As the election draws closer, we can feel the tension rising in our entire country. We also sense a lot of anxiety among many Believers who are still unsure about what do. As we prepared to write this week’s letter, the Holy Spirit reminded us of emails that we released eight years ago in the weeks leading up to the 2008 Presidential election.
At that time, as it is in this time, Christians were divided and confused about what to do in perilous times. This is what we wrote to our small congregation in October of 2008:
We're living in such a critical time in the history of mankind that I've found myself in deep prayer and thought about what to share with you this week. The financial markets of the world are collapsing, crime and violence are soaring, persecution is increasing against the church around the world, and we're about to transition into new leadership in this country.
As we have prayed and asked the Lord how to navigate the days ahead of us, we have heard this one word of instruction: You must learn to live in the eye of the hurricane.
The eye of the hurricane has to be one of the most phenomenal wonders of the world. How is it possible that in the center of this horrible storm, where the wind can exceed 150 miles per hour, that the atmosphere can be peaceful, calm and even sunny? As the storm moves along the ocean's surface, it is picking up energy and growing worse, but the center remains calm.
We find it interesting that the only way you can stay in the center of the storm (prophetically in the peace and presence of God), is to keep moving. You can’t just stand still. You can’t be passive and comfortable. If you try to maintain your personal space of comfort, you will find yourself caught in the outer perimeter of the storm. The eye of the storm is moving because the storm is moving. So you have to keep moving with the peace of God in the midst of the storm.
Colossians 3:15-16 tells us how to keep moving with the peace of God in the midst of the storm.
…And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
This week, let’s talk about letting the peace of God rule. This phrase means, we must be governed and led by the assurance of God Himself. That means He will direct us to go places, meet with people, and do things that we may not want to do. So we must learn the difference between the peace of God and the peace of our own hearts and minds.
Sometimes there’s no peace in our mind about doing certain things or going certain places because of our bad memories and our negative experiences. Many people have to learn the difference between their own personal peace and the peace of God.
Since we’ve been in our current roles of ministering in this community, we have seen scores of people who are led by their own personal peace. If they don’t feel right about something, they won’t do it, even when God is clearly leading them in a different direction.
Even after God has clearly proven that it was Him directing their steps, they still allow their past to rule their hearts. They allow previous church experiences to rule their hearts. They allow their personal preferences to rule their hearts. They allow their expectations to rule their hearts. They allow the way others treated them to rule their hearts.
We recently heard a well-known television minister declare that they don’t go places where they are merely TOLERATED, but they only go to places where they are CELEBRATED. That’s a very powerful, but unscriptural approach to following God. What happened to OBEDIENCE TO GOD?
I don’t know of any of God’s prophets, apostles, preachers, or leaders who were living by that standard. Not only were most of them not celebrated, but they were hated. We don’t only go where we feel we will personally benefit from the experience. You and I must go wherever God says for us to go. (And do what He commands us to do).
As the storm is moving, we have to move with the eye of the storm (the Peace of God). What if the eye of the storm leads you to fellowship with people you don’t usually hang out with? That’s what happened to Peter. What if the eye of the storms positions you to work for your captors? That’s what happened to Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah. What if the eye of the storm leads you to join a small group of people like our home church family or some other new gathering of believers in your community? What if the peace of God leads you away from all that is familiar and comfortable?
Even today, as the current (political) storm moves and the peace of God moves, we are facing major decisions. This time we must be faithful and obedient to move with God in the midst of the storm.
In 2004, Carol and I left all that was familiar, prosperous and comfortable, to move to this region. Since we’ve been here, we’ve continually been required to move with the eye of the storm and remain in the peace and rest of God. (And this has been a very difficult storm to navigate).
God’s peace led us out of full-time (and propserous) ministry and into the marketplace. God’s peace led us away from gathering within church facilities and into a home group gathering. God’s peace led us onto the internet and into our current multi-media outreaches. We recently discovered that God is directing many church planters in the same strategies all around the world because of the storms that are coming forth on many nations, the world and the Church.
We have often asked God why we were moving in this direction, but He keeps assuring us that a day will come when people will search for those who are lifting up Jesus and not lifting up personalities. They will look for people who are real as they grow weary of their traditions, religions and politics. So we’ll just keep moving with the eye of the storm, in the peace of God.
Right now, many are finding their jobs threatened and their families in crisis. Even some church communities are beginning to waiver in fear. We encourage you to abandon your fear and just flow with God. He is trustworthy. So this week, the Word for all of us is, “Keep moving with the peace of God.”
This e-newsletter was written in October of 2008 and it still applies to us today.
For the least of these,
Chris and Carol Green (D.Hon.Causa)
