THE MISSING PEACE - Making Peace

well I lived in a church in the inner city of Denver one summer when I was in college and I was working there with a ministry that did camps for kids that lived in the city and as a ministry it had to solicit funds donations got to pay for our activities so so they sent out a support letter midway through that summer and I remember the support letter had really big on the front a massive picture of me and I have to say the designer made a strong choice because picture it if you will I had long flowing hair at the time and I was crouched down and surrounding me were a bunch of little children and they all had a hand on me like they just wanted to be close and I was looking directly into the eye of a young man maybe six seven years old and you saw in the picture the intensity of the moment that it was intimate we're all close and comfortable with that but there's an intensity to it too something of values being communicated and absorbed and as you look at that picture I know people were thinking man I wish I was there what is happening what is being communicated in this powerful moment and I knew what I was doing in that moment was communicating the rules of freeze-tag because as the youngest member on the mission team that's all they trusted me with but I remember I was looking in this young man's face and I was trying to communicate this to him he didn't know the game and I was telling him when it gets you you're frozen you can't move and then I looked at the kids in saying here's what's about to happen it is gonna have a wave of frozen mists coming along and those people as they're froze would become obstacles they'll be part of the problem but some of you will be free and in that moment you're gonna make choices on how to use your freedom some of you are gonna run as far as you can to someplace absolute self-preservation and try to eke out a little bit of happiness before that cold demise gets you but others of you are gonna choose to use your freedom to set others free and you're gonna dive between the legs of frozen kids because that's how you unfroze people in our game and when you do that they unfreeze and you can be a part of a wave of setting people free it's your choice actually as I think about it that is pretty motivational isn't it it's kind of awesome cuz that's the world today world's a dark place everybody knows that everybody feels that something wrong with the world today and you got responses of how we're gonna handle it as the world is unjust and cruel to us we can make the decision and I'll be part of the problem that's what Jean Valjean did and lame is the world hated me and so it said he's sentenced to the world to his hatred I will hate you right back that's what those young men did at Columbine the last letter they wrote before they opened fire at that school they said the world's been cruel to us and so we will join in the cruelty others of us when we see that the world is an unjust place and a dangerous scary place what do we do in an act of pure self-preservation we run to the safest corner possible and gather around us trinkets and baubles to make ourselves comfortable and just wait it out until our inevitable cold demise or others of us say I want a different life I am gonna join the ever-growing wave of those whose been set free and I will use my Liberty to set others free that's the choice before us so we've been in this series about the missing piece that Jesus came to bring peace and now last week was about internal peace we can experience this week is about external peace how do I be part of the solution that into the darkness God sent a solution God did not send when the world broke when we broke faith with God our first parents relationship with God broke intimacy among humanity broke and even our relationship with the very ground broke Shalom the peace all that it should be was severed but God in that moment did not send a list of rules to fix us he sent a ruler he did not send a set of laws he sent a saviour he didn't send us principles he sent the Prince of Peace I am coming to bring peace back to you and yet I know people here that in ago Jesus came to bring peace and that's what we celebrate this time of year peace on earth peace to you peace to all men and again I know some of us if we're honest look at that and go okay Jesus came to bring peace but just really how good a job did he do because this world's crazy look at the wars that have constantly being being fought look at the people that are being abused look at the children that are being exploited there's no peace in this world and yet if you look at the Bible you see God when he saw that anti-peace did something decisive about it Jesus stepped into it lived the perfect life we could not and then took the consequences of our anti peace onto himself why so he could bring us into a new kind of life you see it in second Corinthians it says in suruc second corinthians five therefore if anyone is in Christ he's a new creation the old has passed away the new has come all this is from God who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the Ministry of reconciliation that is that in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation therefore as ambassadors for Christ God is making his appeal through us we implore you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God do you see what happened Jesus did do something decisive he reconciled us to God he made peace between us and God again rewoven between us and God again made things right conciliatory again between us and God and then he changed something about us he said I am bringing peace to you and I also want to bring peace through you I am going to reconcile you to God and then I'm gonna give you the Ministry of reconciliation I'm gonna make you an ambassador and then we implore others be reconciled