Here are my notes from Spectrum's second week study on Peacemakers. Here we learned about the three opportunities that conflict provides us to essentially find inner peace and how different the Bible’s view is on this than the world.
Inner Peace - What is the cultural message the world teach us?
• "Only by having faith in ourselves can we be faithful to others."
• "Until you make peace with who you are, you'll never be content with what you have."
• "Before we can make friends with anyone else, we must first make friends with ourselves."
Inner Peace - What is the counter-cultural message the Bible teach us?
• Be reconciled to God (Glorify God) through Christ
• Be reconciled to each other (Serve Others) through the Spirit
• Be reconciled to Christ (Grow to be like Christ) through faith
1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 (Glorify God, Serve Others, Grow to be like Christ)
So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
NOT ALWAYS BAD
• Ephesians 4:3-13 (Unity not Uniformity)
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit…It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
• Micah 6:8 (If you want peace sometimes you must fight for justice)
He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
OPPORTUNITY 1 - GLORIFY GOD
• Psalm 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
• How do we do this?
o Trust God – sovereignty, wisdom, ask for help/grace, believe the Gospel
o Obey God – without compromise, he is worthy of our deepest love & devotion; Ananias going to help Saul of Tarsus is like a Jew going to help Adolf Hitler in an act of obediance to God.
o Imitate God – mirror Jesus’ humility, mercy, forgiveness and loving correction
o Acknowledge God – breathe grace, share the Gospel, don’t plagiarize
OPPORTUNITY 2 - SERVE OTHERS
• Be reconciled to one another through the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control)
• Our actions, our deeds, our words, our sacrifice, our witness to Glory
• Make a commitmento Help an opponent to find better solutions to his or her problems than the person would have developed alone
o Carry an opponent’s burdens by providing for his or her spiritual, emotional, or material needs.
o Help others learn where they have erred and need to change
o Introduce others to Christ
o Teach and encourage others by your example
OPPORTUNITY 3 – GROW TO BE LIKE CHRIST
Posted by price at June 7, 2005 02:00 PM | TrackBack• “Since Christians are the most forgiven people in the world, we should be the most forgiving as well.”
• ABC of Spiritual Growth: Adversity Builds Character
• Paul is the chief sinner and experienced many character building opportunities to become like Christo 2 Corinthians 11:23-27
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 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.
• My Damascus Road momento Romans 8: 28-31
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
o We’ve all been Saul of Tarsus
o Journey doesn’t end until we’ve attained “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”.