creator’s own character to us. What I discovered in my reflection were four aspects to God’s character that are depicted in the giving of His grace to us.

  1. God is true to His word when He gives it. When God tells Jonah to preach to the city of Ninevah, He does not go back on His word. He forgives all the people of Ninevah and the whole city is saved from disaster in the hands of God. (Jonah 3:10) When God provides Elijah with strength in the wilderness, He does not only give courage in words, but sustains Elijah with food and nourishment. Twice! (1 Kings 19:7) God does not relent in His grace when He decides to give it. He overwhelms us with His grace.
  2. God reveals His glory through His overwhelming grace. What God desires to show in His grace to us is the glory of His perfect, righteous, and holy being. (John 1:14,16) In bringing Elijah strength and sustenance, He reveals His glory to one man. In saving the city of Ninevah, God reveals His glory to a city. In crucifying His Son on the cross, God reveals His glory to the whole world.
  3. God pursues those He saves. In the whole book of Jonah, God graciously pursues Jonah from the beginning in his refusal to preach to the city of Ninevah, till the end when He rebukes Jonah for his hatred of the sinners of Ninevah. God never ceases to give up on the prophet He commissions even when he blatantly disobeys God.
  4. God gives because He loves. 1 John 4:19, states that “God first loved us.” He loved us before the beginning as He foreknew us, He loved us after the Fall of Man, and He continues to love us even when we sin against Him. He so loved the world that He offered as the ultimate act of grace to mankind, the sacrifice of His most precious possession: His Son. (John 3:16) And He gives not according to how righteously we live, but because He loved us first and fully.

Knowing the character of our gracious God not only reveals more of His glory and supreme being, but as Pastor Dan told all of us who went to retreat, the magnitude of our sinfulness as well. The degree to which they offends our Holy God is significantly magnified for us who live in the faith. To know and belong to a Father who loves us so deeply that He desires to give to us more than anyone else could ever give and more than we could ever deserve to receive – this knowledge should heighten our love and deepen our respect to our God who deserves more than we could ever give. It should be the driving force for our hearts in constantly glorifying Him in our daily walk, forever worshipping the God who so graciously extended His hand to sinners who were in complete rebellion against Him. All the glory be to Him forever.

Peacemaker Chapter 2: Live at Peace

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Editor’s Note: You can listen to the class and download the handout.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:18)

Sande continues to write in this chapter of “three dimensions to the peace that God offers to us through Christ: peace with God, peace with one another and peace within ourselves” (p. 44).

Peace with God

What brings peace with God has to do with what the Gospel is. We are all sinners who have strayed away from and fallen short of His perfect standard that leaves us separated from Him: “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). The good news is that God did not leave it there; He offered a way of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16): “By sacrificing himself in our place on the cross, Jesus has made it possible for us to have peace with God” (p.45). What Sande writes here is very important, and worth quoting in full:

Believing in Jesus means more than being baptized, going to church, or trying to be a good person. None of these activities can erase the sins you have already committed and will continue to commit throughout your life. Believing in Jesus means, first of all, admitting that you are a sinner and acknowledging that there is no way you can earn God’s approval by your works (Rom. 3:20; Eph. 2:8-9). Second, it means believing that Jesus paid the full penalty for your sins when he died on the cross (Isa. 53:1-12; 1 Peter 2:24-25). In essence, believing in Jesus means trusting that he exchanged the records with you at Calvary—that is, he took your sinful record on himself and paid for it in full, giving you his perfect record, which opens the way for peace with God. As you believe in Jesus, accept his gracious gift of salvation, and draw closer to him through the power of his Spirit, the study of his Word, the privilege of prayer, and the fellowship of his church, his peace can fill every part of your life (ibid, author’s emphasis).

Peace with Others

This type of peace is also called unity, which is “the presence of genuine harmony, understanding, and goodwill toward people” (p.46). This is what immediately follows after having obeyed the second great commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39).

