Welcome back to Restoring Relationships - Transforming Justice.  In this lecture, we're going to talk about a power that we often use to try to extinguish a conflict wildfire, but it's not a power that comes from the Peacefire.  These are attempts we make to extinguish wildfires in our own strength rather than using God's power.  We often attempt to extinguish conflict wildfires based on what we see happening in the wildfire according to the wisdom of the earthly kingdom.  I call these attempts wildfire accelerates.  Wildfire accelerants can never extinguish a wildfire.  They can never please or glorify God, because they originate in our natural desires and the wisdom of the earthly kingdom.  Wildfire accelerants can never bring about the restoration and reconciliation that occurs at the Peacefire.  


Here's a partial list of wildfire accelerants.  These are the ones we're going to talk about in this lecture, but there are others.  These are just a kind of a sort of assembly of list of wildfire accelerants that we often find in the wildfire as we try to respond to it, try to resolve it, try to extinguish the flames.  Let's go through this list.  


Pride.  Pride manifests itself in arrogance, self-righteousness, and intellectual or spiritual superiority.  It over emphasizes truth and under emphasizes mercy.  Proverbs 8:13 says to fear the Lord is to hate evil.  I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.  


Revenge.  Revenge seeks to settle a score, get even or exact a pound of flesh or more from someone who wrongs us.  It exposes a lack of trust in God's promise to take vengeance on behalf of his people.  In Romans 12:19 we read, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath for it is written, it is mine to avenge I will repay says the Lord.”  


Anger.  Anger stirs up strife and does not produce the righteousness that reflects the image of Jesus Christ.  “My dear brothers and sisters take note of this.  Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”  (James 1:19-20)   


Lying.  Lying can never extinguish a conflict wildfire.  Any deceptive peace that a lie might establish will eventually reignite into a more intense conflict when the deceit is exposed.  Colossians 3:9-10, “Do not lie to each other since you've taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”


Hatred.  Hatred is a wildfire accelerant that hides.  A conflict wildfire cannot be extinguished so long as hatred is hidden in the heart.  Proverbs 10:12, “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs.”  


Fear.  Fear paralyzes and keeps us from walking by faith.  The power of God's love delivers us from the fear of man and the fear of circumstances.  2 Timothy 1:7 reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”  


Bitterness.  When unforgiveness is harbored during a conflict, it often gives rise to bitterness that causes a conflict wildfire to spread.  Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”  


Scorn and mockery.  Scorn and mockery are established by the derision and ridicule of others.  They have no place at the Peacefire.  Proverbs 22:10 says, “Drive out the mocker and out goes strife.  Quarrels and insults are ended.”  


And we're all tempted to use wildfire accelerants from time to time.  They're effective in bringing temporary relief of the intensity of a conflict, especially if we're in a position of power or authority, to use our power to get others to respond the way we want them to respond to achieve our desired outcome.  But any relief that a wildfire accelerant brings us is temporary because it can never extinguish the wildfire.  Someone may do what we want them to do because they have to, but trust me, the fire still burning underground.  


When we see wildfire accelerants in our heart or in our conduct in a wildfire, confess it to the Lord, bring it to him, ask him to replace it with the character and attributes that reflect the presence of Jesus Christ in our life.  We can then replace the thoughts of the shallow wildfire story with Peacefire wisdom.  In Philippians 4:8, “Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure and lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things.”  


Let's review the key points from this lecture:  


  • While wildfire accelerates our attempts to extinguish conflict wildfires using natural responses and worldly wisdom.  

  • They sometimes provide temporary relief from the intensity of a conflict.  

  • Wildfire, accelerants can never extinguish a conflict wildfire in a manner that glorifies Jesus Christ.  

  • When a wildfire accelerant is exposed in us, we can ask the Lord to replace it with the character and attributes of Jesus Christ.  


Thanks for watching this lecture.  God bless you.  We'll see you next time.



最后修改: 2023年12月5日 星期二 07:34