to God do you see that he changes the noun before he changes the verb he changes our identity before he changes the activity I am making you a new creation and I am making you an ambassador Jesus brings peace to people who put their faith in him and then he calls us to be a part of that great work of using our Liberty to liberate others we're meant to join the game he unfroze our dead hearts and we're meant to leverage our freedom to unfreeze other hearts so if you go what is God doing in the world Jesus intent was to not only bring peace to you but Jesus intends to bring peace through you that's the message today Jesus intends to not just bring peace to you although he's done that he intends to bring peace through you you are part of the solution to the world today so when the world was broke Jesus stepped in and did something decisive about it and so as we step into the world we don't step in and go man this world is so dark this city is so cold everybody's mean like we're victims no we say Jesus stepped in and did something decisive so when I step into my neighborhood I do something decisive my neighborhood should be different because I exist my office should look different because I exist this is what Jesus taught us do you remember when he started his ministry he came around and started telling people repent a new Kingdom is here a whole new operation a new kingdom it is advancing and people maybe believed him and then he started taking diseases away casting out demons raising the dead okay and they started taking way more seriously and so he developed critical mass and when a big group of people started following him and it got to a crescendo he sat them all down on the lawn and he gave his Kingdom manifesto we call it the Sermon on the Mount and in that sermon he said to them blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God now you hear that and you've got to understand he's not telling you how to become a son of God it's not you go bring peace to the world and then maybe I'll make you a son of God the Bible is clear how you become a son of God John 1:12 but to all who did receive him Jesus and believed in his name he gave the right to become sons of God Galatians three in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith when I put my faith in the Prince of Peace I have peace with God what he's saying is when you put your faith in the only begotten Son you become an adopted son or daughter the son of God is the Prince of Peace he made peace with us and he makes us into peacemakers he doesn't just want to do something to you he wants to do something through you so what it's saying here is not be a peacemaker in order to be a son of God it's saying when Jesus makes you a son of God you become a peacemaker you become a force for good in the world he changes you what it's saying here is that you look like your daddy my children don't act like me in order to become my kids my children act like me because they are my kids so I remember my firstborn little kid when she was maybe two years old coming downstairs and I remember I looked at her and she looked at me and she just popped out her little sucker went what's up what's up I was like where did that come from and my wife is like are you serious she's like that came from you that's what you always say to her right I was coloring with sparrow my second board job the other day and as I was coloring less superhero I remember she look at me and she said dad that looks fantastic you are doing a great job and I was like well thank you and I realized I say that that's why she says that she didn't say that in hopes that I will say and now you are my daughter right she acts like me because she's from me right my children don't act like I do to become my kids my children act like me because they are my kids do you see it blessed are the peacemakers because they'll be called sons of God people will look at you and say that's a true child to the king why because they look like that person has to know Jesus in a way I don't why because they act like him Jesus is in the business of setting people free and we are not supposed to be part of the problem nor seeking self-preservation we are meant to leverage our lives to set others free in Jesus name that's who we are meant to be do you see it God is a peacemaker yeah I think that's something to clap about to God's a peacemaker and so I'm a peacemaker too so then the question becomes how do we do it if that's a role he gave us he entrusted us to be reconciled in the world we're meant to make a difference in DC and Atlanta how do we do it what does it mean well he tells you later in the same sermon you've heard it say love your neighbor but hate your enemy but I say love your enemy pray for those who persecute so that you may be sons of your father in heaven he links the two peacemakers look like their father their father makes the Sun Rise on the evil and the good sends his rain on the just and the unjust if you love those who love you what reward do you have do not even tax collectors do the same and if you greet only your brothers what more you doing in others don't even Gentiles do that what he's saying is you are called to be a peacemaker this morning and you go well then how do I do that Ben if I'm to be a force of good in the world how do I become a peacemaker peacemakers extend love across expected boundaries that's what peacemakers do how are we gonna be peacemakers in the world peacemakers extend love beyond expected boundaries did you see in the text he says you've been told love your friends hate your enemies which truly is kind of how we operate in the world we typically have a spectrum of relationships you family and friends and love is extended through you to those two circles allegedly right and then you have acquaintances and then you have enemies and what do we typically