Hal Chaffee Ministries

Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. – Jesus (Matthew 10:34, NKJV)

This is a striking and shocking statement by our Lord. Isn’t Jesus the Prince of Peace? Why does He say that He has not come to bring peace, but a sword?

We must make a careful note of Jesus’ words. He said that He did not come to bring peace on earth. By this, He means that His first advent was not for the purpose of establishing His rule over the earth, which will indeed bring peace. That is coming later. Instead, He came to bring peace to human hearts. The terms for this holy peace are in faith and obedience to the principles of the kingdom of God. One must cast away the sinful things that stifle peace and cling to Christ in righteousness. When we do, we can have the peace that passes all understanding (Phil 4:7). It is a peace that comes when the Holy Spirit holds influence over our lives, for with Him is ‘righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Romans 14:17). This is a peace that is not available for those who continue in sin, for ‘there is no peace, says my God, for the wicked’ (Isaiah 48:22).

We are to be a people of peace and live peaceably with all people. However, this is not always possible. If others aren’t willing to be peaceful towards us, only the peace in our hearts remains. We cannot control what others do. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). If the other party is not willing to participate in peace, no matter how peaceful we are, there will be no peace.

This is why Jesus said that He was not coming to bring peace on earth, but a sword. He knew some would receive His words and be peaceful like Abel, but others would reject His words and instead be filled with bitterness and hatred, like Cain. The first family was divided because of this. The very first family. Similarly, Jesus said that He had come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be those of his own household’ (Matthew 10:35-36). This isn’t because Christ makes His followers hateful towards others. On the contrary, He has commanded us to love even our enemies. But instead, He calls the light out of the darkness, and the darkness hates the light.

And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. – John 3:19-21

Notice that it is not the light that hates the darkness, but the darkness that hates the light. If we shine our light like Jesus did, we will experience the hatred that Jesus did. And the brighter our light shines, the more the darkness will hate it. And the darker the darkness gets, the more it will hate the light.

Jesus made it clear in another place what would happen to those who would follow Him:

Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. – Matthew 10:21-22

Think about it. Those who have rejected Christ have rejected peace. They don’t have peace in their hearts; they have turmoil. Many of them need the bottle or the pill box to cope. They are filled with anxiety and anger. Some are murderous in their hearts, for they are filled with hatred. Even if they do not physically murder, murder is in their heart, for the Bible says that whoever hates is a murderer.

Jesus is teaching us that true Jesus-followers will stir up hatred and division towards themselves in their pursuit to honor God and speak what is right. If people never criticize you, if they never persecute you, if you get along with everyone just fine, that’s a sign that you aren’t doing Christianity right. I’m not saying that everyone should hate you, for a true Christian will also have those outside who speak well of them. But if no one ever speaks evil of you, you haven’t embraced the religion of Jesus Christ. (see Luke 6:23,26)

True Christians cause trouble

One must only look at the lives of the most godly figures of the Bible. Those who ministered in the midst of evil and darkness were hated by many. The prophets were mocked, persecuted, and killed. The apostles and disciples of the early church stirred up trouble and opposition everywhere they went. Their hearts blazed with the love of Christ. They were humble and loving. But they were also bold and direct. They didn’t beat around the bush when proclaiming the truth.

Let us take Stephen for our first example. The Bible says that his opponents were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke (Acts 6:10). This means he was speaking publicly, in a place where his opponents were, engaging in public dialogue. The Jews are known to be people who argue. It was not uncommon for Jews then, or now, to have heated debates over religious subjects. They were, quite literally, having a public debate. Stephen, being filled with the Spirit and having the truth, was much better than they. They couldn’t use words to defeat him. So they resorted to lies and violence. When they were about to stone them, Stephen did not mince his words:

You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers, who have received the law by the direction of angels and have not kept it. – Acts 7:51-53

It was at this that the Jews who opposed him could hear no more. They dragged him away and stoned him.

Let us also consider Paul, who was witness to Stephen’s stoning. Was Paul a gentle and quiet man who never stirred up emotions? Quite the contrary! His life so upended the apple cart, so to speak, that his opponents in Thessalonica gathered a mob and attacked the house where they were staying:

But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason (Paul’s friend) and some brethren to the rulers of the city, crying out, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” (Acts 17:6)

I know it’s uncomfortable to cause controversy. None of us likes that. None of us likes it when people hate us. And we fear our own ability to answer wisely. We also fear that we might say something stupid in our anger and bring reproach to Christ. We feel inadequate. But that’s ok. Paul felt that way, too. He said, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (2 Corinthians 2:16). He also said that he was filled with weakness and fear (1 Corinthians 2:3). But he went and preached the gospel anyway, and the Lord helped him.

