Filadelfia International Church Barcelona

Ambassadors of God’s Peace

Reflection

The disciples were huddled behind closed doors, souls trembling, unsure of their future because Jesus had just been crucified by the religious leaders. The disciples were now their next target. Fear has a way of locking doors not just externally, but even internally in our minds and actions. It did so for the disciples on that first resurrection evening.

Then—without knocking, without forcing His way in—the risen Christ appeared in their midst and spoke more than just a greeting but words that were comforting for their souls: “Peace be with you.”

Jesus gives us a glimpse into the heart of His redemptive work. He does not berate their fear; He speaks peace (shalom) over it. The peace that Jesus offers is not merely the absence of trouble; it is wholeness and wellness. Jesus brought into that room more than just a sense of calm, but the redeeming, restoring, and reconciling peace of God.

What is amazing is that the disciples were not only recipients of God’s peace; they became ambassadors of God’s peace when He sent them out with the same mission that brought Him here on earth.

“As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” In other words, just as Jesus was, so we must be. In this brief yet powerful encounter, Jesus reveals two dimensions of His peace:

1. A Peace that Is Given Before
   He commissions us, He comforts and restores us. His peace is a gift, not a reward. It flows from His finished work on the cross, that reconciled us to the Father. This peace is not earned; it’s received. His peace heals what is wounded, mends what is broken, restores what is lost, and brings order where chaos once ruled.
   
2. A Peace that Is Sent
   Once His peace enters your heart, it cannot just stay there. The Prince of Peace now makes us ambassadors of peace in His name. We carry His peace into fearful rooms, broken families, wounded communities, and hearts locked by sin and shame.

This week, we’ll examine how we are being sent by Jesus: to have a deeper understanding of what it means to walk as He walked, to receive His peace deeply and to share this peace boldly. Not just peace for you, but peace through you. For in every place Christ sends us, He wants us to speak again what He spoke that resurrection evening: “Peace be with you.”

May these pages awaken in you the joy and calling of being an ambassador of the peace of Christ, bearing the message of shalom in a broken world.

Respond

In what ways have you experienced God’s shalom as a gi rather than something you had to earn?
How can you intentionally carry and share His shalom in your home, workplace, and community?
What “locked doors” of fear, doubt, or uncertainty do you recognize in your own life right now?
Ask God for specific things you can do to move in confidence knowing that He is with you. What does it mean for you personally and as part of God’s spiritual family to be sent by Jesus as bearers of His peace?

Pray

Lord Jesus, we come to You with hearts that are often fearful and unsure, hiding behind doors we have closed ourselves. Thank You for meeting us where we are and speaking Your gentle words, “Peace be with you.”
We receive Your shalom—the peace that heals, restores, and makes us whole. Help us to rest in this gift of grace and then carry it beyond ourselves. As You were sent by the Father, You are sending us to bring Your peace into broken places and wounded hearts. May we do so with glad hearts and confidence wherever we go.
Amen.