Peacemaker: Sow Unity Wherever God Has Placed You

Introduction

Three days out from the new year, David Le Veo (Église SOS Lyon) tackles a subject that's been on his heart for a while: unity. Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3: "Be eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace," and in Philippians 2:2: "Make my joy full by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." If Paul is urging churches to guard this unity, you can guess it's a challenge for humanity.

Unity is a value of God's kingdom, standing in complete opposition to the division Satan wants to spread across this earth. Just turn on the TV or the news and you'll see it. God's word calls us to love God and love our neighbor, two foundational pillars of our faith. Satan knows this: he works hard to separate us from God, but also to separate us from one another, to stir up discord. And as people who like to have an opinion on everything, the moment we're asked a question, we feel we have to take a side. In reality, that only separates us from our neighbor, it doesn't unite us.

David asks a question: who has ever felt a distance, a barrier with another human being simply because you don't like the same things, don't think the same way, or don't come from the same place? As children of God, we're called to stay connected to our Creator, but also to be that bridge of love between God and people, carriers of love, peace, and unity. The message unfolds in three parts.

Message Outline

1. Being a peacemaker, a carrier of love and unity

• God sends us into a world corrupted and divided by sin to bring his kingdom there, with all its values and all its fruit. It's up to us to adapt to the people around us so we can be that vessel, that channel, that tool for the good news.
• Paul's example in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23: "For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. [...] I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some." Paul understood he was a craftsman of God's kingdom. To do that, he learned to adapt, to learn other languages, other cultures.
• Adapting doesn't mean disguising yourself to please the world, or tolerating sin. Paul never did that: he never diverted from doctrine or from the message of the gospel. The message stayed the same, but he knew how to silence his own personality and his desire to be noticed at certain moments.
• If you walk into a conversation with friends or coworkers pushing your political opinion, your certainty about the best sport, the best team, or the right way to cook a steak, you know you're just going to create division. It depends on the state of your heart. You have to refuse the pride that so often rules our hearts, and consider ourselves smaller than others. Easy to say, not easy to do: humanly speaking, we always think we're better than the next person.
• Paul was one of the greatest teachers of the law, recognized and honored throughout his whole community, and yet, following Jesus' example, he made himself the smallest so that the gospel could go out everywhere in the world. The goal: keep that humility so that the good news can find its way into the hearts of the people God places beside us.
• Romans 14:1-4 also speaks to this posture of heart: "Now receive one who is weak in faith, but not to disputes over opinions. [...] Who are you who judges another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be made to stand, for God has power to make him stand." Paul is addressing a divided people in Rome: on one side, religious people; on the other, brand-new believers who don't yet know how to do everything the "right" way. His heart is to bring it all together: stop judging each other, stop comparing yourselves, and live in unity, mercy, and love.
• It's God, and God alone, who has the power to strengthen and change a heart. Not our judgment, not our arguments, not the positions we take. He didn't force your hand, he didn't win you over with an argument: he simply loved you as you were. Our turn now is to love people as they are.
• David's testimony: he's run renovation projects for more than 15 years with plumbers, electricians, tile setters, masons. On every job site, the moment there's a problem or someone wants to move faster than someone else, everyone starts pulling the blanket their own way: "No, me first, you after." And yet we all know that working together would go much faster. He notices that same reflex, that urge to be right, to think of his own interest, in himself too. When he feels like saying "I'm in charge here, I have more experience than you," he remembers Proverbs 11:12: "One who despises his neighbor is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding holds his peace." Out of love, sometimes you have to learn to hold your tongue.
• The people around us won't be able to live out this unity without being transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. It's with love, humility, and gentleness that we're called to announce Christ. What matters most in our friendships, our work, every one of our relationships, isn't being right, having the last word, or our carefully prepared arguments. Wherever God has placed you, the mission is the same: be like Paul, someone who adapts and makes himself smaller so love and God's kingdom can reach the place where you are. That means holding your tongue, sometimes compromising on your desire for justice or to be seen by others, so the message gets through without a filter, without a barrier, without distance.
• When political conversations around the table start to poison the mood, when a conflict could raise walls between you and your neighbor, remember that God loved you first, and that everything he wants to do in that relationship is to love that person as they are. And he's going to use you to do it. If God has placed you in a family, a classroom, a circle of friends, among coworkers, it's not by accident.
• First application: before every encounter (a subcontractor, a client, anyone at all), David simply prays: "Jesus, I want to be a vessel of love. I don't want to be here to divide, to seek my own justice, to be noticed or to show off my personality. I want to be known for my love, for my gentleness." God willing, that can lead to a deep conversation about the person's struggles, and then an opportunity to talk about Jesus and pray for them. This reflex takes three seconds, like flipping a switch in your brain, but it's not something you master once and for all: fatigue and circumstances remind us of our flesh every day, so you have to do it again each time. We can't be peacemakers by our own strength; it's beyond us.

