Peace as a Mission

We can be bold in our faith and dedicated toward living as representatives of the Lord.  Paul writes in Philippians 1:
27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel...

In 2nd Corinthians 5, we are told that we are ambassadors for Christ.  When we are surrendered to His power, it makes a difference in the way we behave.  We have the potential to be an example of Christ's love and to help to mend the broken - those who are broken in heart or who are in broken relationships.  Because we have the peace of God, we can be involved in bringing peace into an anxious world.  We represent Him, and He wants to do mighty things through His people.

+++++

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, Jesus addresses the action and attitude of making peace, saying, "Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God." Romans 12 states:
17 Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
18 If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord.

Abiy Ahmed is an example of a man who is driven by a desire to bring peace.  According to a recent Christianity Today article, he is an Ethiopian Christian, whose father is a Muslim and whose mother is Ethiopian Orthodox.  He is a Protestant Pentecostal, a member of the Full Gospel Believers' Church.

And, he is a man on a mission.  He was elected Prime Minister of Ethiopia just last year.  He is the youngest leader on the continent, at the age of 43. The article says that:

Ahmed told followers after taking office, “We have a country that is endowed with great bounty and wealth, but is starving for love.”

(That is taken from a transcription published by Alemayehu G. Mariam of a speech at the "Day of Love, Forgiveness and Reconciliation" last year.)

The CT article relates that:

Ahmed signed a peace accord with President Isaias Afwerki of Eritrea last year, after decades of political stalemate and two years of violence that cost 80,000 lives along the border. The two countries have grown increasingly open to one another, with resumed air travel and telecommunications, the New York Times reported.

He also helped to bring reconciliation between two branches of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, according to a past Christianity Today article, and it was reported in the recent article that he attempted to bring better relations between Muslims and Christians in his hometown.

Ahmed was recognized for his efforts with the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize.  The prize announcement said:

He spent his first 100 days as Prime Minister lifting the country’s state of emergency, granting amnesty to thousands of political prisoners, discontinuing media censorship, legalizing outlawed opposition groups, dismissing military and civilian leaders who were suspected of corruption, and significantly increasing the influence of women in Ethiopian political and community life. He has also pledged to strengthen democracy by holding free and fair elections.

He is the second consecutive African to receive the Prize.  As CT notes, last year, "the award went in part to Denis Mukwege, a Christian doctor dedicated to healing rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)."

More from the Miriam translation of that speech by Ahmed:

Never have a shred of doubt that Ethiopia will return to her former greatness. I want to remind you again that the bridge to greatness and prosperity is reconciliation, love and become force multipliers.

Change does not need a few active players and many who watch from the sidelines. Change is a process that requires all of us to get into the field and make our contribution. Change is not the kind of game that spectators watch and cheer when there is a good result and criticize and complain when the result is not desirable.

The difference is how we play with authority, responsibility, capacity and how much contribution we make. Intellectuals bring us sound ideas. Professionals show us new ways of doing things. Faith fathers eliminate prejudice and corruption. Stand up and say, “The poor are being mistreated and suffering injustice.”

This is a inspiring message that has a faith in Christ at its foundation. The Prime Minister is pursuing the peace and well-being of his people and seems to be motivated by his faith as he seeks to bring it about.

Do you believe that the principles of the Bible are useful in governance?  Our Founding Fathers apparently did, and provided for us strong principles, consistent with Scripture, upon which this nation was founded.  It is not a bad thing to love our nation, as long as it is consistent with the Scriptures and rooted in mercy.

That's true on the "macro" level, and it can be true on what we might call the "micro" level as well, as we seek to apply the Scriptures to the projects upon which we are called to work.  We can pray for wisdom, and based on our knowledge of God's truth, integrate His direction into what we are called to undertake.

Finally, as we take the teaching of Jesus to heart, that, "blessed are the peacemakers," we can consider how we can use the tools and teachings of the Bible to make peace.  Our faith can inform us how we can relate to others, and where there is disharmony or disunity, we can be challenged to apply our faith and help to bring understanding.