do I love my friends and I love my family I tolerate acquaintances maybe it becomes more if they're cute or socially advantageous but I tolerate their existence right but my enemies and some of you go bin I don't know that I have enemies you know no but maybe if you think about it you have those people that you can't stand don't like being around and you secretly hope they fail in life and whenever they do have a setback you inwardly rejoice I've heard some of us feel that way about others what do you do for those people wish doom on them can't stand them they need to go away or we actively talk bad about them or if you're really proactive you actively physically punch them or things like that right hate to the enemies love tolerance hate the whole world goes that makes a ton of sense but what God does is God says I should love through the whole system love goes from family to friends to acquaintances to enemy I love even my enemies you see that peacemakers extend love beyond expected boundaries why because that's what God did for us while we were his enemies Christ died for us God loved us when we were not loving him back and so we are meant to do the same we should love through the system why do we do that because we understand if we know God that love precedes life change that's what the Bible teaches us that it's the kindness of God that leads us to repentance how do we change in life it's the love of God that shoots out first God taught us that frozen taught us that how do you turn Elsa from someone who's destructive there were two ideas right murder her right or sacrifice my life for her those were the two propositions put forward right and when I sacrificed my life for her while she was killing me what did it do it unfollowed that frozen heart and you became a force for good rather than destruction love proceeded life change that's what Beauty and the Beast taught us I don't know about the Disney one I've never watched it but you just think about the original Beauty and the Beast story what was the moral of the story how does a monster become a man you must be loved before you become lovable someone has to care about you in order for you to be someone who cares back right we believe that in society that's why many of us are trying to love kids who are in dangerous places because we want their hearts to say soft not become hardened right that love precedes life change so we love all the way down even to enemies now my advocating some of you that really do have enemies someone who abused you or hurt you am i saying you start calling them up let them back in your orbit no Paul will tell the Romans as far as it depends on you live at peace with all men some of you it is not safe for you to be around certain people emotionally or physically and I'm not advocating that there is a healthy distance for you but there's a distance they must come to right and so I'm not advocating putting yourself in a dangerous position and yet I don't want to cheapen the call the people who know the love of God we should love across every boundary friends family we love acquaintances and we love enemies even the people who hurt us when they wound us we send love right back our standard of behavior is not the world our standard of behavior is our Savior that's who we are right now some of us here that in you go then again lovely sentiment impractical I mean what are you trying to say love your enemy like what am I supposed to do like there's somebody that tried to get me fired there's somebody I know talks bad about me there's somebody who's agrees with a set of policies that I think will be destructive for our country I must silence them do must come to them you're telling me just love it's Christmas and so love everybody and yeah I don't know how to do that I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that information well here's what's great Jesus gives us two verbs two things I want you to do and I would guess they would surprise you how do you be a peacemaker peace extends love across expected boundaries how do you do it he gives us two ways the first one is by prayer is by prayer he says love your enemies pray for those who persecute you peacemakers pray for their persecutors and not just like lord I just pray you would smite her god I pray that you would cut her down at the knees remove from her all of her social media advantages God robbed her of her beauty and strength it's not praying doom on your enemies pray for those who persecute you and you say well how do I do that well he gives you a prayer in the same passage it's where we get the Lord's Prayer right and you can pray that for people lord I pray they would hallow your name Lord I pray your kingdom would come in their life I pray your will would be done for them god I pray you would provide for them and their family what they need to flourish god I pray you would put forgiveness in their hearts so they could forgive others I pray I forgive them god I pray you would deliver them from dangerous temptations I pray you to protect them from evil and I pray your kingdom and your power and your glory would flourish in their life I'm praying that an enemy become a friend that's what you're meant to do that's how we do it right and some of you hear that and you go well man I don't know like that's that's a cute sentiment but but Ben how do I do this I don't know that you can generate love for a person I don't know that you can and so some people try to diminish the word love your well love's not a feeling it's just a verb you don't know love is a feeling that prompts verbs you're meant to really have an affection for these people but some of you go I don't know how to have affection for them and again I want to bring this up gently some of us are on different sides of policy decisions political sides not just here in DC but in Lane Atlanta