Find Your Person of Peace
[This is Chapter 12 of Disciple Maker: Fulfill Your Destiny in the Disciple-Making Movement Launched by Jesus Christ, by Phil Bickel (© 2020). Free download of 58-page ebook at Faith Trekker Store.]
When Jesus, the Disciple Maker, sent out the 12 apostles and later sent out 72 disciples, He told them to look for “a person of peace.” This quest is not hopeless, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Jesus meant that God was already preparing the hearts of some individuals to receive the Good News. In our day, how do we find and develop a person of peace (PoP)?
1. Pray
Jesus’ instructions included: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields” (Matt. 9:37f NLT). So, as you go out into your world each day, pray: “Lord, show me someone You are already preparing to become a worker in Your harvest field.”
2. Engage with People
Jesus says: “Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!” (Matt. 10:7f NLT). Sometimes we walk through a tunnel of busy-ness, fixated on tasks rather than people. There are many ways to touch the lives of others. When a co-worker seems depressed or mournful, you can ignore it or offer sympathy and help. You can enter a store intent on grabbing the stuff on your list, or you can forget the clock, keep your eyes on people, and recognize ways to serve someone in the name of Jesus. If you see a stranger with a leg in a cast or a scar from surgery, it can lead to a sympathetic chat and an opportunity to pray for God’s healing.
You can engage with people solo, but it’s nice to have a partner, isn’t it? That’s why Jesus sent His disciples out two by two. Some Christians spend the evening at a restaurant and invite total strangers to sit at their table, trusting God to direct their chatter to spiritual topics. Sometimes disciples volunteer to serve outside their comfort zone in order to interact with people beyond their typical social circles. With whom would you enjoy teaming up? How will you interact with people?
God only knows what will happen when we engage with people. Don’t you want to see what He will do?
3. Stay Alert
Jesus tells us to keep our eyes peeled for a certain type of individual. “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person” (Matt. 10:11, emphasis added). “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them” (Luke 10:5f, emphasis added).
In most cases, a person of peace is not yet a Christian, but is disillusioned with his or her present beliefs and open to learning about the Bible and Jesus Christ. In addition, a person of peace will gladly invite relatives and friends to help weigh the truth value of the Scriptures. This unique combination of Bible curiosity and social networking indicates how the Lord of the Harvest is already preparing a person of peace to become a new laborer in His harvest field.
Do you already know someone who matches the description of a person of peace? Who else might be a candidate?
4. Invite
Offer your friend an opportunity for the two of you to read short portions of the Bible together. In a few sessions, the DBS questions and format will become familiar. If he or she remains inquisitive and engaged, extend this offer: “Would you like to invite your friends or relatives to read the Bible with you and discuss its implications? You will facilitate the discussion, and I will serve as a mentor and encourager. I’ll meet with you every week to help you prepare for each session. You’ll report what happened at the last session, and whenever a difficulty arises, we’ll find solutions together.”
If your friend accepts this offer, the Lord has indeed led you to a person of peace. And the adventure of making a disciple who makes disciples is underway!
5. Don’t Tug on Green Fruit
Jesus taught what to do if someone is reluctant to accept your invitation to expand the conversation: “But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate” (Mt 10:12f). The message is: Don’t cling to green fruit, because it’s not ready to fall. Warn your friend, continue to pray for a turnabout, and continue your search for a person of peace. I know how hard it is to do that.
One day I did some business at a small shop, and the Indian manager and I jabbered on and on about common interests. In the process, He found out I was a Christian pastor, and I found out he was a Hindu priest. For over a year, I dropped by the shop once or twice a month to chat with him between customers. We had some significant conversations about our beliefs, but every overture I made to investigate the Scriptures — both his and mine — was refused. Finally, I had to tell him: “I enjoy our friendship, but it’s time to move on. I will keep praying for you. If you have a change of heart, let me know and I’ll be there for you.”
So when the fruit isn’t ripe, stop tugging.
6. Don’t Give Up
Despite detours and set-backs, the Lord will lead you to persons of peace. In the Disciple Maker’s parable of the sower, a lot of seed falls on the path, the rocky ground, and among the thorns. “But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt. 13:23).
Such multiplication sounds like a disciple-making movement, doesn’t it? Therefore, “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal. 6:9).
Summary of entire book and each chapter.
In Disciple Maker learn Jesus’ one-of-a-kind methods, and follow Him as you fulfill your destiny. To download the free, 58-page eBook, click on the format you want:
Enjoy Prior Chapters
Ch. 1. Jesus Christ: Disciple Maker
Ch. 2. Am I Disciple Material?
Ch. 5. Reading the Bible with Know-Nothings
Ch. 7. Discovery Session Format
Ch. 10. Thriving Amid Persecution (Sheep among Wolves)
Ch. 11. Discovery Bible Study in Your Home
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