Enjoying and Experiencing God as Our Peace in the Church to Become the New Jerusalem

Col. 3:15 And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body…

The New Jerusalem is the city of peace, the city in which peace reigns. On the one hand this city is NEW – it has God wrought into it and it has God as its constitution – and on the other hand it is the city of peace, a city which is solidly grounded and safeguarded in the Triune God as peace and safety.

Peace is much spoken of today, and there are many unions, coalitions, alliances, and parties that want to bring in peace. But the key to peace is not man but God: God Himself is peace, and when the Lord Jesus came He became our peace and He left us His peace.

There’s no peace in our family life, our society, at work, at school, and many times even in the church life – wherever God is not enthroned and He is not presiding, there is no peace. But in the one new man Christ Himself is our peace – He made peace between the Gentiles and the Jews, and He Himself is our peace (Col. 3:15).

Since Christ is our peace and since He left us His peace, we should live in peace with others and with God, practicing to fellowship with God in prayer so that we may enjoy the peace of God. The only way we can have peace is by allowing the peace of Christ to preside in us, guard our hearts, and flow in us as a river of peace.

Peace cannot be found in ourselves or outside of us – we shouldn’t be look in the environment for things to give us peace. Real peace is inward peace, and we have peace when we enjoy God as peace and live in His peace.

As people who enjoy God as their peace, we are the real Jerusalem, the city of peace, consummating in the New Jerusalem, the city where we will enjoy the Triune God as peace forever. Hallelujah!

Enjoying God as Peace to become the New Jerusalem

The title “Jerusalem” is composed of two Hebrew words: “Jeru” means “foundation”, and “Salem” means “peace”; Jerusalem thus means “the foundation of peace”. The physical city of Jerusalem rarely enjoys peace, but the spiritual Jerusalem, the New Jerusalem, is a foundation of peace having the God of peace in it.

Our God is a God of peace (Phil. 4:9; 1 Thes. 5:23) and we have the peace of God which surpasses every man’s understanding (Phil. 4:7).

The result of practising fellowship with God in prayer is that we enjoy the peace of God. The peace of God is actually God as peace (Phil. 4:9) infused into us through our fellowship with Him by prayer, as the counterpoise to troubles and the antidote to anxiety (John 16:33). (Phil. 4:7, footnote 1)

As we fellowship with the Lord in prayer, He infuses Himself into us as peace and we enjoy the peace of God. In ourselves and of ourselves we do not have peace, but when we fellowship with God, we are infused with peace and any anxiety or troubles are taken care of – inwardly, we have peace! God Himself is our peace!

Also, in the one new man Christ Himself is our peace (Eph. 2:14). We should allow this peace, the peace of Christ, to arbitrate in our hearts for the Body life (see Col. 3:15). We need to actively allow the peace of Christ to be the umpire within us, presiding in us and being enthroned in us to rule and decide in everything in our being, and we will have peace.

Outwardly things may not be so peaceful but inwardly we will have peace. We are grounded in the God of peace, and He Himself is our peace.

When the Lord Jesus was on earth He told us, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you” (John 14:27). He left us His peace, that is, He came to us to be our peace.

Also, He said, “These things I have spoken to you that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have affliction, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). In the world we have problems and troubles, but in Christ we have peace.

The more we enjoy Christ as peace through our fellowship with Him, the more we become a part of the city of peace, the New Jerusalem. We can have a foretaste of the New Jerusalem, the city which is the foundation of peace, by enjoying the Triune God as peace today.

Lord Jesus, You are our peace. We want to practice fellowshipping with You in prayer so that we may enjoy the peace of God. Infuse us with peace, keep us in Your peace, and may Your peace arbitrate in our heart. Lord, solidly ground us in peace and safeguard us in Your peace as we enjoy You and experience You as the God of peace. Be the peace within us and the peace among us. Make us Your city of peace, the New Jerusalem!

Experiencing Peace and Keeping the Condition of Peace in the Church Life

In the church reasoning does not matter. What matters is the presence of God….In the church the more you reason, the more God stays away from you. Even if your reasoning is one hundred percent correct and all the good reasons are on your side, the more you argue, the further away from God you will be. (W. Lee, The Building Work of God, ch. 7)

On His side, the Lord made peace, He became our peace, and He is constantly available to us as peace. On our side, we need to receive His peace, enjoy Him as peace, and allow His peace to arbitrate in our hearts. We need to cooperate with the Lord to inwardly enthrone the peace of Christ and allow it to guard our heart and thoughts in Christ Jesus.

What matters in the church life is not “who is right” or “who has the best opinion” but keeping the atmosphere of peace. The more we argue and reason, no matter how right and even scriptural we may be, the more we lose the peace. The peace is something inward, something very tender and sweet.

Peace is like a dove, who flies away as soon as you shout at it or argue with it or even have a “fierce look”. I was really encouraged by this sharing by our brother Lee,

Brothers and sisters, the presence of the Holy Spirit within us is also like this. The Spirit does not care about how right you are. He cares only about your attitude, your intention, and your condition….The more we reason, the more we lose God’s presence. Please remember that the temple in the New Jerusalem is God Himself. God’s presence is the center of the city. Therefore, in the church we must have the presence of God; we must have God as the temple. Then we will be built up to have the condition of the New Jerusalem. (The Building Work of God, pp. 90-91)

May we learn to enthrone the peace of Christ in our hearts so that we may experience peace in the church life. May we learn to keep the condition of peace in the church life today so that we may have God’s presence and be built up in the Body of Christ.

May we experience a foretaste of the condition of peace in the New Jerusalem today in the church life. Our church life and we ourselves need to be an entity of peace, allowing peace like a river to flow in us and among us (Isa. 66:12).

Whenever we set our mind on the spirit we enjoy life and peace (Rom. 8:6), and in His peace the Lord nurses us, carries us on the hip, calms us down, and bounces us on the knee, comforting us as a nursing mother (see Isa. 66:12-13).

Lord Jesus, we care for Your presence. May we not care not for our being right or having the best opinion in the church life BUT care for the presence of the Holy Spirit, the peace of Christ, and for God as peace. Keep us enjoying You as the Triune God of peace. Lord, we want Your presence. We want to be in the condition of peace in our being, our family life, and our church life. Flow in us as a river of peace. Arbitrate in our hearts and guard our hearts in Your peace.

References and Hymns on this Topic

• Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ed Marks’ sharing in the message for this week, and portions from, The Building Work of God (ch. 7), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Aspects of the Christian Life and Church Life Seen in the New Jerusalem, week 5 / msg 5, The Intrinsic Significance of the Name New Jerusalem and the Dimensions of the Holy City.
• Hymns on this topic:
  # Christ my very peace is / And my life within; / Sharing in the spirit / I unite with Him. (Hymns #594)
  # And the peace of God, / Which surpasses / Every man’s understanding, / Will guard your hearts / Will guard your thoughts / In Christ Jesus. (Song on the Peace of Christ)
  # Lord, Thou art our peace-offering; / We lay our hands on Thee. / We’re one with Thee, Lord Jesus, / In fact and practically. / Here in the tent of meeting / We offer Thee to God / And with the Father feasting / Enjoy Thee as our food. (Hymns #1104)
  # And let the peace of Christ / Arbitrate in your hearts, / To which also / You were called / In one Body; / And be thankful. (Song on Christ’s Peace Arbitrating)