and I just want us here to try to imagine that sometimes people on different sides of the aisle have trouble getting along I know that's hard to imagine just by faith consider it right and you go what do you do do you suddenly go well I'm just gonna keep staring at their picture until my heart engenders love for them like man what a sweet guy know what you do is you start praying for them ask God to bless their life and here's what's crazy they might not just be the only one that changes you might change to God may do this to just bring a little more peace into the world in your orbit as well as theirs so I remember for me man the first time I ever got asked to preach like what I started in ministry I came out of college and was a youth pastor with like five kids and no one's like calling the youth pastor with five kids did I come speak at our conference just FYI those calls don't come so I'm just like rolling building my little ministry but then all of a sudden I get calls to speak at places in Houston and I remember I get called to speak at this place and they like me and they said will you come back monthly and I'm like sure and then they gave my name is this other guy he's like will you come speak weekly and I said sure and so all of a sudden before I knew it I'm like traveling speaking places and then the weirdest thing happened what I didn't realize was what I was doing there is I was replacing a pastor that had moved to a different city named Matt Chandler and so what happened was I would preach places and people would come up to me after every sermon and I don't know if you know how sermons work you don't just like study hard to understand the text you also put your heart and soul and blood into it and so it's a very personal thing the Word of God through me to you it's a vulnerable place to be and yet you stand on stage and do it to people for the glory of God and hope your sense of dignity stays intact and so I'm doing that every week and inevitably someone come up to me and be like hey man that's great yeah you just starting out that's awesome yeah this message was good have you heard that Chandler that guy isn't I mean every time he speaks it's like conviction and yet Grace and life changes and I mean that guy I love him I wish I knew I would sweep the floors of his house and I gotta tell you it was happening every single week of my life and I was becoming like Salieri in that beta just like oh good just just resentment started to build and I remember feeling that of just like I don't really know this guy but I need him to stop whatever is happening I need him to go away I need him to disappear I need him I need him off the board cuz he's ruining my quality of life and so I wasn't praying actively against him but I was kind of rooting for it internally you know like if something went wrong I know you're not supposed to say stuff like this but you felt it to be honest there's been someone at your office that you like being the funny guy and they're just a little too funny he needs to go away I think he's stealing I think he's stealing money are you in a rise in the company and there's some rival that's just a little too similar to you and you're just hoping something bad happens right you'd never say it out loud but you're like God you know if they just kind of have a moral breakdown that'd be okay and you just and so I realized I don't like this I don't like what it's making me but I don't know what to do hang a little picture of Matt on my bathroom mirror and just be I look at him know so I just started praying for him and I started praying and as soon as I started praying I just got a picture of him in the study because I knew what it's like to study and I just started praying that God would bless his time in his word I started asking God to open up his scripture did he'd understand it and then that naturally bled into his relationships with his wife and kids and I just I could picture it the blessings I was asking for first family up his family wins hope his marriage strengthens I hope his kids are blessed I just hope amazing things happens in his family and then I started praying for his ministry because I thought there's room man there was if there was room for Elvis and Johnny Cash there's room for Matt and Ben in Texas like you know it's not like there can be only one you don't know this God raises up a lot of us and so it's not a competition and so God began to root out of me that really selfish insecure competitive feeling because the kingdom needs a lot of people to advance it forward right and so I started praying that and you know what happened that resentment bled out and I started to like the guy and I still didn't really know him but when I moved to Dallas to go to seminary he was there and I went to his church and there was nothing but love in my heart for him and I got to become friends with him and got to be a part of watching that church grow got to preach there son and even a few weeks ago I saw him he came up gave me a big hug and said some very specific encouragement to me that meant a lot to me and what I realized is I love that man and I believe he loves me and the world's a better place and God's made me a prayer warrior for him and there's just a little more peace in the world why as a prayer I want to challenge some of you it may seem too small hey just pray for your enemies but I want to dare you to do it I dare you think about that enemy a person you hate on the other side of the political spectrum on the other side of the office on the other side of everything that you believe what if you prayed that God would bless that person God would help that person flourish the best of possible outcome is that an enemy would become a friend that's what you're praying for don't pray for their death pray for their conversion pray for God to make them something