#2 Peacekeeper Vs Peacemaker? Series

#2 PEACE KEEPER VS PEACE MAKER?

By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com

Thanks to Pastor Joe Girdler,

Kentucky District Superintendent of the Assemblies of God for the

fodder that started the thinking of this lesson...

This is part #2 of a 2 part series.

TEXT:

Mark 4:39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea,

Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the

children of God.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 48:18 O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had

thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

Philip. 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,

shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I. ALL SEEMED SO HOPELESS AND WAR SEEMED INEVITABLE...

A. IN 1902 AGENTINA AND CHILE were having terrible disagreements over the disputed location of the border between the two countries.

The two countries were slipping closer and closer to war.

There seemed to be no resolve.

Then it was proposed to BUILD A HUGE CHRIST THE REDEEMER OF THE ANDES

statue at 12,572 feet high in the mountains on the border between the two nations.

In 1904 the pieces of the statue were moved as close as they could get by train, then they down loaded the pieces of the statue to be pulled by mules to the high point between CHILE and AGENTINA and the CHRIST THE REDEEMER OF THE ANDES was constructed.

In CHRIST’S LEFT HAND --- HE IS LIFTING THE CROSS HIGH BETWEEN THE

TWO FEUDING NATIONS...

B. 3,000 Argentines and Chileans climbed the mountain on March 13, 1904 and celebrated together ... A FEW DAYS EARLIER THEY WERE READY TO GO

TO WAR TO FIGHT OVER THE BOUNDARY LINES... now the 3,000 soldiers

were shooting their guns and celebrating gun salutes together at the

FOOT OF CHRIST THE REDEEMER OF THE ANDES...

C. AT THE PEDESTAL OF THE CHRIST HOLDING THE CROSS HIGH...

IS A PLAQUE OF FRIENDSHIP THAT SAYS:

"SOONER SHALL THESE MOUNTAIN CRAGS CRUMBLE TO DUST THAN

CHILE AND ARGENTINA SHALL GO TO WAR AGAIN WITH EACH OTHER...

TEXT:

Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God

II. REVIEW:

HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE BLUE HAT OF A PEACEKEEPER?

I would like to ponder what a PEACEKEEPER and a PEACEMAKER are?

A. Is there any difference between a PEACEKEEPER and a PEACEMAKER?

If there is a difference --- what is it?

WHICH AM I?

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

B. Peacekeepers may only require PASSIVE ACTIVITY...

Peacemakers require talent, effort and finding a creative use of conflict.

C.When I landed in Haiti, one of the first things I noticed were the BLUE HATS OF THE UNTIED NATIONS PEACEKEEPING FORCE.

I talked with many of the troops...

1. Most of them hated being there...

2. The troops hated having contact with the Haitian people...

3. They could not wait to return home... this duty was painful to them?

SOMETIMES I PONDER THAT CHURCH MINISTRIES GROW THE SAME

ATTITUDES OF PEACEKEEPERS WHEN GOD CALLED US TO BE PEACEMAKERS...

D. As I was preparing for this lesson, I asked several of my friends to

comment on peacekeeper vs. peacemaker...?

I received a note from a pastor friend Bill Meeks in Tennessee.

Bill told about the PEACEMAKER?

What is a PEACEMAKER?

I looked it up... THE PEACEMAKER was a Colt Single Action Army Handgun.

The Peacemaker was a Colt .45 handgun used by the Army from

1873 to 1892.

The PEACEMAKER was also known as the EQUALIZER.

I can understand the EQUALIZER, but I have never thought of the value of a gun as a PEACEMAKER?

E. Years ago I was in Oliver Springs, TN, traveling playing music.

After service we went home with an old lady named Morgan.

The Oliver Springs Police Force consisted of one man.

The Policeman was called, there was two drunk men causing big a scene.

They were fighting and refusing to co-operate with the policeman.

He arrested the men and told them to submit to the handcuffs...

One of the drunk men said: THERE ARE TWO OF US AND ONE OF YOU!

The officer said: I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO MR. COLT AS HE

TAPPED HIS PISTOL.

He then stepped to the Police car and pulled out a shotgun, he then said:

THIS IS MR. WINCHESTER, THAT MAKES IT 3 AGAINST TWO.

Both men quietly turned around and was handcuffed and walked and

climbed into the officers car.