Christians for Peace!

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"There has never been a time in my life when I felt that I could take a gun and shoot down a fellow being. In this respect I am a Quaker." D.L. Moody

“Surely, if Christians were forbidden to fight to preserve the Person of their Lord and Master, they may not fight to preserve themselves, or any city they should happen to dwell in. Christ has no kingdom here. His servants must not fight. The Christian may not go to “the front” to repel the foe– for there he is required to kill men. They (referring to the 12 apostles) knew the force of the Lord’s example, and whether to save themselves or to save others— never, never use the sword. Better a thousand times to die than for a Christian to kill his fellow..." D.L. Moody

“What is the duty of Salvationists at such a crisis? … One thing is plain―every true soldier of The Salvation Army would cry day and night to God to avert so dreadful a calamity. Let him shut his ears to all the worldly, unscriptural, unchristian talk about war being a necessity. It cannot be a necessity before God that tens of thousands of men should be launched into eternity with all manner of revengeful passionate feelings in their souls … Whatever may be the right method of settling human disputes and preventing earthly calamities, this cannot be the divine plan. This cannot be the will of God.” General William Booth (Salvation Army)

"All Christians are commanded to love their enemies… Tell me, how can a Christian defend Scripturally retaliation, rebellion, war, striking, slaying, torturing, stealing, robbing and plundering and burning cities and conquering countries?" Menno Simons

"I…denied the drawing of carnal weapons against…any man on earth; for my weapons are spiritual, which take away the occasion of war, and lead to peace." George Fox

 "We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretense whatsoever. And this is our testimony to the whole world. The spirit of Christ, by which we are guided, is not changeable, so as once to command us from a thing as evil and again to move unto it; and we do certainly know, and so testify to the world, that the spirit of Christ, which leads us into all Truth, will never move us to fight and war against any man with outward weapons, neither for the kingdom of Christ, nor for the kingdoms of this world." 
1660 Declaration to Charles II (by early Quakers)

“Unambiguously denounce and renounce war….Recognize that obedience to our Lord Jesus is the master-criterion of discipleship…” Vernon Grounds, late President Emeritus, Denver Seminary

“For me, part of being holy, being pure, being clean, being like Jesus, is being a pacifist.” Ben Witherington, Prof. of NT, Asbury Seminary

“The early Christian community understood Jesus’ commands to prohibit the bearing of arms.” David A. Hoekema. Calvin College

“To believe the promise of Jesus that his followers shall possess the earth, and at the same time to face our enemies unarmed and defenseless, preferring to incur injustice rather than to do wrong ourselves, is indeed a narrow way.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"We will print the words of Christ who is with us always, even to the end of the world. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, who makes His sun to rise on the good and the evil, and sends rain on the just and unjust.” Dorothy Day

“The Church is an army of peace which sheds no blood.” Clement of Alexandria (Protrepticus XI, 116)

“Adultery, fraud, homicide is mortal sin (mortale crimen) … after celebrating the eucharist, the hand is not (i.e. ought not to be) spotted with (the use of) the sword and with blood.” Cyprian

“Wars scattered everywhere with the bloody horror of camps. The world is wet with mutual blood(shed): and homicide is a crime when individuals commit it, (but) it is called a virtue, when it is carried on publicly. Not the reason of innocence, but the magnitude of savagery, demands impunity for crimes.” Cyprian 

“The old law vindicated itself by the vengeance of the sword, and plucked out eye for eye, and requited injury with punishment; but the new law pointed to clemency, and changed the former savagery of swords and lances into tranquility, and refashioned the former infliction of war upon rivals and foes of the law into the peaceful acts of ploughing and cultivating the earth. And so . . . the observance of the new law and of spiritual circumcision has shone forth in acts of peaceful obedience.“ Tertullian

“We, who had been filled with war and mutual slaughter and every wickedness, have each one–all the world over–changed the instruments of war, the swords into ploughs and the spears into farming implements, and we cultivate piety, righteousness, love for men, faith, (and) the hope which is from the Father Himself through the Crucified One.” Justin

“From the very beginning, the movement has been characterized by Quaker principles. The laws of the Kingdom, laid down by our elder brother, Jesus Christ, in His Sermon on the Mount, have been unqualifiedly adopted, consequently the movement has found itself opposed to the spilling of the blood of any man…” Assemblies of God 1917

