Joey LeTourneau: "Governing Through Peace: Trumpets Blare and Peacemakers Rise"

From the desk of Steve Shultz:

As we have just entered the Rosh Hashanah new year this week, former Israeli President Shimon Peres passed away last week. In Joey LeTourneau's latest article, he writes about the life of Shimon Peres, what we can learn from him, and how we can display some important characteristics from his life.

Joey shares: Israel's former president, Shimon Peres, was not just a peace-keeper, but a peacemaker. He was a dreamer of impeccable hope that what looked tumultuous and even impossible in Israel and the Middle East—peace—was very much possible. One of the best ways we can honor him, while also fulfilling the Lord's promise, is to become the multiplication from the seed that has just fallen into the ground.

Peace is a weapon as you'll read about it below. Let us exude this great weapon of peace to those around us!

The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet. Romans 16:20

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For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. Romans 8:18-21

We have just entered the Hebrew New Year celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Feast of Trumpets. And I believe this year those trumpets are announcing a "changing of the guard" and an important time to seize the opportunity before us. This Rosh Hashanah came mere days after former Israeli President, Shimon Peres, was laid to rest. President Peres was a founding father, a pioneer, a hope reformer and in an amazing sense, a peacemaker.

High-ranking leaders and government officials, both past and present, gathered in Jerusalem from all over the world to honor a man who helped usher in an important move towards peace in the Middle East and much more. I believe this is significant. These world leaders were not only on hand to honor and pay their respects to former President Peres, I believe that whether they knew it or not they were also on hand, gathered "together," to witness a changing of the guard. (Photo of President Peres)

They stood by and watched as a significant founding father was laid to rest. This was a life and seed that had fallen into the ground that is meant to multiply for a generation of new, strategic and timely sons and daughters to arise all over the world and carry the torch of peace that this man kindled so well. His ceiling should become our floor. One governor of peace, as the trumpets sound, can become a people who live out a government of peace.

A Timely Opportunity

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers... Malachi 4:5-6

I believe we are in a Malachi 4:5-6 moment where this changing of the guard is a blank slate opportunity to impact the world together. The Feast of Trumpets that is upon us "trumpets" and announces this new moment of opportunity. It is not something that will just happen without us as fathers, mothers, sons and daughters seizing the moment and realizing the peacemakers we are all called to be.

It's a time to pick up where those who before us left off but in God's new ways. What the world needs is waiting to be revealed in the children of God. In Romans 8, we are told that "creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."

And yet, in Matthew 5:9 Jesus had already given us a clue what the sons of God creation waits for will look like—they will be peacemakers, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9).

As one great peacemaker has passed on, many more should now rise up. Shimon Peres as President cultivated peace through his role in the government. And now, we are about to see a new grass roots government cultivated that begins with you and I. It begins with us not just seeking to find peace for our own comfort, but living out the Person of peace who is inside us for the sake of the world around us.

The Government of Peace

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. Isaiah 9:6-7

Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. However, there is a new beginning. As sons and daughters of God, there is One within us who empowers us to rule and reign with a divine, heavenly government—a government of peace—here on earth as it is in Heaven. This is a radical hope ready to be realized, and this invitation has just been resent.

Israel's former president, Shimon Peres, was not just a peace-keeper, but a peacemaker. He was a dreamer of impeccable hope that what looked tumultuous and even impossible in Israel and the Middle East—peace—was very much possible. One of the best ways we can honor him, while also fulfilling the Lord's promise, is to become the multiplication from the seed that has just fallen into the ground.

World leaders were watching as this father of Israel's life was honored. And the world will be watching—and is eagerly waiting—for us to recognize the prophetic nature of this moment, understand our calling as sons and daughters, and come forward to bring this government of peace to the world at a whole new level.

What Does this Government of Peace Look Like Through Us?

I've written on the offensive strategy of peace before, but here are some ways we can seize this opportunity and fulfill the mandate of peace placed before us:

• Peace is first an "inside job": We cannot bring peace to the world until we allow peace to have its way IN us. Peace is a Person who first has to be given full reign on the inside, then we can carry the same testimony to the outside.

• Peace is active, not passive: Many times we assume peace is something passive, or serene. The reality is that peace is a transformation agent, it carries the lifeblood of Jesus to take ground from the enemy's turmoil, not just to help us survive that turmoil. (Photo via GraphicStock)

• We are participants, not just recipients: When Jesus sent out the 12, and the 70, He told them to carry peace everywhere they went. The disciples weren't just pursuing peace for themselves; they were carrying it as an offensive weapon of change.

• Our heart position: Love must define our perspective. Our heart must be pressed to His for each person, city and nation. We must be careful not to be so quick to choose sides, when we could be loving and leading forward with grace and truth.

• Peace is something we profit out of our trials that we can reproduce to the world: James 1 says that we should count it all joy when we encounter trials. Why? Because James knew the profit waiting to be found in each and every trial. Trials teach us to discover peace in the storm. The more we have been through, the more peace we can extract through each one. That is a lot of peace to be spent on the world.

• Our need for labels and definition must be surrendered: The Kingdom of God is a tension that requires us to live in the unknown a good bit if we want to journey forward with Jesus. Trust breeds peace. The more we learn to trust Him through the uncertain, the more peace we will have to live and give no matter our circumstances.

• Our "enemies" must become our neighbors, our friends, and even our "family". Jesus said to love our enemies, not judge them or tolerate them, but love them. When we learn to find God's created image in every person no matter how much we disagree with their lives or actions, peace becomes second nature. Then, we won't merely survive our enemies; our love will have the opportunity through relationship to offer them something new.

• This government of peace must not be legislated, it must come through the many: Caesar changed institutions to change people; Jesus changed people to change institutions. When we become a people who are so transformed by the Prince of Peace from the inside out, we will naturally usher in the government of peace that He already carries on His shoulders. Together, we can do this.

We may not always find peace in the world, but the world can—and should—always find peace in us. This will be the testimony of the children of God.

Joey LeTourneau
Imagi-Nations LLC
Email: joey.letourneau@gmail.com
Website: www.goimaginations.com

Joey LeTourneau, along with his wife Destiny and their six kids work across the nations to see the Father's nature revealed, raising up local leaders to their nations and dreaming to see each of God's children empowered to live out every purpose they've been created for - that no one's purpose would fall to the ground. Joey has authored six books, specifically: Revolutionary Freedom, The Life Giver, and The Power of Uncommon Unity. Most recently, they have released an emerging young leaders development curriculum, Hope Arise, to father and raise up young leaders across the nations.

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