Reconciliation
At the age of fifteen, Pete was traveling with his baseball team by train from Birmingham to Lynchburg, Virginia. He happened to be the last guy on his team to enter the dining car for lunch. There was only one empty seat in the galley so Pete sat down and noticed that the person beside him was a person of color. He knew that his team mates would make fun of him for violating the South’s strict unwritten code of segregation. Pete’s heart told him that he should do the right thing and make a new friend of this black man. However, embarrassed, he got up and walked away.
Even though Pete had been taught in his church about the unconditional love of God, he was too embarrassed to do the right thing and stand up for the truth of scripture.
Reconciliation means to restore to harmony and unity. It means to regenerate and to be made new, rejoined together in the spirit of unity. Reconciliation is to bring back together that which has been separated.
According to II Timothy 3:1-5:
1. THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent (without self control,) fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, highminded (prideful,) lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
To listen to the news of this world’s current events, is to separate our hearts from the truth of the word of God. However 1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17-21:
17. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God
21. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
There can be no lasting reconciliation without repentance. Repentance means to turn around. It means to turn from myself and my selfish nature and unto God through his son Jesus Christ. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
The first step to repentance is meekness and humility. Jesus said, blessed are the meek for they shall inherit I the earth. We must give up the throne of our hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ. If any man is in Christ he is a new creation. Old things are passed away. All things are become new.
The devil’s job is to divide and conquer. There are irreconcilable differences between genders, political parties, races, and denominations. Where there is strife and contention there is confusion and every evil work. However, the solution to division is the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Reconciliation resulting in peace is only available through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My Peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid.” We have peace with God through Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on our behalf. Reconciliation and atonement are the same word in Greek. Atonement means at-one-meant. This is the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.
The apostle Paul said, In my flesh dwelleth no good thing. However through salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone we have been given a new spiritual nature. The new nature is Christ in you the hope of glory. Jesus said, If I abide in you and you abide in me you shall bear much fruit.
God hasn’t called us to keep the rules of the Old Testament law. He has called us unto salvation…. wholeness by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God has raised him from the dead. Because He lives, we have been made a new creation in Christ… Old things (of the sin nature) are passed away. All (spiritual) things are made new.
At the cross of Christ, God has made us acceptable in the beloved. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. The solution to reconcile irreconcilable differences is to meet each other at the foot of the cross where Jesus paid the price for our sins as our atoning sacrifice.
Our witness for the Lord is in the power of His Holy Spirit. We’ve been called as peacemakers to reconcile God’s people back to him through the super natural power his Spirit.
Our purpose and our calling is to be ambassadors for Christ. The country of our new birth is heaven….for our citizenship is in heaven. Not only are we citizens of heaven but we are called as ambassadors, the highest ranking representatives sent from our home in heaven to represent our Sovreign Lord in a foreign country. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation and committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we pray you in Christ’s stead be ye reconciled unto God.
As ambassadors, our commission is to introduce others to our Lord. When Andrew introduced his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, he simply said, “come and see.” Similarly when the people asked John the Baptist if he were the Messiah, he said, “I’m not the bridegroom. I’m here to introduce the bride (Israel) to her groom Jesus Christ. I must decrease that he might increase.”
The great commission is the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus said to his disciples before his ascension, “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations…..teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the age.”
In other words our mission and our commission is this: Go give ‘em heaven!
….that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace.
Your brother in Christ,
MIchael