john 16

The California, Hawaii, and Nevada District of the LWML had their convention back in April. Their theme was John 16:33, “Overcome … by Him”.  The women of the missionary league have the same amount of difficulty, problems, pains, and sorrows that anyone else has in this world. The difference between Christians and the rest of the world is the Christians understand that the peace offered through Jesus Christ is not a human invention. We can try to get ourselves, excited, motivated, and ginned up.  We can try and get folks involved and enthusiastic.  We can try and comfort people but the only true peace in this life is offered through Jesus Christ, and by Jesus Christ, because he is our peace.,   When Jesus said “I have overcome the world”, He said it before his suffering and death and resurrection.  Someone said that the world’s assaults on us are “frightful, and pernicious”. The world’s assaults upon Jesus were lies and smears and derision and suffering and death.  Jesus overcame them specifically through His death.  Through the death and resurrection of Christ the worlds assaults can be overcome.   They can be overcome by the Christian and the church because we benefit directly from the triumph of the story which is Christ. And through him we can invade the world which is already been overcome by Jesus with the missionary proclamation of the forgiveness of sins for all people.