Reconciliation feels like a lost art in our days. To reconcile is: “to restore to friendship or harmony.” There is so much discord in the atmosphere that hope of harmony seems distant, almost to the point of impossible.
The good news is there is a God who has a plan. That plan is the Gospel. And gospel means: good news. This Gospel tells us about our Creators plan to bring reconciliation and hope to all people. It also tells those who accept the plan to participate in reconciling others.
Another aspect of the good news is that we are not left to our own devices to try to make reconciliation happen. We obviously have done a lousy job without divine help. Cooperating with God is worth a try. Let me first focus on the high calling to people of reconciliation:
2 Corinthians 5 NLT tells us, “19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” When we come into right relationship with God, it becomes so much easier to restore friendship and harmony with those around us.
We are called God’s ambassadors. Webster’s dictionary defines an Ambassador as: “a diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign or appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.”
We represent the government of the Kingdom of God, and all Christ followers carry the rank of ambassador. Do we do it well? Let’s just say most, if not all of us, have room for improvement.
In the midst of constant conflict, the tendency is to let the conflict, and the associated lies, wear us down. But God says we are His agents of the HIGHEST rank! That means we have his favor and His authority to act.
The power of His authority lives in us in the person of Holy Spirit. As followers and disciples of Christ, each one of us is sealed with the living presence of Holy Spirit, (Ephesians 1:13) which is also Christ in us, the hope of glory. (Col. 1:27.)
To walk in the full authority of our high calling as ambassadors of Christ, and ministers of reconciliation, God will work through us when we ask humbly for eyes to see and ears to hear. We already have the mind of Christ, we only need to access it. (1 Cor. 2:16) We access it by asking.
May we all reconcile to our Maker so we can lovingly walk in our authority as ambassadors to reconcile people to God and with other people.
