Jesus Said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Matthew 5:9
The Peacemaker is a book that has been around for awhile and has earned an excellent reputation as a manual for resolving conflicts in a Biblical manner. In this most current edition, the author has put a stronger emphasis on the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the foundation for true peacemaking and in doing so has provided the readers with a powerful model of Christian discipleship. The section on "Get the Log Out of You Own Eye" is particularly effective in helping readers identify the desires in our hearts that fuel conflict. Sande is also very good at giving clear ideas of how to practice forgiveness and use it to point others to Christ. This book is practical and Christ-centered. After reading this book I am seriously considering preaching a sermon series on what God’s word has to say about Jesus Christ as the ultimate peacemaker (Prince of Peace) and what it means to share his peace with others. While many pastors have done this as a way of dealing with specific conflicts with in a congregation, I think it would be helpful for us to start thinking about the ways our mission to be a Christ-centered cross-focused community of servants can be enhanced as we work to create a culture of peacemaking within our congregation and larger community. Sande describes what it looks like when the Peace of Christ works its way through his disciples in his preface to the book: Peacemakers are people who breathe grace. They draw continually on the goodness and power of Jesus Christ, and then they bring his love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom to the conflicts of daily life. God delights to breathe his grace through peacemakers and use them to dissipate anger, improve understanding, promote justice, and encourage repentance and reconciliation. This sounds like an excellent way for the people of Peace Lutheran Church to live out our lives in this world.
You can learn more about Peacemaker Ministries by clicking HERE.
You can read the Peacemaker blog by clicking HERE.
You can download a copy of the preface and chapter one in PDF format by clicking HERE. I STRONGLY encourage, beg, and exhort you to take the time to read this first chapter.
I am also seriously considering using the The Peacemaker Student Edition: Handling Conflict without Fighting Back or Running Away as a part of the confirmation program this year. You can download the Table of Contents and Chapter One: Your Amazing Opportunity in PDF format by clicking HERE.
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Peacemaker’s Pledge
Commitment to Biblical Conflict Resolution
As people reconciled to God by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we believe that we are called to respond to conflict in a way that is remarkably different from the way the world deals with conflict (Matthew 5:9; Luke 6:27-36; Galatians 5:19-26). We also believe that conflict provides opportunities to glorify God, serve other people, and grow to be like Christ (Romans 8:28-29; 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1; James 1:2-4). Therefore, in response to God’s love and in reliance on his grace, we commit ourselves to respond to conflict according to the following principles:
Glorify God — Instead of focusing on our own desires or dwelling on what others may do, we will rejoice in the Lord and bring him praise by depending on his forgiveness, wisdom, power, and love, as we seek to faithfully obey his commands and maintain a loving, merciful, and forgiving attitude.
Psalm 37:1-6; Mark 11:25; John 14:15; Romans 12:17-21; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Philippians. 4:2-9; Colossians 3:1-4; James 3:17-18; 4:1-3; 1 Peter 2:12.
Get the Log out of Your Eye — Instead of blaming others for a conflict or resisting correction, we will trust in God’s mercy and take responsibility for our own contribution to conflicts—confessing our sins to those we have wronged, asking God to help us change any attitudes and habits that lead to conflict, and seeking to repair any harm we have caused.
Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 7:3-5; Luke 19:8; Colossians 3:5-14; 1 John 1:8-9.
Gently Restore — Instead of pretending that conflict doesn’t exist or talking about others behind their backs, we will overlook minor offenses or we will talk personally and graciously with those whose offenses seem too serious to overlook, seeking to restore them rather than condemn them. When a conflict with a Christian brother or sister cannot be resolved in private, we will ask others in the body of Christ to help us settle the matter in a biblical manner.
Proverbs 19:11; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 6:1-8; Galatians 6:1-2; Ephesians. 4:29; 2 Timothy 2:24-26; James 5:9
Go and Be Reconciled — Instead of accepting premature compromise or allowing relationships to wither, we will actively pursue genuine peace and reconciliation—forgiving others as God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven us, and seeking just and mutually beneficial solutions to our differences.
Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 6:12; Matthew 7:12; Ephesians 4:1-3, Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 2:3-4.
By God’s grace, we will apply these principles as a matter of stewardship, realizing that conflict is an assignment, not an accident. We will remember that success in God’s eyes is not a matter of specific results, but of faithful, dependent obedience. And we will pray that our service as peacemakers will bring praise to our Lord and lead others to know His infinite love.
Matthew 25:14-21; John 13:34-35; Romans 12:18; 1 Peter 2:19; 1 Peter 4:19.
Adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict. © 1997, 2003 by Ken Sande. All Rights Reserved.
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Four Promises of Forgiveness
Through forgiveness God tears down the walls that our sins have built, and he opens the way for a renewed relationship with him. This is exactly what we must do if we are to forgive as the Lord forgives us: We must release the person who has wronged us from the penalty of being separated from us. We must not hold wrongs against others, not think about the wrongs, and not punish others for them. Therefore, forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises:
- "I will not dwell on this incident."
- "I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you."
- "I will not talk to others about this incident."
- "I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship."
By making and keeping these promises, you can tear down the walls that stand between you and your offender. You promise not to dwell on or brood over the problem or to punish by holding the person at a distance. You clear the way for your relationship to develop unhindered by memories of past wrongs. This is exactly what God does for us, and it is what he calls us to do for others.
Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, by Ken Sande (Updated Edition, Baker Books, 2003).
