Jesus didn’t come to bring peace on earth.
Jesus came to disturb the peace.
Why? Because any peace to be had apart from relationship with and obedience to God is peace that is built on a lie.
Peace that crumbles.
Peace that’s a mask, a façade, a thin veneer, a sham.
Jesus came to be the Way, our path to the Father, to wholeness, to redemption, to reconciliation with God, to perfect freedom, and to the peace that is eternal.
But to do that, He must offend the current rulers of the age.
When Mary and Joseph presented Jesus at the temple, Simeon spoke this prophecy over Him:
“Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother:
“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Luke 2:34-35
Here’s the thing:
if we’re following Jesus, we must also be disturbers of the peace.
We must represent Jesus and when we do, it will reveal the thoughts of many hearts –
And that won’t be pretty.
A sword will pierce our own souls, too
And sometimes our flesh
or the flesh of our children.
Even as Americans debate the Christmas wars, the culture wars, and other skirmishes in the battle for souls on earth, FOX news today shone a light on those who suffer on the front lines:
“-An American Christian pastor has been in an Iranian prison for more than a year. The U.S. State Department has confirmed that he is jailed “on charges related to his religious beliefs.” Saeed Abedini set up churches in that country for almost a decade and the government found his work threatening. The pastor’s wife told reporters earlier this week: “My husband is suffering because he is a Christian. He’s suffering because he’s an American… Yet his own government did not fight for him when his captors were across the table.”
– In Egypt fundamentalist Muslims regularly attack Coptic Christians. A House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee heard testimony last week on the sad plight of the Copts. Bishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Britain spoke of “an unprecedented wave of violence erupted against Christians” that is being “carried out by radical elements in society.”
–And in Syria there are reports of Christians in the northern part of the country being targeted for rape, kidnapping and murder by Muslim groups. Christian churches have been vandalized throughout the country as civil war has torn the country apart for the last two years. The Civil War has forced thousands of Christians to flee the country in droves, seeking refuge in neighboring countries. Earlier this month, more than a dozen Greek Orthodox nuns and Christian orphanage workers were held hostage. One 65-year-old Syrian Christian woman put it bluntly in an interview: “They’re coming after us. All they do is massacre people, all they know is killing.”
The British Parliament debated this worldwide persecution of Christians earlier this month. One Member of Parliament called it “the biggest story in the world that has never been told.”
As we prepare for Christmas, let us honor Jesus by engaging in prayerful battle for those who suffer for His name around the world.
One day, this will end-
But not before it becomes more intense
Not before it reaches our own doorsteps.
When the war is over and we sit around our Father’s table sharing stories of what we did in the Great War, we will sit across from these dear ones,
These brothers and sisters who were imprisoned, beaten, raped, and killed.
Will part of your story be that you moved spiritual forces on their behalf in prayer and raised your voice to all who would listen for those whose voices are being silenced?
In honor of their lives, will you sacrifice one hour of Christmas preparation to pray for those who suffer in Jesus’ name?
Step out in faith and watch God work.
Follow in Jesus footsteps – Disturb the peace.
Get in on the conversation
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Amen.
Well said. I’m committing an hour in prayer before Wednesday.
There is spiritual warfare going on everywhere. And we Christians in America seem to be praying less and less. Our churches declare they have fought and won the battle so we settle into our worship routines and are blind to the battle raging around us. Disturb the peace? Not politically correct in our safe, white-washed buildings. But there are Christians everywhere who are ignoring the safe, polite life and following Christ in spite of the disapproval of those who would buy peace at any price! Good blog today, Lori. Continue to put the ugly truth before us. MOMMA
Two friends I made in Pakistan had to flee the country because of death threats. One is back and ministering to the poorest of the poor, the other in Australia ministering as well. In Pakistan whole villages of Christians have been attacked by mobs and people killed. It has happened in India as well. Egypt and Syria are only the latest examples. Persecution is underway in the US.