Reconciliation
What was Jesus’ main job when He came to earth? It was to reconcile sinful man to His Father. The dictionary defines reconcile (a verb) “to restore to friendship or harmony.” The Bible goes a couple words further and adds, “with God.”
We were lost and adrift in our sin when we met Jesus. But thank God, as Paul writes to the Corinthian church, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2Cor. 5:17). What are these “things”? Everything leading up to someone’s conversion. Paul goes on, “…all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ,” but He doesn’t stop there; he continues, “and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18).
One of the most often asked questions
of new and old believers alike is “What is God’s will for my life?” Well, you may be a homemaker, an engineer, a construction worker, or something else. Whatever it is, it’s a secondary occupation. Everyone who claims Christ as Savior and Lord has a primary assignment from God. We are to be ambassadors for Christ in the ministry of reconciliation. This is not a “pulpit” ministry limited to those called to preach. It’s a kitchen table, an auto repair shop, a science lab ministry performed everywhere at all times.
Let me say it again. Every person in Christ has been given the ministry of reconciliation. Today’s churches have done an abysmal job of preparing the flock to pursue this charter from God. This is not meant to be judgmental but only to make my point. How many non-believers this week or month or year have you shared God’s desire for reconciliation with?
In business management,
the first step to solving a problem is to identify that there is one. It’s been said that this first step is half of the solution. Can we apply that in our Christian walk? I’m willing to bet that not one in ten believers, not just church goers, but solid Christ followers, could articulate this ministry. Remember Jesus’ last command before leaving? “Go…make disciples…baptize…teach.”
Spiritual awakenings over the years, resulting in many coming to Christ for new life, have usually been sparked by one and then many who caught the fire in their belly to share the good news of God’s love for sinners. To continue with Paul’s message, he defines what the ministry of reconciliation is: “…namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation” 2 Cor. 5:19.
This is more than telling people God loves them.
It’s a life-changing opportunity for them to reprogram their eternal destiny so they end up in heaven instead of that other place…forever. And it doesn’t require advanced degrees to grasp it or large donations to grease the skids. It does demand that they recognize their sin and their inability to do anything about it on their own. The Bible calls it repentance, and it requires one thing and one thing only. Humility.
Many folks have a false sense of their lack of worth to themselves, to others, and especially to God because of how rotten they’ve been. It’s Satan whispering in their ear that God couldn’t possibly love someone like them. Part of our message has to be that God looks beyond their warts because of what Christ did for ALL who will come to Him on His terms. Jesus said, “…he who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out”(John 6:37).
If this seems daunting to you,
get your fellowship group together and talk about it. What does it look like? How do we start? My suggestion is to have a plan that you can articulate to your pastor and elders, present it to them and ask for their leadership. Don’t be discouraged by their possible lack of enthusiasm. It’s likely a new concept for them too. Otherwise, it would already be mainstream in their ministry.
Go to them gently but with passion. Bathe this in prayer that God would open eyes to see what He has desired from the beginning. But go. Remember how many times in Scripture God used just one man to start the ball rolling. Could you be that man in our time?
Thanks for reading.