Gospel News — Mar-May 2012

voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth" (Deut 28:1); "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, praise ye the Lord (Ps 150:6); "Come unto me all yea that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matt 11:28); "Beloved, I will above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 2); "Behold I stand at the door, and knock; if any hear my voice, I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me" (Rev 3:20); "Your word I have hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee (Ps 119:11); "Set your affection on things above, not on things on earth" (Col 3:2); "With God all things are possible" (Matt 19:26); "In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began" (Titus 1:2); "God is spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

To childishly believe in these principles is the way to success: "For the time is come that judgement must begin at the house of God, and if it first begins at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinners appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet 4:17-19). God is true to His word so, `Be merciful to us, O Lord, that we may have a good share in the kingdom that your beloved Son is coming to set up on earth;

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What Is True Peace?

Bro Musanda (Mufulira, Zambia)

Zambia has recently had its elections and a lot of people celebrated the emerging of the new era. Many have confidence that it will provide what they need and want, e.g. the fight against corruption and stability (peace). This reminds me of the time when the Israelites wanted to have their own king like the surrounding nations. With God's mercy, He gave them a king (Saul) who imposed the costs of a kingdom on the people as God had promised the human king would do. This signifies that only God can bring stability in human affairs of the kingdoms of men.

We all know how crafty some of the rulers of the world can be, forgetting that it is God who puts men in the ranks they hold (Dan 4:17). Since God has the upper hand in human affairs, He alone is the granter of peace. This He has demonstrated in sending His much-loved son as a peace offering for those who want to live in God's kingdom. Paul exhorts on this peace that we (you and me) are given once we realise the wrongs we have committed in our past life (because of the sin that we are prone to), through repentance once we have realised our errors. In our new life in Christ, Jesus will give us this peace, true peace to reign in our hearts (Col 3:15).

So, in conclusion, in the kingdoms of men people promise peace, but things work the other way round. Violence, fights, crime, etc become the rules of the day. This means that there is no true peace, but God has shown how we can attain that peace through being identified with Jesus Christ. It is through his blood that we (people who have agreed with him) are able to have a clear conscience. Thus, as we baptised brothers and sisters, break the bread and drink the wine they remind us of the peace which was made possible by Christ's death on the cross (Isa 53:5).