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"I did not come to...", Craig Verdouw

“I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”

 December 20, 2020

By Craig Verdouw

In the 3 weeks leading up to Christmas [wooo!] we've been looking at the 3 "I came not to's" of Jesus. This week, we will be reading up on our Lord + King who said “I came not to bring peace to the earth, but a sword.” Yeeesh! That doesn't sound like a very good entry, does it? And wasn't Jesus was all about bringing peace on earth? And if he was all about peace, why is there so much hostility against the church? Is something wrong? This week, we'll read + hopefully better understand that Jesus 'pre-knew' and 'pre-told' with precision the pressure that would rise up and batter against his church family. The question is, is Jesus worth the pain? Is perseverance within persecution worth it? This week, Jesus gives us great reason to believe that he sure is worth it, and his worth overflows into eternity. Now picture a church where everyone can give testimony to God's grace in persecution. What an encouraging place to be! Can we get there even more?