2. The people around you will be drawn like a magnet to the source that lives in you

• The world is drawn to the values of God's kingdom, unity in particular, and to the source living within us: the Holy Spirit, who can shape our conversations.
• Église SOS's fourth value is making disciples of Jesus Christ. How? Pastor Matt has encouraged us to open our homes and set the table, and that's a wonderful step. But we also need to prepare ourselves thoughtfully to be these vessels of love and unity, reflective and intentional in our desire to draw people to Christ, instead of driving them away with our pride, our sense of superior wisdom, or our opinion on whatever conflict is in the news that week.
• People will naturally be drawn to love, gentleness, and fruit that isn't just for show but runs deep within us. They'll be curious how you can have peace and joy in your circumstances, how you can love them even after they've hurt you. Hypocrisy and pretense draw no one and transform no heart.
• Proverbs 17:1: "Better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full of feasting with strife." What people see doesn't stop at a forced smile: they'll notice the act and walk away. Your neighbor, your coworkers, your friends will sense whether your appearances are deceiving or whether you're genuinely moved by unconditional love. Then they'll know that this source doesn't come from you but from God, and they'll want to know it: "What is that? I want that in my life too. I want to be united with whatever it is that moves you."
• God's word teaches us to take more care of our inside than our outside. Jesus is hard on the Pharisees in Matthew 23:26: "First clean the inside of the cup and platter, that its outside may become clean also." The world, on the other hand, pushes us to polish our outer shell, what shows and gives us something to compare.
• The image of the two vessels: David and Josias are invited to the same event tonight, but they prepare very differently. David skips the inner preparation: nice outfit, haircut, gym session, and he shows up "as he is," a little empty, running on his own resources. Josias wants to make an impact on people's hearts and let the source within him shine: he spends time in prayer ("Lord, how can I be a vessel of unity tonight? How can I bless someone?"), and the Holy Spirit can give him words of encouragement and wisdom. At the party, who do you actually want to spend time with? The one who dressed up well, or the one whose simple gaze carries Christ's love and compassion to you?
• We can't change anything in someone's life by our own effort. The only one who can bring about a connection between our Creator and the person in front of us is the Spirit who lives in us.
• Second challenge: in the morning, or before a meeting, do I spend as much time preparing myself physically as I do preparing myself in prayer, asking God what he has for this moment? David includes himself here: mornings are often rushed, one thing after another, and by evening we realize we never actually asked God the question. We just went for it, and he "followed along." What a shame, when we could have a life-changing impact on every person we meet during the day, from the cashier at the supermarket to our spouse, simply by drawing from the right well. God's Spirit lives in you: he's the only one who can truly impact the people around you. It's up to us to give him all the room, so these people can, in turn, come to know their Father in heaven.

