Is There Hope for World Peace...Continued from page 3
Bill Bouknight
The second mandate is a cultural one. Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) Of course, if we are asking for something in prayer, we must also work toward that end. Our task is to change our culture into something resembling the Kingdom of God.
Our task is to establish beachheads or outposts where Kingdom values prevail. We must build models of the Kingdom for a skeptical world to see.
What we are doing in the Binghampton community is a good example. We are working with the believers and responsible citizens of Binghampton to take back that community from drug-dealers and criminals. Our goal is to help build a more healthy, diverse, safe, prosperous, and godly community.
The Pilgrim Wesleyan Church is doing something similar in the nation of Zambia, and Christ Church is privileged to help. We are battling disease and poverty there, while spreading the gospel of Jesus. We are digging wells to provide safe drinking water while we are spreading the “living water” of faith in Jesus Christ.
The third mandate is given in Matthew 28:19. It is an evangelistic one. “Go into all the world and make disciples.”
Jesus warned us that our three-fold assignment here on earth would be tough. He said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.” (John 15:20) In fact, a constant theme in the New Testament is that we must persevere. St. Paul urged us “to endure hardship like a good soldier of Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 2:3) Jesus also said, “In this world you will have trouble, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
But you might ask, “If the Bible tells us that things are going to get worse instead of better, if turmoil is more likely than peace, why should we keep working for peace? The answer is that God can use all of our peacemaking for some good purpose. The Bible assures us that “our labor in the Lord is not in vain.” (I Cor. 15:58) And besides, God did not call us to be successful, just to be faithful.