Be not afraid...
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
---Matt 5:9
The last few days have been very tumultuous in the world of the Episcopal Church USA (now known as simply The Episcopal Church 'TEC'). For nearly the last two weeks the Episcopal Church has been holding its general convention. This particular general convention has been a focal point for much attention and much apprehension. For several years now there has been much debate and controversy over the fact that the Episcopal Church appointed and consecrated an openly homosexual bishop. The rest of the Anglican Communion (the global body of the Anglican church) issued a very polite ultimatum (anglicans do everything politely) to the ECUSA stating that if they desired to continue in communion with the rest of the Anglican church, they must repent of their actions and not continue to follow the path upon which they had begun. This General Convention was the time when the ECUSA would decide how to respond.
In the last few days of convention it has been made painfully obvious that the ECUSA has decided it cares less for its fellowship with the world wide Anglican church than it does for its own socio-political agenda. In a fairly rapid succession of votes the Episcopal Church voted to approve intercommunion with the United Methodists, violating the traditional Anglican commitement to the Historic Episcopate. Elected a Female bishop to be the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Not only a female bishop but one who has never pastorally lead a church of her own, one who supports the consecration of homosexual clergy, among a number of other liberal points in contradiction to the faith and character of the Anglican Tradition. In addition to this the Episcopal Church voted down a resolution to cease funding of pro-abortion organizations, and voted down (by a margin of 70% to 30%) a resolution reaffirming the belief that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone and that Jesus Christ alone is the way the truth and the life.
The new Presiding Bishop followed all this up by giving a sermon in which she referred to christians as children of "Mother Jesus".
All of this, of course, has made it a near certainty that the Episcopal Church will be excommunicated from the Anglican Communion. It has produced a flurry of conversation among conservatives about where they should go from here.. ie which church they should join once they leave the Episcopal Church, and what the Anglican Communion will do to establish an official body in the US. It has made it a near certainty that there will be numerous ugly legal battles as conservative Parishes fight to keep their churches when they leave the Episcopal Church.
It is a turbulent time to say the least.
In reflecting upon all of this, I was very encouraged today.
What? you ask... encouraged by all that doom, gloom, and chaos? Yes, encouraged!
One of the chief virtues of Christianity is peace. The scripture I opened with is one of the beatitudes, Jesus is known as the "prince of peace", Paul said "as much as it is possible, live at peace with all men". So what is peace? How do we have peace?
In order to answer that question let me ask another... what is the opposite of peace? War? Strife? Persecution? no. Undoubtedly those are likely to be the most common answers given, but in the christian sense, those things are not the opposite of peace. Fear is the opposite of peace.
It is interesting that the very next virtue Jesus listed in the beatitudes in Matt 5:10 is...
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
How can we be have peace, and be peacemakers in the midst of persecution?? how is such a thing possible?
Jesus, the prince of peace also said " I came not to bring peace, but a sword, to divide a son from his father and a daughter from her mother." How could the prince of peace say such a thing?
Fear is the opposite of peace. So what then is peace? Peace is assurance of victory. The sure knowledge that no matter what the circumstance, no matter if you are at war, if you are in prison, if you are being persecuted, you will have the victory, and all will be well.
The bible says that perfect love casts out fear. I never really understood why until I began to see that the only perfect love is God's love, and when we begin to gain an understanding of how perfectly God loves us, then we have assurance of victory. For if God almightly loves me to the heigth, depth, and breadth of perfection, what could possibly overcome me. As scripture says, if God be for us, who can be against us.
Peace is the assurance, the absolute surity, that no matter what should occur in this life, God will work it together for my good and my victory.
This does not mean that bad things will not happen, it does not mean that we will not suffer.
There is a great hymn, well known and loved by christians of all types called "Peace like a River". Many of you may know the story of how this hymn came to be, but I could not find a better illustration of my point.
In the early 1800's there was a man named Horatio Gates Spafford. He was a Lawyer and a friend and co-worker of Dwight Moody in his ministry. After the great Chicago fire Spafford spent much time and effort helping the homeless and impoverished in chicago get back on their feet. After this, he and his family (wife and four daughters) decided to take a vacation, and join Moody in England to help with a crusade there.
