Ministry of Reconciliation
Key Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 5: 18-21
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Summary: The love that honors God is the type of love that is filtered through the lens of forgiveness in Christ and seeks to answer the question, how would I want to be loved? Loving your neighbor ultimately means introducing them to Christ.
Lesson One: Making disciples is our mission in life. God has called us to preach this message. To train our people so they can preach this message. This is the mission of the Church. This is what we go into all the world to do. This is what we preach to every creature. This is the content of the great commission.
Lesson Two: We are Christ’s ambassadors.
Through salvation, we have been adopted into God’s family and into his kingdom…we are no longer citizens of this world and so, we no longer see things as citizens of this world, and we no longer speak as citizens of this world…we see things through the lens of Christ—we see other people through the lens of Christ, and we stand as actual representatives of our King and speak on his behalf…and that message is reconciliation.
Lesson Three: We must have a sense of urgency.
We are called to make an urgent and compassionate plea on behalf God to be reconciled to him through Jesus Christ. We must care about the salvation of others and take every opportunity to demonstrate and share Jesus with others. People can’t hear what no one is saying.
What does it look like to be a Kingdom Ambassador?
1 – We must be in the world but not of the world. In order to make disciples we need to listen to God and also to the conversation going on in the world around us and be ready to speak. If you start putting yourself in proximity with sinners, you can trust that you will meet someone God is interested in reaching with the redemptive good news of the Gospel.
2- We must care about the lives of others. You and I weren’t saved merely for our own benefit. Yes, Christ died for you, but the Gospel is a whole lot bigger than that. God cares deeply about your neighbor. We must care about the salvation of others and take every opportunity to demonstrate and share Jesus with others. People can’t hear what no one is saying.
3 – We must let the Holy Spirit lead. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we become the physical vessels that Christ uses to reach others to reconcile them to himself. It’s not you that’s doing the work, it’s the Holy Spirit in you. The Holy Spirit empowers us to walk with people in the midst of the realities of life and to help point them toward Christ…our job is to be obedient and let the Spirit do what he does.