WORLD CONFLICT

The Conflict in our world bothers me. Look at the non- stop bickering over nothingness among nations. Leaders bicker over issues that should make children blush, armies march, fight and kill to maintain position that are suspect at best. Years of lives are wasted, deep seed of sorrow is sown, misery is spread for generations: From the depths of Europe, to the expanses of Asia, to the hearts of Africa; nations rise against nations and innocent people suffer.

When we look at the marketplace, people do not look to just make a profit, greed causes people to seek a killing! There was a time in our world (late 1800s early 1900s) when American business leaders were referred to as “Robber Barons,” those given the privilege of managing God’s resources deploy it to miniaturized God’s people. This is still true today. Children cannot get health-care in America, China marches across Africa with the Jackboot of economic depredations; there is deep hopelessness in the heart of Europe (France for instance); Africa’s young people take to the Sea in a willing reenactment of the Middle Passage.

When we look into the family Unit, the misery deepens. Wives are ruled like slaves, children are treated like minions; fathers sometimes are victims: violence, infidelity, abuse, injustices, it seems as if the war deepens in the bedroom. One man of God puts it like this: the Bedroom, the Boardroom and the Throne-room have all become War Rooms.

The tendency is to cry Why? The well worn path is to give in to despair and cynicism but God wants us to look at it from one more angle.

The Lord is the one who rules in the midst of conflict, the Lord is the King who demands that there be conflict. In Genesis 3:16, God essentially said to the woman, “you will desire for what is rightfully yours, but instead of getting it; it will rule over you – like a slave!” But why will God do this? He does it so that somehow men may stop, think and see the futility of his activities. He does it secondarily so that men may seek Him. Thinking about this was for me a Eureka moment. Instead of despairing at conflicts, I saw hopeful possibilities, instead of a sense of loss, I received a renewed sense of vision. The words of Apostle Paul take on a new meaning: that “the whole creation waits with groaning for the manifestations of the Sons of God.”

Man by default of Sin is designed for conflict, the Christian by the default of transformational redemption is designed for peacemaking. No man comes to God except through the Son, no man gets to the Son except by the witness of His Church; everyone outside the orbits of this witness is reduced to an unending conflict. Oh Brothers and sisters, that we may arise and become an instrument of His peace.

Mark 16: 15 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned

The most visible sign of condemnation is conflict, the most potent answer to conflict is the preacher of the Gospel, brothers and sisters; LET US GO! LET US PREACH!

Originally written for Victory Court RCCG on April 6th 2008