Jesus, the troublemaker.

Let us consider, as our final example, Jesus, who was perfect in love and in all manner of speech. He never erred in a single word that He spoke. He did all things in flawless compassion and love. Yet he still caused strife and trouble in His short three years of public ministry. He was gentle at times, but other times, He was sharp with His words. He didn’t hold back when the truth offended His hearers. Once, when he preached harshly to the Pharisees, his disciples said to Him afterwards, “Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:12) What was Jesus’ response? Did He post a clarifying response on Facebook with an apology to those He offended? No, instead, He said:

Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch. – (Matthew 15:14)

Jesus often engaged in heated discussions with His opponents in public settings. He was questioned about the issues of His day, answering them in public for all to hear. He wasn’t afraid to engage in the politics of His day, calling Herod a fox and criticizing the local authorities. He addressed the very political and hot-button issue of paying taxes to Caesar. Politics was certainly not His primary focus, not even close, but when an issue arose, He did not say, “I don’t talk about politics.” He addressed with wisdom and grace.

The place of politics for a Christian

In the wake of the tragic death of Charlie Kirk, a man who unashamedly mixed faith and politics, we need to consider how much of his example we should follow. I am a firm believer that politics is not the solution for the brokenness of the human race. If Christians had complete power and control over the government, our mission would not even be close to complete. We are not called to rule with a rod of iron. That will only occur when Christ comes. But we are called to promote righteousness and defend the innocent. I am persuaded we should do that in every way possible, by preaching the gospel and by participating in government.

Consider the political hot-button issue of the day during the time leading up to the Civil War: slavery. This was the political issue. But many churches avoided the subject. Why? Because it was politics, and they wanted to remain focused on “spiritual issues.” Or, they feared the problems they might cause, for many congregations had both pro- and anti-slavery members. Others, especially in the south, felt fear for their livelihoods and their personal safety if they spoke against it. Some pastors in the north feared offending the wealthy businessmen in their congregations who profited from the cotton trade.

Let me ask you a question: How do you feel about the ministers and churches who, because of fear, refused to take a stand against slavery, allowing thousands of humans to be treated like animals, often being separated from families, and many other horrors? Do you respect that they kept out of politics? I hope not. What will people think about you in 200 years when it comes to issues like abortion, the degradation of the family, the mutilation of children, the drug epidemic, the crime and violence in our cities, the indoctrination of our children with perverted material in our schools, etc.? Will your great-grandchildren be proud of your silence? Will they be grateful for your decision to stay out of politics? Will they understand and forgive your cowardice? I don’t think they will.

Conclusion

With all this in mind, I ask, “Should we be like Charlie Kirk?” Many of us should indeed be more like him. He stirred up trouble and hatred everywhere he went. Was it because he was hateful? No. The slanderous accusations against him are baseless. He boldly shone a light in a dark world. The darkness hated him for it. They killed him and rejoiced.

But was he effective? Did he bring people to Christ? Although I would not call Charlie an evangelist primarily, he was very effective at promoting righteousness. He also shamelessly declared his faith in our Lord, calling others to repentance. His bold stances created controversy so that even his enemies wanted to come and listen. Many of those enemies he converted into friends.

Charlie’s clear words strengthen the church. His pursuit of truth and knowledge helped ordinary Christians understand the ‘whys’ behind what we believe. He answered questions from those who opposed and challenged the religion of our Lord. He helped us become more confident about the principles we hold.

Charlie also moved people to action. He knew that his faith needed feet. His calling was in the world of politics. He did it with Christ as his focus. Your calling may be something else. Will you do it with Christ as your focus? Will you be as bold as he was in lifting up Christ in your calling? There is much that this man was and did that ought to be emulated.

How much politics should be in the church? Charlie believed that faith and politics are inseparable. I also believe this to a great degree. This doesn’t mean that every political issue is a faith issue. But it means that many political issues intersect with matters of faith. And for those issues, it is impossible to address them without wading into the waters of politics. We should speak boldly and clearly on these issues. Some think this will hinder the spread of the gospel, but Charlie showed us that the opposite is true. Yes, people will hate us, but others will listen. And if we speak and conduct ourselves wisely, in a spirit of love, guided by the Spirit, those around us will be drawn toward the kingdom of God.