"THEREFORE we, as a body of Christians, while purposing to fulfill all the obligations of loyal citizenship, are nevertheless constrained to declare we cannot conscientiously participate in war and armed resistance which involves the actual destruction of human life, since this is contrary to our view of the clear teachings of the inspired Word of God, which is the sole basis of our faith." Assemblies of God, 1917

“Hitherto I have served you as a soldier: allow me now to become a soldier to God…I am the soldier of Christ: it is not lawful for me to fight.” Martin of Tours

“We cannot in conscience approve such a league inasmuch as bloodshed or other disaster may be the outcome…Better be ten times dead than that our consciences should be burdened with the insufferable weight of such a disaster and that our gospel should be the cause of bloodshed, when we ought to be as sheep for the slaughter and not avenge or defend ourselves.” Martin Luther

“We, who used to kill one another, do not make war on our enemies. We refuse to tell lies or deceive our inquisitors; we prefer to die acknowledging Christ.”–Justin Martyr, c. A.D. 138

“Christians have changed their swords and their lances into instruments of peace, and they know not now how to fight.”–Irenaeus, c. A.D. 180

“We have rejected such spectacles as the Coliseum. How then, when we do not even look on killing lest we should contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death?”
“ So none fight better for the king than we do. Indeed, we do not fight under him even if he demands it. Yet, we fight on his behalf, forming a special army – an army of godliness – by offering our prayers to God…We have come in accordance with the counsels of Jesus to cut down our warlike and arrogant swords of argument into ploughshares, and we convert into sickles the spears we formerly used in fighting.
For we no longer take sword against nation, nor do we learn any more to make war, having become sons of peace for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader…”
—Athenagoras of Athens, 133-190

“We have rejected such spectacles as the Coliseum. How then, when we do not even look on killing lest we should contract guilt and pollution, can we put people to death?”
“ So none fight better for the king than we do. Indeed, we do not fight under him even if he demands it. Yet, we fight on his behalf, forming a special army – an army of godliness – by offering our prayers to God…We have come in accordance with the counsels of Jesus to cut down our warlike and arrogant swords of argument into ploughshares, and we convert into sickles the spears we formerly used in fighting.
For we no longer take sword against nation, nor do we learn any more to make war, having become sons of peace for the sake of Jesus, who is our leader…”
—Athenagoras of Athens, 133-190

“But how will a Christian engage in war—indeed, how will a Christian even engage in military service during peacetime—without the sword, which the Lord has taken away? For although soldiers had approached John to receive instructions and a centurion believed, this does not change the fact that afterward, the Lord, by disarming Peter, disarmed every soldier.”

“Under no circumstances should a true Christian draw the sword.”
“The old law vindicated itself by the vengeance of the sword, and plucked out eye for eye, and requited injury with punishment; but the new law pointed to clemency, and changed the former savagery of swords and lances into tranquility, and refashioned the former infliction of war upon rivals and foes of the law into the peaceful acts of ploughing and cultivating the earth.”

—Tertullian, 155-230

“Any catechumen or believer who wishes to become a soldier must be dismissed from the church because they have despised God.”–Hippolytus, 170-236

“… after celebrating the eucharist, the hand is not (i.e. ought not to be) spotted with (the use of) the sword and with blood.”
“wars scattered everywhere with the bloody horror of camps. The world is wet with mutual blood(shed): and homicide is a crime when individuals commit it, (but) it is called a virtue, when it is carried on publicly. Not the reason of innocence, but the magnitude of savagery, demands impunity for crimes.”–Cyprian, c. 200-258

‘Celsus exhorts us to help the Emperor and be his fellow soldiers. To this we reply, “You cannot demand military service of Christians any more than you can of priests.” We do not go forth as soldiers with the Emperor even if he demands this.’
—Origen, 185-254

Follower of Jesus, non-conformist, preacher, poet, blogger, graduate of Highland Theological College, Husband, Father, Son, Brother, Friend, Learning Assistant (ASN) Outdoors. Late diagnosed Autistic.

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This Weeks Top of the Posts

Spurgeon for Peace!