Horatio himself was delayed by business but sent his family on ahead and planned to join them shortly in England. His wife and four daughters took passage on the ship, Ville de Havre. However the ship was involved in a collision with another ship off the coast of Newfoundland and sank within 20 minutes.
Horatio recieved a two word telegram from his wife which read "saved alone". All four of his daughters were killed in the wreck. Horatio joined his wife in England to grieve. During that time of sorrow he penned the following words...
When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well...with my soul...
It is well, it is well, with my soul...
He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul.
It is well...with my soul...
It is well, it is well, with my soul...
And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound,
and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...
It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...
In the midst of sorrow and anguish, Horatio Spafford had peace, and he did not fear.
One more example I would give is from scripture itself. The book of Job to be precise.
I'm sure we all know the story of Job. He was a good and righteous man who lost all that he posessed, his children died, and at last he was smitten with illness and boils.
Through out the book of Job, this godly man seeks answers for his suffering, and understanding of why he has been stricken. His friends supply numerous answers without understanding or wisdom, and finally at the end God speaks to Job and but does not address his suffering at all. He gives no answer to the questions Job has been wrestling with. Rather God asks Job a series of questions. A series of questions that no one other than God could possibly answer.
In this God reveals to Job something of the true depths of God's power and majesty, his understanding, and his glory. Job's response is to cover his mouth in silence and reverence.
He says to God
“I know that you can do all things,and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
"‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
When Job saw the greatness of God, the depths of God's majesty and power, he no longer gave place to his fears, or his doubts. He repented of his turmoil and was at peace.
When we have a revelation of God, when we experience God, fear is cast out, and only peace remains.
Is the situation dark and gloomy? is Doom hanging over head? Are you stepping out of a boat into a stormy sea?
When you fix your eyes upon God, all the rest fades, fear is cast out, and peace remains.
God works all things together for the good of those who love him. All will be well.
---Matt 5:9
The last few days have been very tumultuous in the world of the Episcopal Church USA (now known as simply The Episcopal Church 'TEC'). For nearly the last two weeks the Episcopal Church has been holding its general convention. This particular general convention has been a focal point for much attention and much apprehension. For several years now there has been much debate and controversy over the fact that the Episcopal Church appointed and consecrated an openly homosexual bishop. The rest of the Anglican Communion (the global body of the Anglican church) issued a very polite ultimatum (anglicans do everything politely) to the ECUSA stating that if they desired to continue in communion with the rest of the Anglican church, they must repent of their actions and not continue to follow the path upon which they had begun. This General Convention was the time when the ECUSA would decide how to respond.
In the last few days of convention it has been made painfully obvious that the ECUSA has decided it cares less for its fellowship with the world wide Anglican church than it does for its own socio-political agenda. In a fairly rapid succession of votes the Episcopal Church voted to approve intercommunion with the United Methodists, violating the traditional Anglican commitement to the Historic Episcopate. Elected a Female bishop to be the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. Not only a female bishop but one who has never pastorally lead a church of her own, one who supports the consecration of homosexual clergy, among a number of other liberal points in contradiction to the faith and character of the Anglican Tradition. In addition to this the Episcopal Church voted down a resolution to cease funding of pro-abortion organizations, and voted down (by a margin of 70% to 30%) a resolution reaffirming the belief that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone and that Jesus Christ alone is the way the truth and the life.
The new Presiding Bishop followed all this up by giving a sermon in which she referred to christians as children of "Mother Jesus".
All of this, of course, has made it a near certainty that the Episcopal Church will be excommunicated from the Anglican Communion. It has produced a flurry of conversation among conservatives about where they should go from here.. ie which church they should join once they leave the Episcopal Church, and what the Anglican Communion will do to establish an official body in the US. It has made it a near certainty that there will be numerous ugly legal battles as conservative Parishes fight to keep their churches when they leave the Episcopal Church.
It is a turbulent time to say the least.
In reflecting upon all of this, I was very encouraged today.
What? you ask... encouraged by all that doom, gloom, and chaos? Yes, encouraged!
One of the chief virtues of Christianity is peace. The scripture I opened with is one of the beatitudes, Jesus is known as the "prince of peace", Paul said "as much as it is possible, live at peace with all men". So what is peace? How do we have peace?
