The Ministry of Reconciliation II Cor. 5:17-18 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO
Reconciliation is a matter of the Lord not imputing to us out trespasses against him. Before we were saved, we were enemies, ungodly and sinners, Rom 5:6-10. God reconciled us to him through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. But he didn’t stop there. In order that those for whom he died might be reconciled to him, he gave us the ministry of reconciliation. We are the ones who minister reconciliation to others to let them know what God has done for them. How does he do this?
In the ministry of reconciliation, we are:
The Preachers of Reconciliation – “He hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.” Our ministry, therefore, is not just “lifestyle” evangelism. We have to preach the word. Illustrations are great tools to explain the scripture, but they are not a replacement for the words of God. Testimonies are great and personal, but they are not a replacement for the words of God.
The words of God are vital to salvation and must be preached. The best way to deal with a sinner about salvation is with an open Bible. Notice what 1 Pet 1:23 says, “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.” Jas 1:21 says, in part, “… receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.”
The Ambassadors of Reconciliation – Ambassadors go to a foreign country to represent their home country. Our home country is heaven. So, we must go to the lost in the world because God wants them to be reconciled to him. They don’t come to us; we must go to them.
An ambassador doesn’t just show up in a country and spell out his demands and negotiate his concessions. He builds relationships with people upon which diplomatic relationships can be built. We must build relationships with people with the express purpose of introducing them to Jesus Christ, our King. We want them to know our King and all of the privileges of citizenship in our country.
The Ensamples of Reconciliation – We come to them “in Christ’s stead.” An ensample is more than an example. An ensample is a product that is the same as the whole that it represents. To illustrate, sheep are an “example” of Christians but they are not Christians. A sample of toothpaste given to you by your dentist is an “ensample” of the toothpaste he wants you to use because it is identical to the toothpaste you can buy at the store. So, since we are ensamples of reconciliation, our lost friends should be able to see Jesus in us when they see us. He is in us; His Spirit fills us. In Jesus’ case, when he was on earth, he said, “he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me.”
They should see what Jesus has done for us and that he can do the same for them. Without a doubt, my life has changed. I am so completely different than I was before Jesus saved me. And my life continues to grow spiritually because of him.
Conclusion: Jesus can reconcile you to God today. If you would like someone to take an open Bible and show you how you can be saved today, raise your hand. A lady raised her hand and one of our ladies showed her how to be saved. She was saved following the preaching. She was reconciled to God.