The Reason For Restoring Peace

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“Now 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 12:20-21

This passage is one of the central texts that highlight the reason for Restoring Peace Ministries.

  • The God of Peace. The God of the bible intends to be known as the God of Peace. In our most troubled seasons of conflict and tension we do not need to doubt God's purpose in our situation, he desires peace. It is true that our difficult experience will cloud our understanding. His timing for accomplishing our peace will likely not align with our expectations. But we can be assured that he intends to be known as the God of Peace.

 

  • He sacrificed for our peace. Unlike us, God is not ambivalent. He does not have competing desires. He is not stuck. Our God will accomplish what he desires. Our sin is what caused our anguish and continues to do so. Sometimes we are the perpetrators, other times we are the recipients. But it was God who sent his son, Jesus Christ, to live, die and resurrect to new life in order that we could have peace with God and others. Any mistake we have made, any failed attempt in pursuing peace are all forgiven. 

 

  • He intends to help us live in peace. There are two ways in which God is at work in us to secure the peace he desires for us to experience. He is 'equipping' and 'working'.

First, he is equipping. The root meaning of the word is to restore.  The God of Peace, who has secured our peace in the death of his son, is now restoring in us everything good so as to live at peace. He has not forsaken anything that he has made. He is helping us to become what we were made to be, a people at peace with him and with one another.

In addition, he is also ‘working in us’. God is not simply reinstalling the hardware. Our God is working in us the capacity,  interest,  affection, and energy needed to secure peace. In every moment of pursuing peace we will need our Father, his Son and Spirit. 

  • He will be honored for peace. Lastly, Jesus Christ will receive glory, forever and ever, for what he has accomplished for and through us.

Whatever may be accomplished through the coaching, training and mediation of Restoring Peace Ministries, it will only happen because of the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are simply messengers of the good news of peace. Whatever lonely, dark, hurting situation you have find yourself in, we are here to help and remind you that God has not abandoned you.

God’s grace and peace to you.

Made For Peace

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The reason why we all have such an adverse reaction to conflict is because we were fashioned for peace. In Genesis 1 we find that Adam and Eve were perfectly suited to have peace (shalom) with God, with each other, with creation and with ourselves. The entrance of sin into the world brought conflict to these relationships. 

Restoring Peace Ministries seeks to join God's redemptive plan to "reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." It is our desire to help individuals, couples, families, and organizations move from simply surviving in conflict to thriving in relationship.

We understand that the longing for peace resides deep in all of our hearts. This longing is the energy behind all of our expressions of survival. Some have resolved to deprive themselves of peace by simply avoiding conflict. For years they have chosen to silence their voice, numb their hearts, and die to the hope of a restored relationship at home, at work, or at church.

There are others who use a different strategy, but it comes from the same heart trying to survive. They will have control. Picking the fight is their strategy. These people believe they should get what they want, so they take it. Never relenting, always defending, they pursue peace at the expense of others.

It is a true saying that peace comes at a cost. False peace sacrifices the voice of one who simply chooses to avoid conflict. True biblical peace comes in dying to ourselves and seeking the peace of God in following the way of Jesus. It is through the life, death and resurrection of Christ that we come to understand the price of peace, and the power of reconciliation.

Restoring Peace Ministries seeks to bring the gospel of peace to conflict-weary relationships. We are here to help, to serve, urge, encourage and pray for whomever desires peace and yields to God's path to reconciliation with him, others, and ourselves..