In order to answer that question let me ask another... what is the opposite of peace? War? Strife? Persecution? no. Undoubtedly those are likely to be the most common answers given, but in the christian sense, those things are not the opposite of peace. Fear is the opposite of peace.
It is interesting that the very next virtue Jesus listed in the beatitudes in Matt 5:10 is...
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
How can we be have peace, and be peacemakers in the midst of persecution?? how is such a thing possible?
Jesus, the prince of peace also said " I came not to bring peace, but a sword, to divide a son from his father and a daughter from her mother." How could the prince of peace say such a thing?
Fear is the opposite of peace. So what then is peace? Peace is assurance of victory. The sure knowledge that no matter what the circumstance, no matter if you are at war, if you are in prison, if you are being persecuted, you will have the victory, and all will be well.
The bible says that perfect love casts out fear. I never really understood why until I began to see that the only perfect love is God's love, and when we begin to gain an understanding of how perfectly God loves us, then we have assurance of victory. For if God almightly loves me to the heigth, depth, and breadth of perfection, what could possibly overcome me. As scripture says, if God be for us, who can be against us.
Peace is the assurance, the absolute surity, that no matter what should occur in this life, God will work it together for my good and my victory.
This does not mean that bad things will not happen, it does not mean that we will not suffer.
There is a great hymn, well known and loved by christians of all types called "Peace like a River". Many of you may know the story of how this hymn came to be, but I could not find a better illustration of my point.
In the early 1800's there was a man named Horatio Gates Spafford. He was a Lawyer and a friend and co-worker of Dwight Moody in his ministry. After the great Chicago fire Spafford spent much time and effort helping the homeless and impoverished in chicago get back on their feet. After this, he and his family (wife and four daughters) decided to take a vacation, and join Moody in England to help with a crusade there.
Horatio himself was delayed by business but sent his family on ahead and planned to join them shortly in England. His wife and four daughters took passage on the ship, Ville de Havre. However the ship was involved in a collision with another ship off the coast of Newfoundland and sank within 20 minutes.
Horatio recieved a two word telegram from his wife which read "saved alone". All four of his daughters were killed in the wreck. Horatio joined his wife in England to grieve. During that time of sorrow he penned the following words...
When peace like a river, attendeth my way;
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.
It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
It is well...with my soul...
It is well, it is well, with my soul...
He lives--oh, the bliss of this glorious thought;
My sin, not in part, but the whole,Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul.
It is well...with my soul...
It is well, it is well, with my soul...
And, Lord, haste the day when our faith shall be sight
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll,
The trumpet shall sound,
and the Lord shall descend;
Even so, it is well with my soul...
It is well...with my soul... It is well, it is well, with my soul...
In the midst of sorrow and anguish, Horatio Spafford had peace, and he did not fear.
One more example I would give is from scripture itself. The book of Job to be precise.
I'm sure we all know the story of Job. He was a good and righteous man who lost all that he posessed, his children died, and at last he was smitten with illness and boils.
Through out the book of Job, this godly man seeks answers for his suffering, and understanding of why he has been stricken. His friends supply numerous answers without understanding or wisdom, and finally at the end God speaks to Job and but does not address his suffering at all. He gives no answer to the questions Job has been wrestling with. Rather God asks Job a series of questions. A series of questions that no one other than God could possibly answer.
In this God reveals to Job something of the true depths of God's power and majesty, his understanding, and his glory. Job's response is to cover his mouth in silence and reverence.
He says to God
“I know that you can do all things,and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted."
"‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
When Job saw the greatness of God, the depths of God's majesty and power, he no longer gave place to his fears, or his doubts. He repented of his turmoil and was at peace.
When we have a revelation of God, when we experience God, fear is cast out, and only peace remains.
Is the situation dark and gloomy? is Doom hanging over head? Are you stepping out of a boat into a stormy sea?
When you fix your eyes upon God, all the rest fades, fear is cast out, and peace remains.
God works all things together for the good of those who love him. All will be well.
posted by Simon Templar | 9:18 PM
2 Comments:
Oops, the above comment is from me :)
An excellent article...worth every second it took to read it. I love that hymn.
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