The Ministry Of Reconciliation

My intensive week of study with some 30+ pastors and lay leaders in St. Louis, Mo. is over. We took a long and detailed look together at the heart business of the Christian church. We looked at the ministry of reconciliation, the heart and center of what we Christians are about. Here's how the Apostle Paul writes about it:

"The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

 At every international airport, like the one here in Houston, there are money changers. You can give them $100 U.S. dollars and they will exchange it for the equivalent in British pounds, Japanese yens or whatever other money is used for exchange of goods and business in the country to which you are flying. When you arrive you can hail a cab, tell the driver your destination and pay him in his country's money. No problem.

This word for exchanging money is the one the Apostle uses to describe the accomplished work of Jesus Christ, God's Son. His life and death were exchanged in full payment for the sins of the entire world, for all men living then, now and forever. The exchange has been made. We all have free passage into the very heart and presence of the heavenly Father. It is now the business of the Christian church to proclaim and apply that reconciliation, that blessing from God to all men.

Here's an example. One of the widely abused gifts of God is the natural attraction between men and women. Again and again I have seen it bring pain and brokenness to marriages and the destruction of a man's career.

Consider the case of Bill and Marilyn. They are both active leaders in their church and apparently happily married with two children. However, Bill has a heart problem. His God given sexual drive has taken over his life. He focuses upon this desire every day. He secretly pours over pornographic websites when he should be working at his office. He visits topless bars on his way home and lies about where he has been to his wife. He keeps pornographic magazines hidden in his home office.

And then one afternoon his attractive secretary and he decide to spend an hour in a local motel. This activity goes on for several weeks until one day his wife discovers it. And, well, you can imagine the rest of the story. Bill's and Marilyn's lives together are ruined. They have severely damaged the lives of their children. And hundreds of other people's lives are also hurt by what has happened.

Why is the pain and suffering so widespread? Because Bill is—or was—a pastor! He was responsible for the spiritual well being of a flock of over 1,000 people. They and the entire community in which Bill and Marilyn lived have been touched by Bill's faithless activities.

This is tragic, but even more critical is the question of reconciliation. How can Bill, Marilyn, their children and so many other people be reconciled to one another? Where will they find the power and strength to forgive one another? How will they be able to move beyond what has happened?

This is but one example, not even a unique one, of how our self-centered desires destroy lives. There is but one road to healing. The Apostle James writes about it this way:

"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working" (James 5:14-16).

 Reconciliation is a difficult process. It involves confessing our sins to one another. It involves confessing our sins to God. It involves the giving and receiving of absolution and forgiveness from God. And it involves forgiving one another for the sake of what God has given us in Jesus Christ. It involves accepting that forgiveness from others. It involves accepting forgiveness in your own heart. This is the ministry of reconciliation.

This is what we were studying this past week. I'll have much more to say about this ministry another time.