new pray for him to change them that's what you want to be a part of God does that he will do that thank goodness Jesus was like that as he hung on the cross that's what he did for us he practiced what he preached as he hung up there and people spit at him and cursed him we tend to think in our culture I love my friends I hate my enemies right that's what we do but what does Jesus say you that's not impressive that's not a powerful thing if you and it's popular in the culture today well I just love I'm on the side of love but typically in the culture today we say it with a shout well I'm on the side of love we love people as opposed to the other side that hates and so should thus be destroyed right the odd thing about that is like what are you basically saying I love the people who agree with me I love who I like you that that is not a stellar commendation of your philosophy because everybody does that right that doesn't make you an extraordinary purse that just makes you a person even Hitler had buddies right we love the people we like you can tell the power of God is it working you why when that love extends to even your enemies and so Jesus while they were murdering him didn't stand on that cross and oh you're spitting on me get over here oh oh how weird would that be if that was our leader I'm gonna come down off here you hurt me I'm justified to hurt you bad is that what he does no what did he do he prayed Father forgive them because he knew our enemy is not that person the enemy is spiritual who's done something to that person our battle is not against flesh and blood but against powers and spiritual and principalities it's a spiritual fight I'm not fighting against that person I disagree with I'm fighting for them I want them to win I want the world to win I want Shalom I want peace in the world so I start praying for them father forgive that when Jesus prayed that one of the Roman soldiers converted at the foot of the cross because he said I've never seen anything like that that is truly a son of God and I promise you you start praying for your enemy you'll have a soft heart for them and they will see the power of God in you would you be willing to try it this week when that bile comes up just pray form God forgive him God do a powerful work to saw they're frozen hard in to break up the hardness of it make an instrument of hate an instrument of love make that person something more than they are let your kingdom come your will be done in their life peacemakers bring peace by extending love across the expected boundaries how do you do it you pray for your enemy you pray for your enemy try it the other thing you do is greet them and that one got me by surprise I don't know how you feel about that but I expected Jesus say like be a peacemaker how by giving all your money to the poor every spare minute in soup kitchens being like and bless you do ya just like every modicum of your life given to others but what Jesus says is if you greet only your brothers what more are you doing than others don't even Gentiles do the same he says do you know what I want you to do in the name of Jesus to spread peace across the land greet people I think some of us are like really that's it say hi you know you go that's really the takeaway it seems small but what is greeting somebody I'll tell you what it is when you look them in the eye you're acknowledging they exist and by doing so extending a little bit of dignity to them you ever had someone not do that I mean I remember there were times at seminary studying the Bible I came from a college campus where you say hi to everybody and I would walk down the streets I'd be like hey man and I would watch guys carrying Bibles go and I'm like dude you're about to minister in the name of Jesus and you can say I pray for you Lord lord help of Lord convicted right I mean just but what would happen I would instantly get frustrated I remember I talked to a friend that she came from a very well-off family and yet she decided to do a ministry thing where she got a job in the drive-thru at a McDonald's and she said Ben no one looks you in the eye you were a tool for their pleasure that's it people are rude they snatch what they want they don't look at you you say hi they don't say hi back she said I just she said after like an hour of it I would just want to be like I'm a person I'm a person right cuz she was like I just felt so belittled degraded by people who aren't kind so when I greet somebody I'm acknowledging you exist I'm giving you dignity and I'm not just acknowledging it I'm acknowledging it in a friendly way I'm extending respect and kindness to people what I greet them that can be a tough thing to do easy to do with friends easy to do with family oh but what if we started doing it to acquaintances what if we even extended with kindness and respect towards enemies if we led with kindness and respect you think the world might be a different place I think it could be powerful if we start doing that I was in Atlanta last week and I remember I was sitting in a coffee shop I was early for a meeting and there was a young man at the table and it took me a minute to realize that I was doing other things but when I looked up I noticed he's not drinking anything he didn't order anything and he's asleep he's sleeping but he's got a bunch of bags around him and I realized oh I think he's like sleeping here and as I was just dawning on me what was happening this older man walked into the room and this older man walks right up to the sleeping young man and just smacked him on the back and woke him up which seems rude but then the craziest thing happened he said the young man's name and I remember what his name is I think was like Jason or something that but I remember he smacked this young man's on the back and he whispered down in his ear and I could hear cuz I was just