Finding the Person of Peace

Jesus has many names, titles and characteristics attributed to His name; a name which stirs up many images and thoughts. However, one thing you are perhaps less likely to recall to mind when pondering Jesus is His strategic nature. It might not be His most striking attribute but it is nevertheless a very important part of His personality.

Jesus is extremely strategic. It was no accident that He called the men He called, took the routes he travelled, ate in the company he entertained, told the parable He communicated, met the people He encountered, lived the way He lived, and ultimately died the way He did. Jesus was intentional, planned, calculated and strategic in so many things; including evangelism.

In Luke 9 & 10 we see Jesus sending out His disciples with power and authority to proclaim the Good News and the message of the Kingdom of God, and in doing so He gives them a plan of action.

⁴ Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. ⁵ “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸ “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 

Jesus doesn't tell them to gather a large crowd and run a conference, or find the believers in the towns and villages and start a church; instead he charges them with the task of finding the Person of Peace. The strategy is plain and simple; find the Person of Peace and stay with them, eat with them and live with them. Jesus knows that better than scattering seed everywhere is to find the good soil first and plant there. If the disciples can find the Person of Peace in every home and every village they have a chance of sharing the Good News effectively.

So what are the attributes of a Person of Peace? Well they are someone who;

SHALOM

Let me give you some examples.

When I was younger we would regularly have a BBQ for friends and neighbours. Most of the time people would turn up on time or late with all kinds of stuff, but there was always one woman who came early to help setup, prepare food, greet guests, make drinks, and generally SERVE. This might not seem particularly spiritual but it showed willingness and warmth towards us. This could make her a Person of Peace to my family.

Also, I recently met an alcoholic man in my street. His life had fallen to near ruin and he was really struggling, so we began to meet together and after sometime it developed into praying together. It seemed every time I walked into the shop at the end of our road he was in there, often in a bad way, buying more drink. A few months passed and suddenly my friend moved out of town. The next week after he left I found myself in the shop talking to the shopkeeper and the conversation turned to my friend and his whereabouts. The assistant asked me “why do you care so much for this man?” and I was able to explain that I had been praying with him and believing that there was still hope in his life beyond the bottom of a bottle. The shopkeeper was a little shocked, but his reaction was not of disgust that we prayed together, but of interest that someone could care for another human being enough to go out of their way for them. The shopkeeper was very ATTRACTED by my lifestyle and OPEN to the story I had to tell.

And sometimes in life there are people who just LIKE you. You have a connection, chemistry, a special bond. That is what makes them your Person of Peace, and it is a unique relationship that only you can have.

In the New Testament we see many People of Peace. We have the Ethiopian Eunuch hearing the Gospel, Cornelius welcoming Peter into his home and then mobilising his family, Lydia whose heart was opened to the message by the river, or the jailer who witnessed Paul and Silas in prison. These are all people who in some way pass the SHALOM test and prove themselves to be a Person of Peace.

So who are the People of Peace in your world?

How are you going to be more strategic in finding out?

(Written by Tom MacDonald on behalf of SBC)