Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.
2 Corinthians 13:11
Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. The Lord be with you all.
2 Thessalonians 3:16
Our God is a God of peace (2 Corinthians 13:11), and his Messiah is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). The Kingdom that he brings is one of peace (Isaiah 11:6-9). So even when he brings division (see Matthew 5:34-39), he brings it for the purpose, in the end, of peace. As the fruit of his victory over sin and death, the gift he gives to his disciples is first of all, peace (John 14:27, 20:19, 20:26). He has already won the victory, so peace is already breaking in.
Since the Lord brings peace, the disciple has peace within. The mature disciple of Jesus Christ is righteous, and peace is the fruit of righteousness (Hebrews 12:11; Isaiah 32.16–18). This is because love casts out fear (1 John 4:18), leaving peace in its wake.
And being peaceful, the disciple is a peacemaker, imitating God. Where there is mutilation, division, and conflict—the disciple brings healing, unity, and peace. Instead of responding to evil with resistance or revenge, they respond to it with good (Romans 12:17-21, Matthew 5:38–41, Leviticus 19:17–18). In this way, the disciple brings to others peace—most especially peace with God, and peace with other human beings, even between enemies (Luke 6:35).
But sinful creatures that we are, we tend to let evil breed resentment and anger. Like Zealots, we turn and fight, as if we didn’t really believe that the victory has already been won, and that evil is powerless. Or alternatively, we let evil breed fear and timidity. Like Pharisees, we turn tail and avoid confronting evil, resenting it instead. This too presumes that the victory has not already been won, and that evil has not been rendered powerless. But the victory has been won, and evil has been made powerless.
“The harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace” (James 3:18). As peace is the fruit of righteousness, so is righteousness the fruit of peace. We must cultivate the peace of the Lord within ourselves, and in the gift of Wisdom, whereby all things are put in their right order, be peacemakers ourselves.
How does the “deep wisdom” of the peacemakers prepare us to evangelize?
The role of the evangelist, truly, is to be a peacemaker. There is no greater peace than peace with God. We must make it our aim to pursue internal peace, and accept the peace of Christ, that rest of Jesus that he offers us when he says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This peace is not simply the absence of disturbance but the presence of the One who has won victory over evil by the power of his saving love.
When we have this kind of peace, buried deep within our souls, then we will be peacemakers. We will be fruitful evangelists. We won’t be able to help it. A lamp in a dark place cannot help but shine.
OTHER “DEEP WISDOM” SERIES LINKS:
The “Deep Wisdom” of the Beatitudes (1 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists
Blessed are the Poor (“Deep Wisdom” 2 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists
Blessed are those who Mourn (“Deep Wisdom” 3 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists
Blessed are the Meek (“Deep Wisdom” 4 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists
Blessed are the Merciful (“Deep Wisdom” 6 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists
Blessed Are the Pure in Heart (“Deep Wisdom” 7 of 9) – Theology for Evangelists