the table nice to me goes Jason do you sleep outside last night did you sleep at the metro station you know you have a warm place to stay don't you you always do man you just say the word I mean for you and then he got up and walked away and I was like what just happened didn't try to just throw a dollar at him to enable some unhealthy lifestyle but didn't just walk past him and put a hand on his keys and wallet looked him in the eye greeted him by name and offered him kindness and I thought that is powerful because when that young man is ready for help he knows exactly who to go to that greeting has opened the door for redemption for that young man that's powerful that is powerful what if we lived like that what if we moved towards people like that I remember when I started in youth ministry I had this young kid come to me sweetest kid and I remember he was kind of a new believer and he came to me so excited high school kid he ran up to me names like Ben I gotta tell you the story and I was like what man he's like dude I was in the lunchroom and I was looking and I saw sister across the room cuz that's what he called believers in Jesus who were girls because that's what the Bible is she's like I saw sister across the room he said I looked over there and there was this guy hitting on her and she was kind of up against the wall he was making her feel real uncomfortable like he had his hand up and saying like really in her grill and he said I watched that going on he said and so I just walked over there and I looked at her and I was like hey aren't we in class together let's walk let's go and he said I just walked around that moment and he told me and I was like and that's just so great you're a hero that's amazing you're so cool and I was like that's awesome dude so are you gonna start walking her to class every day after lunch and I remember when I said that to him he went what no he said no I'm gonna walk with him he said she already knows Jesus he doesn't so so I'm gonna walk him to class every day until he does I don't he said that it's like 16 year old kid I was like yes and I'm glad to hear you say that because as your pastor I was about to command that activity I'm glad to know that you've learned you've learned so much already I release you young pedaling right I mean but what kind of difference could that make I don't know I'll tell you I think you'd be glad if you did it I remember the first time I punched a guy in the face hard and put him on the ground I got hip into it he was my best friend and we didn't talk after that he had started making fun of me and knew the places I was insecure and would and would do it publicly and I didn't know how to respond other than a left hook and put him on the ground we didn't talk for several years and I remember one time it just hit me like I don't like that I don't like how cold this gun I don't know if I can solve everything I can't I can't do both sides but I just called him on the phone and said hey man you want to hang out and I remember on the phone how like halting his voice was because he was like well I can't but but thanks man thank you I was like yeah that's cool I saw him a couple months later in class and I remember the way this class worked there's a lot of free time so we were sitting on the floor visiting and he started asking me about Jesus and we talked about Jesus why I think he's the hope of the world he initiated that I don't think it would happen otherwise he died a few years later last conversation we ever had and when I think about the loss of what was my best friend one of the things that comforts me is to know that I greeted him and that greeting opened the door for hope and I don't know where he is but I feel good about what I put into his world now as far as it depends on me I wanted peace to come to him in are you willing to do the same to acknowledge some people to see him you don't know how their lives may change Ananias as Saul of Tarsus was murdering people God came to Ananias and said Saul's coming to your town go greet him and you remember in an Isis response yeah no no God I don't think you understand that's all it's arsons he's murdering folks out here I am NOT greeting that man god I think you're misinformed as who you're dealing with and God says no you greet him you go see him on the road why cuz you have no idea what I've done in his heart and you're gonna be the instrument I use to make a saw into a Paul a murderer into a minister you go greet him a nice and trust me to do the rest who knows what might change as a result I work for an oil company for years excuse me not years months was an internship the way that came from I worked for an oil company and felt like years um and I remember there was this older guy there and he would drive me to work sometimes because we live in the same neighborhood and and I found out a couple months later cuz he was so low-key about it he would do a Bible study like once a month in the boardroom in the CEO let him do it and he invited he would go around to people's offices invite him like real low pressure like hey no pressure but during the lunch hour on Friday I did some Bible study if you want to come and there was one older lady that not only said no she makes fun of them and I knew it because I found out about the Bible study in the regular lunch room one day because she was like well this hero over here and she just starts making fun of him in front of everybody mocking the way he looks mocking the way he talks mocking his little adorable Bible study mocking his stupid Bible and his stupid religion in front of everybody I mean she just laid waste to this guy and I watched him just absorb it and kind of smile and not say anything and as a young man I'm like go to war bro you know I was like so mad but I didn't know what to do about it and I just watched him just be