Is
it true? Can somebody who is a Christian have personal peace? We explored this
topic in a study performed in Bartlesville, OK at Grace Community Church (1). On one
Sunday, at two services, we asked the adult population to complete a
questionnaire regarding different aspects of their wellbeing including peace as
well as their adherence to the practice of their faith.
How did we define adherence to faith? From the Bible
we delineated the following as ‘adherence to faith’ if: they proclaimed to be a
Christian through personal faith in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross
as a free gift of salvation; they were secure in their salvation; and they frequently
utilized the five tools to maturity in their lives (prayer, praise, faith,
reaching out and growing in knowledge of scripture) (Acts 2:42,47; Ephesians 2:8-9,
Romans 3:23-26, Peter 1:4-5, John 10:27-30).
The results of the survey showed the average level of peace was 4.4 for the entire congregation (scored on a scale of 0-6, with 6 being best) - not bad! However, when we separated the
congregation into groups based on adherence to faith there was a highly
significant difference between groups with the more adherent group having
greater peace!
What explains the finding? Well we don’t know for
certain, but four potential reasons come to mind.
· First, the practice of Christianity causes us to focus
on a higher being that has purposes higher than our own. This focus may make
help take our mind away from our own anxious thoughts.
· Second, the adherence to the practice of Christianity provides
for prayer to an accepting great high priest, Jesus Christ, who cares for our
every time and need (Hebrews 14-16).
· Third, we know knowledge is power. Christianity furnishes
an excellent text, the Bible, which teaches us the truths about God so we know
how to think of ourselves correctly and do not believe lies about God.
· Lastly,
Christianity urges us to reach out and touch others within our faith and to
provide community service. Consequently, this helps us not to concentrate on
our own anxieties and issues (2).
How can I get peace? Make sure you are a Christian and
know that your sins have been forgiven freely by faith in Christ. You then
should realize that God accepts you and this great salvation cannot be taken
away. Practicing your faith balanced
between the five tools of maturity mentioned above will help build the mindset
and practices which the Spirit can use to build peace. It takes time and
commitment, but you can do it. The fruits are there and blessings beyond
measure.
Tell me what you think as well as your questions!
WC Stewart
1.
MacIlvaine
WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of
religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement
Ther Clin Pract
2013;19:251-255.
2.
MacIlvaine
WR, Nelson LA, Stewart JA, Stewart WC. Association of strength of
community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J
2014;50:577-582.
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