“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 15:9).

Blessed are the peacemakers who work for peace in a world ravaged by hate, division, and war. Today we will talk about true peace that can bring all parties to the table. True peace is much more than the cessation of hostilities. True peace reaches the soul and heart of humanity. It will open the vestiges of a new world governed by a sense of right and wrong. True peace will need to move beyond the limitations of the current world order that’s being controlled by the powers of darkness. True peace in the world will open up possibilities beyond our wildest imagination, although this world peace will never be realized by allowing the powers of darkness to influence all of our thinking and decision-making. We must return to the original model instituted for humanity; a model instituted in the beginning by the God of creation. There are many different models introduced to humanity over the last few hundred years that have allowed humanity to stray further from the truth about God’s created order of things. All the statutes and guidelines given to humanity have been slowly and methodically eradicated by the powers of darkness. We have gone so far as to remove the Ten Commandments from all the schools of public education in this country.

To find true peace in the world we must return to those original guidelines in the form of God’s beautiful commandments and not the flexible options based on public opinion. The further humanity strays from the truth, the more it will be influenced by public opinions concerning one’s behaviors and beliefs. This alone has created a great deal of confusion where most have a mixed bag of theology and varied opinions about life in general. Recently we have become aware of the great influence of the social media platforms. However, there is a much greater fear in the world today that humanity will be dangerously influenced by Artificial General Intelligence. Those in power are aggressively seeking help from its inventors on how to limit or control AGI’s influence on humanity. Unfortunately, they may never be able to put the Genie back in the bottle because humanity inherently seeks a consensus, which AGI promises. Humanity has not found this consensus among the world’s beliefs, on social media, the news media, the search engines, and even among the learned professors of higher learning. So, humanity will gravitate towards AGI and the powers of darkness, which will lead the world into greater division, increasing hatred, and massive world wars.

Only God can lead humanity back to a real lasting peace between mankind and their Father in Heaven. This is exactly what Jesus Christ did when He brought a peace plan to earth, over two thousand years ago, between humanity and the God of heaven. The Bible says, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6). Jesus came to show the “way” back to a living, dynamic, and loving relationship with the God of creation through forgiveness and restoration. Jesus proclaimed the “truth,” which would overcome the lies of the devil, the old sin nature, and the powers of darkness. The truth removed racial and ethnic barriers by leading humanity to embrace the power of love by turning the other cheek and going the extra mile. The New Testament is replete with instructions on how to stop anger and hostility through non-retaliation. This would all be possible through a new “life,” which was transformative by putting off the old life and putting on the new life in Christ. This new life would prepare humanity to receive lasting peace throughout all eternity. The God of creation still has all the answers that mankind seeks for all of life (II Peter 1:3).

Therefore, the first step toward a lasting peace available now in this fallen world is trusting in God to give us everything we need for life and godliness. There was a fatal mistake when humanity stopped trusting in God for all of life and turned to a world of public opinion, which led them to the spirit of Antichrist. It has already led mankind to unimaginable suffering through an epidemic of mental illnesses and drug addiction. It has already opened Pandora’s Box to every form of perversion, unchecked lawlessness, and a growing number of suicides. Yes, fallen humanity is imploding from within as they drift further away from God’s truth and His offer of salvation. As hatred, division, and wars continue, we must not sit idle. It will not help to just hide among those who agree with us on social media. It will not help to be silent among the pagan. As believers in Christ, we have all been called to be peacemakers. Many have gone forth on the world stage as great peacemakers garnering everyone’s attention, but the wars continue. Many have legislated laws and established new agencies, but the hatred and divisions continue. We need godly peacemakers to demonstrate the only true path to peace on earth before it’s too late.

I will admit, becoming a peacemaker will be difficult in a world of division with multiple beliefs and contradictory opinions about life. It won’t be easy, but it’s not impossible. We must start by showing humanity how to make peace with God by obeying all of His beautiful commands and accepting the free gift of life by believing in the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Until peace is obtained with God, then the pagan will suffer greatly from the consequences of humanity’s collective sins. Every plague and woe is sent from the righteous hand of God to drive fallen humanity to repentance. Our first task is to lead humanity to experience peace with the God of creation through repentance and by accepting His free gift of life by putting off the old life and putting on the new life in Christ. Oh, what joy it is to see a sinner repent and ask God to make them into a new creation. Happy are the peacemakers for truly they are the children of God. What joy it is to see them delivered from all their bondages and the confusion that has captured the world. Only peace with God will lead us to have true peace with one another.

The new life in Christ will give us a completely different perspective by allowing us to see others the way God sees them. We no longer see color, race, or ethnicity. We no longer see social standings, such as rich or poor, and being intelligent or simple. We no longer judge their character or their nationality. We see all people as either followers of Jesus Christ or as being unsaved. We learn to love every person. True love always recognizes the sin and the person’s captivity to the powers of darkness. True love will always seek their deliverance so they can experience the utter joy of a new life in Christ. To accept the sin or their perverse lifestyle is not love because it seals their fate to the powers of darkness and eternal punishment. True love helps us to see that both sides have deep-seated concerns in a conflict. In every fight, two sides must be considered to bring forth peace. In most conflict resolutions neither side truly understands how the other side feels. They may not even truly understand what they have done wrong. God’s peacemaker will help both sides to see their own individual faults and then lead them both to repentance. Christians should also work for peace even among nations at war. Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God.

Ukrainian and Russian Conflict

In conclusion, I just want to say a word about the Ukrainian and Russian conflict. I am deeply saddened that the Western nations have such a militaristic view of this conflict. Have they reached out to Russia and tried to come to some common ground? Have they looked at the Russians living in the Ukrainian area of the Donbas who claim to recognize Russia as their Mother Land because of their historical, ethnic, and economic ties, then should that not be part of a peace plan? We should remember that Ukraine was a part of Russia for over one hundred years and some things are difficult to change in every area. Also, I truly understand the Ukrainian fears and their deep desire to join NATO to alleviate their fears of further Russian aggression. We must look at the concerns of both sides to bring forth a lasting peace. My question is where are the peacemakers from the West?  Must we rely on China and Africa? My heart breaks for the many beautiful lives that have been cut short on both sides. I implore this country along with other Western countries to step up to the plate and work for real peace that will bring Russia and her people back into fellowship with her brothers and sister in the West. Supplying more weapons and materials along with isolating Russia will not bring peace but only continue her aggression. It could also lead to Armageddon, a very real possibility. As peacemakers we are called the true children of God. Where are the peacemakers in this conflict?