The Ministry of Reconciliation
Are We Living Out Our Calling?
If we are not doing the things God has called us to do, we should examine our lives and ask ourselves whether we are truly living as followers of Christ.
Our salvation is not simply about coming to church. God has called us to receive from Him, grow in Him, and then go out and bring others to Christ.
God Knows What We Need
Matthew 6:32 — God already knows what we need.
We spend far too much time worrying about what we need when God already knows every need we have.
If God knows what we need, then we can trust Him to take care of us.
1 Corinthians 2:9 reminds us that God has prepared things beyond what we can see, hear, or imagine.
The question is not simply, “What do I want God to do for me?”
The greater question is:
“Do I love God enough to think about what God wants from me?”
God will take care of those who trust and believe in Him.
We Are Called to Go
2 Corinthians 5:18–20 tells us that all things are of God and that He has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
God did not call us simply to come to church every week.
He called us to come, glean, grow, and then go.
We come into God's house to receive His Word, to be strengthened, and to grow in our relationship with Him. But we are then called to go back into the world and compel others to come to Christ.
Church is not the finish line.
Church is where we are equipped to go out and fulfill our calling.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
What is the ministry of reconciliation?
It is the work of helping others become reconciled to God.
God has called us to bring people back into relationship with Him—to help others know that they can have the same relationship with God that we have experienced.
This is not just the pastor's job.
This is a responsibility God has given to each of us.
2 Corinthians 5:19–20 teaches us that God was reconciling the world to Himself through Christ and has entrusted us with the message of reconciliation.
God does not hold our sins against us when we genuinely come to Him in repentance and receive His forgiveness.
Romans 8:1 says:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.”
That is the message we have been given to share.
It is this simple:
God has made a way for our sins to be forgiven, and He gives us the opportunity to tell others that they can be forgiven too.
Remember Who Gave You the Power
Deuteronomy 8:18 says:
“But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.”
Everything we have comes from God.
Our abilities come from God.
Our opportunities come from God.
Our strength comes from God.
Our success comes from God.
We must never become so focused on what we can accomplish that we forget the One who gave us the ability to accomplish it.
We Know How to Do Church—But Do We Know How to Reach People?
Sometimes we know how to do church, but we have forgotten how to do ministry outside the church.
We can become comfortable gathering together, worshiping together, and fellowshipping together while failing to reach the people who are still outside the church.
God did not save us just so we could sit together.
He saved us so that we could go and tell others.
The Church Grows When We Share Christ
The church cannot fulfill its mission if we keep the Gospel to ourselves.
We should never say, “I am saved,” and then fail to tell someone else about Jesus.
If Christ has changed our lives, we should want others to know what He has done.
We have been reconciled to God, and now God has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation.
So the question we must ask ourselves is:
Am I simply coming to church, or am I living out the calling God has given me?
We come to receive.
We come to grow.
We come to be equipped.
Then we go.
We go into our families.
We go into our communities.
We go into our workplaces.
We go wherever God sends us.
And we tell people about Jesus Christ.
We have been reconciled so that we can help others be reconciled to God.