Reconciled to Reconcile

Yesterday we focused on the big church word “Reconciliation.”  At the end of the message, we focused on 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, that we are reconciled to the ministry of reconciliation.  The gospel calls us to be reconciled to God and then to become involved in reconciling others by spreading that very same gospel message.  As I was thinking this morning about some of the things that stop me from doing this all the time in my life, the biggest hindrance I face is my selfishness.  I think about me.  And why shouldn’t I?  When we think of the gospel or hear someone preach it to us, it continues to be tied to our own personal relationship with God.  So my faith tends to involve 2 people, Jesus and I.  While this is correct, it should not end there.  There is something more that I am forgetting…

I wrote down a section from a book I was reading a few months ago, but I forgot to put the title and author with it.  I’m guessing this from “The Explicit Gospel” by Matt Chandler, but don’t quote me on this quote.  The author, whoever it may be, writes:

“Once we give in to the idea that the gospel is only about a personal relationship with God and not about God’s redemptive plan to renew all things, we give ourselves permission to stop engaging the world around us.  Once we are no longer engaging the world around us with the gospel of Jesus Christ, once we’re no longer caring for the widows and orphans in their distress but allowing someone else to do it, then we’ve removed one of the major components of true biblical discipleship…. One of the ways the mission of God to reconcile all things to himself chisels away at us in the work of sanctification is when we engage with the hurt, the pain, and the sorrow of the world around us.  When we do that, God shows us our inadequacies, shortcomings, and fears.  We are shown the places where we don’t trust God with our money or our talents.  Engaging the world around us and ministering to its needs reveal to us the remaining bastions of sin in our lives, the areas we refuse to surrender to God.  In the end, if we stay too long focusing on the personal relationship, discipleship can become about a mere transfer of information that doesn’t produce maturity or foster internal growth in the fruit of the Spirit.

 

I hope this produces some challenging thoughts for you this week.

 

I invite you to read Romans 1:16-17 today.  In this passage, Paul calls the gospel, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.”  I hope you take the opportunity to become involved in reconciling others this week.  One way is simply to invite the friend or co-worker to be your guest this Easter Sunday at church.  Service starts at 10:30am.  We even have a free breakfast for you and your guest starting at 9am.  I hope you see you all there.  I hope even more to not see you alone!