Be A Peacekeeper in the Chaos

By David Ettinger

I Suppose …
I suppose during these riotous and chaotic times Christians can fill their social media pages with conspiracy theories and hatred aimed at liberal politicians.

I suppose Christians can label as “evil” everyone who sincerely proposes we wear masks in public, refrain from attending church in large numbers, and keep schools closed until the end of the year just to be extra cautious. It’s okay to object to these things, but not to vilify those with right motives.

And I suppose Christians can excuse themselves from acting in a Christlike manner because of these exceptional times. I mean, So many unbelievers are so far off in their thinking that telling them about Jesus can wait; we need to straighten their thinking out on this whole Covid-19 thing – not to mention the civil unrest!

What We Should Ask Ourselves
Or, of course, Christians can choose to put the politics, conspiracy theories, and demonizing conflicting thinkers aside and resolve to be peacemakers. In fact, there’s a verse on this. Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

I’d much rather be known as a peacemaker than constantly contending with mask-wearing adherents and those who are supporting the “wrong” presidential candidate.

I’m not much a proponent of those bumper stickers and t-shirts which say, “WWJD” – “What Would Jesus Do.” The Christian walk is more involved than that, but I do think Christians should ask themselves, “What would Jesus have me do?”

And especially in these unsettling times, Christians really should ask: “Lord, these are dangerous days, what can I as Your child do to bring good to the world and not contribute to the chaos?”

It’s a great question, and there is an answer to it – in fact, several answers.

Our Mandate
The answer, or answers, is not hard to find, as they are clearly presented in Scripture and serve as the mandate for every believer. So, to the question, “Lord, what can I as Your child do to bring good to the world and not contribute to the chaos?” here are a few answers.

To help bring good to the world, we should …

1. “… not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

2. “… clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12).

3.  Remember that “Gracious words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones” (Proverbs 16:24).

4. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

5. “… love [our] enemies and pray for those who persecute [us]” (Matthew 5:44).

When’s the last time you prayed for far-left liberal politicians (the “Squad” comes to mind), or those participating in the violent protesting? I’d much rather see them saved than voted out of office or imprisoned.

Peacekeepers in the Chaos
Practically speaking, I think the above five commands ­– and there are more – is how the Lord would have us react to the chaos. Yes, we can condemn “the other side,” but that does nothing to promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acting Christlike, however – being peacekeepers in the chaos – will go much further to bring civility to our society, and who knows, such peacekeeping behavior may even lead an unbeliever or two “to [cross] over from death to life” (John 5:24)!

Tagged: Acting Christlike, Covid-19, Social Unrest, The Peace of God, Unruly Society, Witnessing for Christ

Posted in: Application, Bible study, Bible teaching, Christian Behavior, Christian Ethics, Christianity, Commentary, Culture, Current Events, Devotional, Editorial/Blog, Moral Corruption, Moral Fall of the West, New Testament, Obeying God, Old Testament, Practical, Praying, Serving God, Social Media, Society