Peace within Yourself

“Internal peace is a sense of wholeness, contentment, tranquility, order, rest, and security…Genuine internal peace cannot be directly obtained through our own efforts; it is a gift that God gives only to those who believe in his Son and obey his commands (1 John 3:21-24)” (p.46).

Jesus’ Reputation Depends on Unity

What unity shows in the life of a Christian community is that you are not of this world, but you are sons of the Most High God (Matthew 5:9). What Sande continues to point out in this chapter is the direct relevance of our Gospel witness to our unity in our relationships within the body of Christ. It is a witness to a watching world that our kind of peace is deeper, purer, and more satisfying than the cheap imitation that is constantly portrayed in the media or at the theaters. Disunity in the church is a poor witness to our call for non-believers to come to Christ and be changed, when we don’t show it ourselves. In Jesus’ high priestly prayer (specifically verses 20-23), he had this in mind. Jesus prayed that his followers would get along with one another. This was so important to him that he tied his reputation and the credibility of his message to how well his followers would display unity and oneness” (p.48). In the oft-quoted passage (Matthew 13:34-35), “The love Jesus commands us to show to one another has little to do with warm feelings; in fact, he commands us to show love even when it is the last thing in the world we feel like doing (Luke 6:27-28)” (ibid). It becomes so important to Jesus how we relate to one another, that to enter into a church to offer worship to God would not please Him if we knew we were not right with a brother (1 John 4:19-21).

The Enemy of Peace

In thinking of our conflicts, we must not forget the lover of conflict, Satan, which means “adversary.” Among many things Satan does, what he loves to get involved in is our tension with one another:

Satan promotes conflict in many ways. Among other things, he tempts us so we give in to greed and dishonesty (Acts 5:3), he deceives us and misleads us (2 Tim. 2:25-26), and he takes advantage of unresolved anger (Eph. 4:26-27). Worst of all, he uses false teachers to propogate values and philosophies that encourage selfishness and stimulate controversy (1 Tim. 4:1-3). (p.51)

What Paul describes (in Eph. 6:13-18) as weapons in our arsenal that we readily have to withstand Satan’s power are:

  1. Truth
  2. Righteousness
  3. The Gospel
  4. Faith
  5. Scripture
  6. Prayer

Even though we shouldn’t blame Satan for all the conflicts that arise among us (since we must take responsibility for wrongs we have personally committed), we tend to overlook the role Satan plays and the influence he has in leading many astray (especially when Scripture reveals this to us).

Strive like a Gladiator

In passages like Romans 15: 5-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Galatians 5:19-22, Colossians 3:13, 15, and 1 Thessalonians 5:13b-15 show us is that the New Testament epistles have a heavy emphasis on obeying God in your peacemaking. In Ephesians 4:1-3, Paul uses the word that is translated “make every effort” in the NIV (“eager” in ESV), which means “to strive eagerly, earnestly, and diligently” (p.52). It’s to be done with the same rigor as that of a trainer of gladiator would use when sending men into battle: “’Make every effort to stay alive today!’” (ibid) This is not a passive exercise of pretending things are ok yet never dealt with, or forced to be dealt with in a cold fashion. Peacemaking is the means to an end—Christlikeness, or a display of the Gospel, and neither is easy to show.

We also need to avoid the idea that unity is equal to uniformity. That isn’t the position of Paul in Eph. 4:7-13, since many in the church have a different set of gifts or talents, which is how God distributes His gifts, and that we can hold, as Rom. 14:1 says, different views on “disputable matters” in the NIV (“opinions” in ESV). However, it must not be done in a way which, if you remember from FOF, can grieve (Eph. 4:30) or quench (1 Thess. 5:19) the Holy Spirit.

