May 19, 2024
Does your church need to develop a culture of peace? Are you ready to learn how? Join me at Midway Church, Villa Rica, Ga for the SOWING PEACE CONFERENCE, April 18-20, 2024.
One doesn’t have to read the Bible very deeply to find that PEACE is at the very core of being a Christian. PEACE in our hearts? PEACE IN OUR HOMES? A PEACEFUL culture in our churches? PEACEMAKERS in a conflicted world? A relationship with the Prince of PEACE? PEACE with fellow believers? Yes!
Matthew 5:9 — BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS.
John 14:27 — PEACE I LEAVE WITH YOU.
Luke 2:14 — PEACE ON EARTH, AND GOODWILL TOWARD MAN.
Romans 15:13 — MAY THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH JOY AND PEACE.
Philippians 4:7 — PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
I have felt helpless as a pastor watching conflict begin to brew. And I have felt the pain of people that I love become spiritually scarred for life because of it.
We work to reach people with the gospel, baptize and disciple them, get them into Sunday School, helping them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus, and perhaps capable leaders someday. Then “something” happens. A disagreement. A moral or ethical problem. A change of some sort. The conflict magnifies, and then we watch a third of those people leave with a wounded spirit, many of whom never go to church again.
PEACE should permeate every aspect of church life- its people, activities, transactions, discussions, disagreements, etc. The Apostle Paul admonished us to “bear with one another." Being a peacemaker is really Christianity 101, yet so many of us are really awful at it. Whether we know it or not, many people in our communities do not see us as a people of peace. Thus many of our churches have a culture of conflict, rather than one of peace. We have an opportunity to change that culture. REGISTER TODAY AND COME JOIN ME!
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Todd Wright is longtime pastor and church consultant from Villa Rica, Ga.
