A Study of The Church and Peace - November 30, 2020

I recently read Acts Chapter 9, including verse 31, “Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord” (NIV). Shouldn’t the church always be a place of peace? What is this about the church enjoying only “a time of peace”?

It is true that in Christ our Savior we enjoy “the peace of God which surpasses all understanding” and which “guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). We also have “peace with God” through the forgiveness of our sins and all that Jesus did for us; and we have confidence about our future (Romans 5:1-2). That never changes, as we remain in faith in Christ. God is faithful, and He keeps His promises to us. He will be with us to help us (2 Timothy 2:11-13).

At the same time, we live in a world that is often hostile to Christian ideas and principles and therefore to Christians, too. Acts 9 begins with a man, Saul, who was very anti-Christian and wanted to capture Christians and throw them in prison. It was not a peaceful time for the church (Acts 9:1-2). Jesus solved that problem by appearing to Saul and bringing him to faith in Him (Acts 9:3-19). Saul, whom we later know as the apostle Paul, soon became a positive witness for Jesus and was in trouble himself for teaching that Jesus was “the Son of God” and the “Christ,” the promised Savior (Acts 9:20-28). Some now wanted to kill Saul for being a Christian, and he had to be helped to escape and go for a while to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:24-25, 29-30). It was certainly not a peaceful time for Saul, but once he was gone it was quieter for the church for a while. The devil is always at work to disturb the church and Christian people, though.

We also participate in churches that are made up of imperfect people, declared “saints” by faith in Jesus, yet still sinners, forgiven by Him. There will be times of conflict and misunderstanding among people, even in the church. Note that just before Paul’s words of peace for the church at Philippi, Paul has to encourage two women in the church to work on their dispute and “agree in the Lord” - and he asks that others in the church “help these women” (Philippians 4:2-3).

See also in 1 Corinthians 1:10-11 that Paul has to appeal to some of the “brothers” in the church at Corinth to “agree” with one another and stop their “quarrels” and “divisions." If you read on in Acts 9:32-43, you will find that the church, continuing in peace, still had sick and bedridden people, widows who needed help and support, and people dying. The Lord was there, and helped with these people according to His will; but the church finally lived by peace and hope in the perfect peace which will fully come only in heaven (Romans 5:1-5). (This still true to this day. As I was typing this study I received an email, asking prayer for someone’s friend who is in the hospital.)

We need the church, where we can hear the Word of God and receive His gifts of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper and be strengthened and encouraged and pray for and be prayed for by our fellow believers, as imperfect as we all are. Ultimately, though, our hope is not in the people of the church, but in Christ and what He has done for us and what He promises us. Read 1 Corinthians 1:2-9 and note the emphasis on what God does for and what He gives to us in Christ. Paul does not thank the church; he thanks God for what He has been doing in the church and that He will sustain us to the end, in Christ. Read also Ephesians 2:13-22, where Paul makes it clear that “Christ is our peace” and where we have divisions and troubles, He seeks to forgive us and bring us together and build us up together as His people.

When we enjoy outward “times of peace” in our lives and in our churches, let us thank God. These are privileged times, in which we can be strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word and one another (Acts 9:31). Then we are ready and can cope with the more difficult situations we all face at times - at work, among friends and family, with Covid and other ills,  and sometimes even in the church itself.

The writer to the Hebrews puts it simply, “May the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good, that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).