Lawsuits among Believers

Peace and unity among Christians is so essential to our witness for Christ that God commands us to take unresolved legal issues to the church rather than to the civil courts. Many pastors have neglected to teach regularly on the this passage, so most Christians are completely unaware of this command or believe that it no longer applies. Worse yet, many churches deliberately ignore this passage and do nothing to help their members settle their legal disputes in a biblical manner (p.54, after quoting 1 Cor. 6:1-8)

Having lawsuits among professing Christians not only shows a lack of peacemaking promoted in the church, but also a lack of help for Christians in their conflicts, as well as a further black eye to the church’s testimony of Christ. What Jesus has taught about conflict in Matthew 18:15-20 should serve as a launching pad of loving confronting among the body. With lawsuits, relationships can be seriously damaged, whereas the church can more readily provide and foster forgiveness and reconciliation to one another. What lawsuits resolves are issues of “awarding damages, transferring property, or enforcing a contract” (p.56), not the root cause of all conflict: our sin. Once that is dealt with, material issues become more easy to deal with.

By going to the church, our witness of Christ and His power to change sinners can draw more attention to Him than anything else. It is an evangelistic tool at our disposal: revealing the life-changing power of the Gospel to do what the world tries but simply imitates: real peace. Peace with one another, which comes from a peace with the true God of Scripture, and leads also to a peace within, since it’s birth from a peace outside us, and that’s the only peace that lasts.

What Do People Think of You?

by Elder Peter Lim

Would you like to know what your reputation is? Are you sure? Do you even care? For some of us, this is one of those questions that we want to know the answer to only if the answer is favorable. But some of us actually don’t care what other people think of us. This can be good and/or bad. On one hand, we should do what pleases God despite what people may think of us. On the other hand, we should care about what others think of us as it may have an impact on how we reflect God’s influence in our lives. After all, don’t we want people to think highly of Christians so that they would want to be Christians too? Problems potentially arise when those two values come into conflict with each other.  But no matter what your initial response to my question is, what are the biblical principles that apply? Let’s look at some key passages.

1 Timothy 3:7
And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

In this qualification for Elders, Paul emphasizes that a man who seeks to be a leader of the church needs to have a good reputation even among non-Christians. Why is the opinion of an unsaved person so important? Because a leader needs to be a man of proven character who is living an exemplary life as a Christian in the midst of non-Christians among whom we appear as lights in the world. Acts 6:3 also points out that we are to select men of good reputation to put in charge of tasks such as serving tables. Of course non-Christians won’t always agree with us what a good reputation looks like. They may accuse Christians of having a bad reputation because we don’t support their sinful causes or beliefs. When we hear from non-Christians that a Christian has a bad reputation, we need to find out more details why they think of someone that way. It very well may be the case that what they consider to be a bad reputation is actually good reputation from a Christian perspective. However, as Proverbs 3:4 says, even a non-Christian raised in a Judeo-Christian-influenced country such as the U.S. can generally exercise good judgment in identifying someone with a good reputation.

Proverbs 22:1
A goodname is to be more desired than great wealth, Favor is better than silver and gold.

Having a “good name” or good reputation is very valuable. Wealth has only a limited value which is temporary at best. Having a good reputation is associated with a life which is in tune with God. It’s valuable not because our good reputation benefits ourselves in some way, but because it reflects on God who lives in us and empowers us to do anything good in the first place. It gives us opportunities to share Christ with those who are attracted to our lives of good repute.

A good reputation is difficult to gain because it takes time and consistency in one’s behavior. However, a bad reputation is easy to earn because all it takes is just a single incident to develop. As Christians who understand that our righteousness is not our own but imputed to us, and that we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to do good works, we have nothing to boast of other than Christ’s work in our lives. Scripture is clear that our reputation matters to God and men. We must care about what others think of us. The irony is that we are not to do good works in order to be seen by men, but we are to do them knowing that the world is watching us. The difference is subtle but important. It has to do with our motives which reflects a heart that seeks to worship God instead of man. Therefore, let us continue to do the good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:10)