Bible Studies

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Together As One Body

The largest and oldest Interfaith Peace Organization in the United States was founded in 1915. The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), headquartered in Nyack, New York, envisions a world of justice, peace, and freedom, where differences are respected, conflicts resolved nonviolently, and people live in harmony with the earth, nurtured by spiritual traditions that foster compassion, solidarity, and reconciliation. They seek to replace violence, war, racism, and economic injustice with nonviolence, peace, and justice. They are engaged locally, nationally, and globally. FOR seeks to stand with and support Palestinians and Israelis striving to end the occupation of Palestine and to create an enduring peace with justice for both peoples. One look at the nightly news sheds light on their performance.
From a human perspective, FOR has a clear vision and dignified goals, but they ignore GodÕs revelation on what His purpose and plan involve for the world. I imagine there are some true Christians involved in FOR, but if so, they may be ignorant of GodÕs word about reconciliation and world peace. Reconciliation comes only as a sovereign act of God to those chosen by God to receive mercy, for we are all due justice. Yes, we all have sinned! World peace will only be a lasting reality when Christ returns, puts an end to evil violently, then sets up His Kingdom to rule with true justice and righteousness. Only those who know God through Jesus Christ will survive His wrath at His return. He is the God of love, but He is the God of Justice, as well. His love and justice cannot be separated, for they are interwoven with His Sovereignty. He rules according to His good pleasure, whether we like it or not.
Interfaith movements ignore Scripture and try to talk peace into reality, but itÕs based on the fallacy of an inherent good in man by which he can overcome evil. They perceive evil as a problem man can conquer by harnessing his softer side. Those organizations, like the United Nations, may purport to be one body seeking peace in our world, but their only unity is in the fact that all their members Ð outside of those born again in Christ Ð are united only as enemies and haters of God. They are seeking to solve a problem that only God can solve, for only God can reconcile the world, and He made peace by shedding ChristÕs blood on the cross. Apart from that, there can be no peace between God and man nor men and men. Thus, God, reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, brings Jews and Gentiles together. Let us exalt in our reconciliation! Then may we strive, as ambassadors of Christ, to bring GodÕs message of peace and hope to others, as God intended, one soul at a time.

Mountain Time Moment

Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death,
and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

Ephesians 2:16 NLT

Entire article with Scripture links at:
http://home.comcast.net/~flgrace/Ephesians216.pdf

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