Psalm 35:27 The LORD be magnified, Who delights in the prosperity of His servant. NAS
1 Samuel 20:21 “…as the Lord lives, you are safe…”
2 Samuel 18:28 Then he called out to the king, “All is well!”… NIV
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. NIV
The word “shalom” appears 237 times in the Bible, a strong indicator of its importance. Shalom translates as peace, prosperity, health, rest, wellness, happiness, and friendliness.
This kind of peace is the assignment of the church.
The book of Revelation wasn’t written to us so we would build bunkers and hide out preserving our own lives. This was given so we would be mobilized with deeper conviction in the way we love others as part of God’s rescue team in the earth.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
In the beginning, all creation was in a state of shalom. The perfect environment for Adam and Eve to flourish and thrive. The Infinite Creator of all things was in complete harmony with all that He had created. Sin produced a barrier to the shalom of God causing the world to fall into a place of brokenness and spiritual poverty.
Poverty is the absence of Shalom in all of its meanings.
Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. NIV
The reason all of this is so important is because the fight of faith is not just a fight for your shalom. It’s a fight for the shalom of others to be restored.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. NIV
The sons and daughters of God are the peacemakers (shalom producers) in the earth. When we process well the atmosphere of God’s Word, God’s presence and God’s people we produce shalom as a result. Peace is the assignment of the church!
In 2009, Dr. Martin Gossner was researching the resilience of tree bark. As part of that study, Dr. Gossner sprayed the oldest tree in the Bavarian Forest National Park with an insecticide. All the organisms that were living on or in the bark of that tree fell to the earth.
Dr. Gossner collected 2,041 insects, animals, and other organisms belonging to 257 species.' A tree, you see, is not just a tree. It's actually an ecosystem, and so are you! Trees communicate with one another by releasing chemicals into the air? They form community through their root systems. They feed microorganisms in the soil and they turn carbon dioxide into the oxygen that you and I breathe.
The Bible likens us to trees as the planting of the Lord in the earth. We are God-ordained ecosystems in this world. Decisions we make, actions we take will have a domino effect in hundreds of directions in our lifetime and thousands for generations to come.
Psalm 119:165 Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. NIV
God’s Word in your heart releases Shalom to the earth! This is why it is so important that we guard our hearts!
Psalm 147:14 He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you… NIV
I love this idea of peace at my “borders”. If you’ve ever been through immigration or border patrol then you know interrogations abound! Common questions are, “What are you doing here?”, “Where did you come from?”, “How long will you stay?”, “Do you have family here?”, etc.
When you have any kind of energy, drama, emotion or anger at your borders trying to gain access to your attitude you need to be prepared for this kind of a thorough interrogation!
Shut down anything that doesn’t resemble peace by asking “What are you doing here?”, “Where did you come from?”, “How long did you plan to stay?”, “Do you have family here?” You can address anything contrary to the peace of God without allowing it into the borders of your mind if you will practice doing so consistently!
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Secure your borders with peace all week long!
ALGORITHMS: Shalom
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
UNDERSTANDING THE SEASON: As a church family we want to be OUTRAGEOUSLY LOVING people who PASSIONATELY PURSUE the Lord with IRRATIONALLY GIVING lifestyles as we CONSISTENTLY SUBMIT to God’s desires and EFFECTIVELY DISCIPLE others to do the same.
Our 2022 New Year’s Revelation as a church family is EVERYONE IS CREATED FOR ABUNDANT LIFE! Much will flow from heaven into our hearts and homes this year!
The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy but realize the aim of death is not to kill you but to keep you from the fullness of life until you die. Distraction is destruction of what could have been in your life.
John 10:10b “...I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” Amplified
Jesus came demonstrating that true life is discovered in a willing death. When we die to ourselves we learn what it means to be alive in Christ.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
Ask each person in your group to answer the discussion questions below after reading the verses. Don’t move on to the next question until everybody who is willing to share has had the opportunity to give their perspective.
Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. NIV
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
2. Have each person give a 60 second summary of what these verses are saying, in their own words.
3. What do these verses teach us about God?
4. What do these verses teach us about people?
5. What should you do this week in response to what we are reading and what God is revealing? 6. Who comes to mind when considering a person you might share this with this week?
We Bring GP2RL Action Point: Secure your borders with peace all week long!