Enemies and Conflicts 5 - Christ centered ...

Friday, Oct 30, 2009. We can think and talk a lot about conflicts. But the real point where conflicts are resolved is the cross of Jesus. His death at the cross is a world-spanning milestone, the big change of the era, the transition from darkness to light, a start of a new creation. When we talk about conflicts, we need to talk about the power of the cross!

The cross has many meanings. It is like a precious stone, where the light can go in from all sides and will be reflected and mirrored into all directions. The cross is first of all his death for us. The pure is dying to save the impure. The holy is giving up his life to give life to the unholy. The dead are raised by a life given for them. We are the dead people, who gain new life in Christ. The cross is the symbol of justice and forgiveness. It is the place in time and history, where the forgiveness and love of God becomes flesh and reality in a special and far reaching way. There is new life for me in the cross. I have been an enemy of God. I have been in a conflict, and mankind has been in a conflict with God since the beginning. Here this conflict is resolved. Here peace is made. Here enemies become friends, lovers, father and children. The cross is the turning point for all of us.

But when I die with Christ, when I am created new with Christ, then my life changes. All my relations change. I am a new creation. I live in him. The apostle Paul describes this in his letter to the church in Rome. Paul is both describing his experiences as well as sketching eternal truth, powerful facts. Being in Christ really makes a difference, a big difference! I can see my enemies through HIS eyes. That changes everything. My enemies are people like me, who really need the love and forgiveness of Christ. They are people with their hopes, their fears, their cruelty and their ignorance - just like me. Of course there are differences - I might be a little less cruel, but a little more ignorant. As long as I am not in and with Christ, I am as lost as they are without him. But in Christ we can both be found. In Christ we are brothers and sisters. We have new targets, new goals, a new perspective. It is the perspective of peace. It is the realm where people help each other. It is a new creation, which is starting already by the spirit of God in His people.

I can find justice at the cross of Jesus. If I am really angry, if I really hate people, if I want their cruelty and violence to be punished … then I can go to the cross. Here, all the cruelty of humans is put onto the lamb of God, onto Christ. He is severely punished, he is beaten to death, he is hanging there suffering at the cross. His Hands are nailed to a wood, he is cursed and lonely. He is bearing the sin of the world. When I want justice, here I find it. I can put all my hatred onto Jesus, he was capable of bearing it. Instead of keeping my longing for vengeance with me, I should put it onto Jesus. He will carry it away and provide his healing for my soul.

We should deal in a Christ centered way with conflicts. When we have enemies, we need to bring them to Christ in prayer. We need to put their sins onto him, and then let go. The cross is not just a story, not just a picture, but it is the power of God. Christians of all times have experienced this power. They have realized that the cross is what it is told to be: God's source of new life. If you have not come to the cross with the guilt of your life, go there today. Give your life into His hands, and start to live as part of a new creation. If you have thoughts of revenge in your heart, if you have been deeply hurt, go to the cross. Pray for healing, let things go there, where God's power is there for you. The cross has always been a challenge to our mind. But the gospel of Christ does not consist of empty arguments, but of power and love and the peace which surpasses our understanding. Be Christ centered in your conflicts, believe and see, he is the Lord! [R.W.E.P., jesusnetwork.eu]

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