Life Ministries

“A Story to Tell”
Romans 5:6-11 and 2^nd Corinthians 5:16-21

    What is the ministry of reconciliation? It’s the message of the Cross…It’s the message of the gospel… Without the message of salvation to be found in Christ Jesus, the Bible is just another good book. It is nothing more than a collection of the history of the life and times of Israel. So, what does it mean that “God has given us this ministry?”

    There are basically three dimensions or motivating forces that would cause our obedience to be ambassadors for Christ; The first is the character of God:
We have to remember that the gospel originated in the heart of God. It was His work…His idea…not mans. We did not read the Bible and say “This is a really good idea, let’s go and tell everybody about it!” It was God’s purpose for man from the very beginning of time, and it was He who gave us this ministry and said “Go!”
    However, there are two things about the character of God that are closely linked to this message of reconci-liation we are supposed to proclaim; they are both found in the Book of 1^st. John – ( 1:5 and 4:8 ) God is “light” and God is “love”…Verse 9 says – “This is how God showed his love among us…He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” This is the central fact of the gospel; God’s love, like himself, is eternal; unconditional; and all inclusive. It can never be compared to man’s love… The difference is found in both quality and quantity! Mans love is truly limited. What limits our love? ( Personalities; styles; ethics; morals; attitudes; looks; color; etc. ) In other words, it would be easy to love if it were not for people! But, God loves in spite of all our flaws and all of those things that get in our way.
    What about the fact that God is “light”?  What do we know about light? ( illuminates; warmth or heat; dispels darkness; it can be destructive; helps things to grow; etc.) However, the gospel message is not just one of light and love, it is also a message of wrath. The world also needs to understand that the holiness of God and the righteousness and justice of God is also a part of His character.  If man rejects the “light” and the “love” of God…then he will suffer the “wrath” of God. Without the love of God we would have no gospel; without the wrath of God we would have no need for the gospel.
    The second motivating force is the “command of Christ”. We have a tendency to put all the emphasis on the command to “Go” but, a closer look at the teachings of Christ reveals that he used three words to express his desire for his people; “Come”, “Follow”, and “Go.” (It is probably right to say “in that order.”) All three must contain a desire on our part! Many “come”…Some “follow”…but, few “go”! We need to realize that this is a command to all who come.
    The third motivating factor is the “condition of mankind.” This is also a part of the “go” command. Unless we have the compassion and the conviction that sees people as God sees them, we will never get past the “come” and “follow” part of God’s Word. Yet, God has given us – it says - as Christ’s ambassadors – the “ministry of reconciliation” which includes all three areas…and it is a continuing process… I am going to spend the rest of this week – leading up to Easter – writing about the Cross.