3. God's ultimate purpose: that creation be united with its Creator

• John 17:20-21, Jesus' prayer: "Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me." Before going to the cross, Jesus prays aloud in front of his disciples: for himself, for his disciples, then for those who will believe. His one desire: that those who believe would be united with his Father.
• To make that happen, he needs missionaries, disciples sent into the world to spread his word, so that all may be one.
• Some will bring up Matthew 10:34, where Jesus says he didn't come to bring peace but a sword. Sadly, that will be true for people who reject the good news: it will create division. But just a bit earlier, in Matthew 10:14, Jesus says to leave that house, to accept that person's sad choice, to bless them, to pray for them. He doesn't ask us to stop and dwell on that outcome.
• David is convinced the gospel will find far more open hearts than closed doors. People are, quite literally, thirsty to hear this good news; they're searching for every possible solution to fill the void inside them, and only God can do that. Jesus wouldn't have given his disciples this mission if his gospel weren't meant to find hearts ready to listen.
• God placed us on earth to love him and love our neighbor, and sent us as ambassadors of his kingdom. Through the love and power he's placed within us, we'll see lives and hearts transformed.
• Right after Christmas, you often hear "it's the thought that counts" over a pair of socks or a book about the thousand most beautiful beaver dams ever built. But here, the thought alone isn't nearly enough. Yes, we need to be intentional about passing on the message, but it's the gift itself that carries all the power of the good news: Christ, dead on the cross so that all might be united with his Father. Let's not be afraid to give that gift without holding back.
• Even if we'd love to offer other gifts, other solutions to the people around us, the only one that will save them from division, loneliness, and their own shortcomings is the love of Christ in their lives. No other solution can fill that void.
• Conclusion: this isn't some "peace and love" unity the world thinks it can pull off on its own, but the unity that lives in the heart of God, of Jesus, and of every one of his disciples, so that humanity can find its way back to it. Within that unity, it's up to us to adapt to the people around us in order to announce this good news and be vessels of God's kingdom.

Key Takeaways

• Unity is a value of God's kingdom, standing opposed to the division Satan spreads. We're called to spread it, both as the body of Christ and as individuals, wherever God places us.
• Like Paul, who made himself all things to all people, we need to adapt and make ourselves smaller, without ever diverting from the gospel message or tolerating sin.
• God alone strengthens and changes a heart, not our arguments, our judgments, or the positions we take. Out of love, sometimes you have to learn to hold your tongue.
• People are drawn like magnets to an authentic source, not to a forced smile. Take more care of your inside than your outside, and prepare yourself in prayer as much as you prepare yourself physically.
• God's ultimate purpose is that all his creation be united with him (John 17). The thought alone isn't enough: it's the gift of Christ, dead on the cross, that carries all the power of the good news.

Personal Application

1. Who have you felt distance or a barrier with, simply because you don't think the same way or come from the same place? What would happen if you loved them as they are, without trying to be right?
2. In which conversations (politics, sports, opinions) do you tend to push your own view and create division instead of unity?
3. Before your next encounter (a coworker, a client, a loved one), take three seconds to pray: "Jesus, I want to be a vessel of love, I'm not here to divide." Will you make this reflex a habit?
4. This morning, did you spend as much time preparing yourself in prayer as you did preparing yourself physically? What does God have for your appointments today?
5. Is your fruit (love, gentleness, peace) just for show, or does it truly come from the source living within you? What would your neighbor or coworker say?

Scriptures Cited

• Ephesians 4:3
• Philippians 2:2
• 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
• Romans 14:1-4
• Proverbs 11:12
• Proverbs 17:1
• Matthew 23:26
• John 17:20-21
• Matthew 10:34
• Matthew 10:14

Frequently Asked Questions

Does adapting to others like Paul mean tolerating sin?

No. Paul made himself all things to all people (1 Corinthians 9); he learned other languages and other cultures, but he never diverted from doctrine or from the message of the gospel. Adapting doesn't mean disguising yourself to please the world: it means silencing your pride and your desire to be noticed, so that the good news can find its way into someone else's heart.

Didn't Jesus say he brought division, not peace?

Yes, in Matthew 10:34. Sadly, that will be the case for those who reject the good news. But in Matthew 10:14, Jesus simply says to leave that house, to accept that person's choice and bless them, without stopping along the way. David Le Veo is convinced the gospel will find far more open hearts than closed doors.

How do you practically become a peacemaker day to day?

Before each encounter (a client, a coworker, a loved one), take three seconds to pray: "Jesus, I want to be a vessel of love, I'm not here to divide or to seek my own justice, but to let you speak first." It's not something you master once and for all: fatigue and circumstances bring the flesh back every day, so you have to do it again each time.