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"If there is anyone who should be opposed to strife and bloodshed it is the man that names the name of Christ. Spurgeon considered the spirit of war to be absolutely foreign to the spirit of Christianity…. Modern conservative, fundamentalist, and evangelical Christians, all of whom might claim him as one of their own, have much to learn from Spurgeon, not only for his example of an uncompromising and successful Christian minister, but also for his consistent opposition to war and Christian war fever." - Laurence M. Vance  “We are up to the hilt advocates for peace, and we earnestly war against war. I wish that Christian men would insist more and more on the unrighteousness of war, believing that Christianity means no sword, no cannon, no bloodshed, and that, if a nation is driven to fight in its own defence, Christianity stands by to weep and to intervene as soon as possible, and not to join in the cruel shouts which celebrate an enemy’s slaughter. . . . Today, then, my bret
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The souls conflict and deliverance

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"Objection [To quieting the spirit in the soul's conflicts].  But I have often relapsed and fallen into the same sin again and again. Answer.  If Christ will have us pardon our brother seventy-seven times, can we think that he will enjoin us more than he will be ready to do himself, when in cases of showing mercy he would have us think his thoughts to be far above ours?" (From: The Soul's Conflict With Itself - Richard Sibbes) There is a worship song that has a line ' 1000 times I fail yet your mercy remains .' Of course like Paul we must ask: "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1,2) However, note that being a Christian does not suddenly mean we are completely perfect and won't make any mistakes along the way. Paul also admits: “For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do
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Testimony

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Grace Alone. My heart yet afar off. Christ dies for me. My heart drawn to Him. Christ rises for me. Grace: Be still and know that I am God. My heart broken. Christ comforts me. My heart angry at, the world, the flesh, the devil and even to my shame family and Him whom I have pierced. Christ calms me. Grace: Be still and know that I am God. My heart yearning for a better world. Christ encourages me. Grace: Be still and know that I am God. Lonely, My heart blessed with a beloved. Desiring a child, My heart blessed with a baby. My heart blessed with family. Grace Alone: Be still and know that I am God. *** Based on my Christian Testimony. Some verses of note -  John 3:16 (KJV) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Ephesians 2:8-10 (KJV) 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we ar
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Take Heart: A Catechism

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Take Heart A Catechism By David Holdsworth  FREE DOWNLOAD Authors Note: There are many good Catechisms available. But, somewhere along the line Christians in many parts of the church at large seem to have lost this age old practice of simple instruction in the format of questions and answers. In no way is this little contribution meant to take away from good Catechisms already written, but rather to be a compliment to them. This is a simple way for me to share the good news with others. It is my hope that you the reader or listener may find biblical help from the simplicity of the good news. I have included biblical proofs as standard so you may go and examine the scriptures (and indeed your heart) for yourself. Pax et Bonum. (1) Q. What comfort may be found for the believer? A. A heart that need not have trouble or fear. One that can rely on God in troubled times and that can glorify His name.  Proofs. John 14:27, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 50:15 (2) Q. What message does scriptures give to tho
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Coronation Day Blog Post: May We Lead A Quiet Peaceable Life

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I'm not a royalist, but I do desire that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. So yes, God save the King, his subjects, allies, and enemies. God save the collective kingdoms of earth. Let them be engulfed by a new and more peaceable kingdom. Whose King came meek and lowly, and is now crowned King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty."  (1 Timothy 2:1-4 KJV) ~ Pax Et Bonum ~
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Suffering

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Essential

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Written in the depth of the Pandemic: "I am essential!"    The preacher roars in his hundred dollar suit.  His hundreds strong holy huddle of pew warmers burst into an applause of rapture as they prepare for the second offering.  The TV channel switches to pre-recorded "Tele-Evangelist mode".  The cheers echoe through the giant money making machine.  Like an idol his image flashes across giant screens in the auditorium.    As he speaks he suddenly remembers his brother across town.    In an old tin tabernacle the gentle shepherd speaks to his flock.  "I am not essential... Except the Lord builds the house the builders build in vain."  He says this while ministering in a soup kitchen as he serves the needy.  Later that day he plans to do food drops and work in a care home.  At evening prayers his prayer would be as he helped refugees at the docks and prisoners in the cells.  Then at night he would minister on the streets as a practical pastor to the needy a
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Collateral Damage

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You are someones baby, someones child; But they call you collateral damage. You are someones son, someones daughter; But they call you collateral damage. You are someones brother, someones sister; But they call you collateral damage. You are someones father, someones mother; But they call you collateral damage. They call you collateral damage. For they know not what spirit they are of. 
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