gentle and I watched him still go by her office he never quit going by hey no pressure little Bible study you want to come get out of here yeah and he just never stopped being him and then she had a stroke or something I don't remember all the details of it medically but I know it robbed from her the ability to walk and I remember she was gone for a long time and then she showed up in a wheelchair and when she showed up he was waiting for her at the elevator I watched him do it he waited for and he wheeled her in and wildered to her desk he had rearranged her office he'd gotten her set up and I watched him over the next couple months just take care of her just just look out for her his enemy he just loved her and you know what I happened to her that hard heart became so soft she became a grandma she became tender I'd watch her Pat his hand I watched her heart open up not just to love for him but for love for us and in love for God I watched an enemy become a friend why because someone stood at the elevator and kept saying hello is there someone you just need to say hi to some family member you just need to write a letter to not dig up all the past but just say hey Merry Christmas somebody you need to extend towards with kindness you may not solve everything but you may small solve something and I want to encourage you as we close don't underestimate the power of small actions some of you may hear this and you go okay on what you want us to walk out of here and pray for our enemy every day and then greet people greet a stranger on the street greet an enemy just say hi to people you'll get rejected do it anyway if standard her behaviors your king about the culture do it anyway you have does that really gonna make a difference well let me tell you something small changes in diet will change your lifestyle small steps can lead a way up a mountain right small seeds I remember my little sparrow bought a little package of sunflower seeds a little bitty bag like this she threw him out in our backyard and it created an ocean of sunflowers kind of startling and you're like wow something so small did something so big that's possible I look at this room and I'm so glad everybody in Atlanta can see this room too because when we launched out here there was five of us Don and I and three kids and Mike Dee came on a couple staff people a couple of people from Atlanta heard the call from God and moved here and found jobs but I remember when we first met it was maybe maybe 30 people in my living room that's how we started a year ago and then we asked a couple friends to help us put on a party and more people came and then we started doing him weekly and more of you came and people would come up to us and say this is so different because DC is a cold hard cruel place which are nice to people your kind even when you don't know me and that kindness was attractive and I've watched it change some of you and I watched a room of 30 become 50 50 becomes 200 now we're knocking at the door of over a 100 people closing in on a thousand before year one in this room how crazy is that what difference will my little life make hey your little greeting at the door might change the trajectory of somebody nine months in we're blowing up in this place why cuz small act of kindness can do great things we decided to try to help our kids get off screens and so we've introduced puzzles into our life I went a big puzzle guide growing up but I've become a puzzle guy now we did the little 50 piece puzzles with them for a while but there was only last like five minutes and we needed to entertain the kids for longer so we bumped it up to a thousand pieces which the box cautions that for children my age Avant's tells you on the side they're not ready and I told the box I don't care and so we've done two so far and both of them were 999 pieces because each time one piece was missing I don't know if I can communicate to you how frustrating that is even now I just got to pray so we entered our third puzzle one about superheroes we finished it last night except for one piece and I thought no this cannot be no not again 999 is unacceptable so I started throwing telus started lifting furniture started turning over tables and then we had this chair it really doesn't have cushions that move but I thrust my hand deep into that chair sort of injuring myself process because I had to get into the mechanics of the chair what I did found dr. Strange's little face [Music] and when I saw his distressed and disturbed look I thought about you because some of you go what difference is it gonna make if I say hi to people on the Metro tomorrow what difference is it gonna make if I bring a little kindness into my office what difference is it gonna make if I'm slow to anger in my home God's not asking you to change the whole world but Jesus is putting together a picture of thousands he's just asking you to be your peace doesn't satisfy him when a piece goes missing and says no I'm just gonna tuck into my couch now you're meant to be a part of a bigger picture with us don't miss your place don't be the missing piece because he brought peace to you and he wants to bring peace through you and he will do it you use little people like me and like you to change the world not all by yourself but when you're fit together with us a wave starts falling frozen hearts liberating captives changing cities that's what he's called us to don't miss that

Channel: Passion City Church

Views: 24,622

Rating: 4.9037199 out of 5

Keywords: ben stuart, passion city church, ben stuart sermons, passion city, louie giglio, missing peace, passion church, passion city church worship, the missing peace, louis giglio, passion city church dc, passion city church sermons, peace, passion

Id: 6QHkyyhSnd4

Length: 43min 36sec (2616 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 18 2018