Lincoln

Be encouraged, you were reconciled for the ministry of reconciliation

“Now that we are reconciled… we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10b-11). This is not simply a theoretical change, nor is it only a future transition towards closeness with God. No reconciliation has already been accomplished, and believers have already received 100% of it in their relationship with the Lord.  Therefore, reconciliation is to have two very practical impacts upon the Christian life.

The first is explained by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. “God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; …entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”

Your life-time job

By default, every believer upon receiving salvation is appointed to the office of ‘Reconciling Ambassador.’ Believers were not interviewed, nor did they have to sign an employment agreement. No, they were instantaneously assigned to this public service on behalf of Almighty God the moment they received Christ as Lord and Saviour. The ministry of reconciliation is not an optional extra in your walk of faith, it’s an inherent component of your new identity in Christ.

The repentant sinner now has a story to tell the world. They now have an ‘out of this world’ driving force within; “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died” (2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV). This love doesn’t settle with silent or secret faith, it has an irresistible urge to live and speak out the new life of Christ

The second inescapable result of being reconciled to God is that you will want your relationships to experience the sweetness of Christ-like reconciliation. Paul captured the essence of this reality in 2 Corinthians 13:11; “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you”. God’s children are those who go above and beyond the normal human boundaries of relational unity. It’s blue-printed into a believer’s spiritual DNA.

Paul understood the difficulty and even pain of this relational reconciliation well. When he first wrote to the stumbling Christians in Corinth he used his own life as an example. “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we entreat [Conciliate]…” (1 Corinthians 4:12-13). Paul had both feet realistically on the ground. His emotions had been overtaken by the power of reconciliation. This was evidenced by the extraordinary efforts made to see damaged relationships reconciled as an expression of divine reconciliation.

It looks like love

Reconciliation looks like love, it forgives even when not apologized to, it overlooks irritations, and it never makes demands, not ever. Enjoyable marriages are fuel by reconciliation as are healthy work place relationships. Church fellowship accompanied by willing acts of service are ignited by reconciliation. Every relationship needs the blessing of obedient Christian reconciliation.

Be encouraged Christian friend, your life-long employment as Christ’s ambassador gives you time and opportunity to reclaim damaged relationships for God’s glory. Yes, great humility will be needed. Yes, intense pray will be the filling station of Christ’s love to motivate you to accomplish this uncomfortable assignment. Yes, time bathing in God’s Word will be necessary to acquire the inner wisdom and fear of God to energise such a Christ centered activity.  But reconciliation must be experienced by those around us, through us, and even at our expense just as it was at Christ’s expense.

 Be encouraged, you were reconciled for the ministry of reconciliation.

 

Be encourage, you were reconciled by Christ’s death for the regeneration of your life

In Romans 5:8 the apostle Paul hangs this astounding backdrop; “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Paul proceeds to explain the unseen details of what Christ accomplished for those who believe in Him. God’s love was alive and active before time itself, and He expressed it by loving those who were incapable of receiving His love. His love was proactive, knowable, and focused. But most of all, His love was pure, unselfish, and sacrificial for the benefit of those who would not want to be recipients of His love.

Now comes the most amazing truths. God accomplished through Jesus Christ what sinners could not, and would not want to do. Listen as Paul explains; “We have now been justified by his (Jesus) blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). Christ’s death saves believers from the inescapable wrath of God. Christ took your place, as your substitute on the cross to satisfy God the Father’s judgement against your sin (1Pe 2:24).

Christ reconciled you at the greatest cost

That being accomplished, Paul expands on Christ’s breathtaking work at Calvary; “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son” (Romans 5:10a). For you, this is 2000 year old history. Yet for Christ, the cross of Calvary is an eternally present work which is equally relevant and sufficient to save you today as it ever was and shall ever be.

Now, when you put faith in Jesus, you were reconciled and changed in Christ. This change came about through the exchange of your sin for Christ’s righteousness. This exchange could only have taken place through Christ’s death which justified you from your death penalty for your sin. That is, you were acquitted from guilt and declared right before God through belief in the death of Christ. WOW! This specific belief is what makes you a Christian.

For believers; “now that we are reconciled… we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” (Romans 5:10b-11). In Christ, it’s a done deal. Nothing can be added and nothing can be taken away from Christ’s work of justification and reconciliation. What a spectacular theological synchronicity; justification and reconciliation. The repentant sinner is now submersed by faith into Christ’s accomplished work, there is nothing more for the believer to do as Christ has done it all.

Christ reconciled you with purpose

Christian, rejoice in the cross; if for no other reason than you are presently reconciled in Christ, restored, regenerated, and rebirthed through His resurrection. “The death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:10-11). This gives liberation from guilt of repented past sin. This liberation sets those who receive Christ (John 1:12) free from blind enslavement to sin. The past is forgiven, washed away into God’s forgetfulness (Psalm 103:12) and buried with Christ. And there the rotting corpse of your past life must stay so that you can live Christ’s resurrected life with no turning back.

Today, I encourage you to live aware that you were reconciled by Christ’s death for the regeneration of your life. Find some other believer and build them up with this profound truth. Remind some child of God that faith in Christ is not worthless; it’s not a waste of time or effort, and it’s not without impact for God’s glory through your life.

 

I encourage you to remember Christ and remind others of Him

“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead…” (2 Timothy 2:8) which is the very heart beat of Christian faith (Rom 10:9-10). With all the distractions and busyness of life we need to implement routines which assist us in focusing our thoughts on Christ. We need to set Bible reading times, routine times for prayer and meditation, times for listening to God’s Word being taught, and just time out to think and reason through life’s issues in a biblical arena.

Remembering fights neglect

Neglecting conscious thoughts of Christ simply fuels the human capacity to totally neglect Christ. The world, selfishness, others, and even Satan, have an arsenal of replacement thoughts and activities ready to distract you. Fleshly passions, love for possessions, lust for power and money, the cravings for entertainment, accompanied by the many demands of life can quickly lure you away from Christ being central as Lord. Isn’t this just the truth of it?

The writer of Hebrews understood life well, presenting this remedy; “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV). Listen up people; give The Lord Jesus Christ your attention!

Focus your inner senses on Jesus. Recognise that Christ was and remains the initiator and completer of your spiritual life, beginning with salvation. Acknowledge the Lord’s astounding accomplishments on the cross of Calvary on your behalf. Proclaim the supreme authority that Jesus Christ has as He presently reigns from heaven. Think upon it, believe it, live it!

Remembering is shameless

It’s shamefully easy to compartmentalise Jesus Christ in your thoughts to a place where He becomes nothing more than a superstition which you think you have made peace with. This always results with inactivity and indifference towards Christ as personal Lord and Saviour. The enemies of God love this style of thinking, because it always leads you to nothing other than separation from God with its damning consequences.

Likewise, it’s all too easy to have the right thoughts of Christ, yet keep them to yourself at the peril of others. Silence of Christ is the hater of souls. Silence puts self first, promoting comfort, ease and popularity as supremely important.

Now, if you remember Christ as risen, alive, and supreme in your life, you won’t be able to contain this life changing reality. Consequently, there are 2 ways in which you can remind others of Christ, both are of equal importance, and neither should get preference over the other. First, remind others of Christ by living Christ as your personal Lord, no compromise. Secondly, remind others of Christ by speaking well of Him, no shame!

Remembering looks forward

Remember also, as the angels reminded the disciples, that “Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). The Lord’s return is a certainty awaiting the Father’s command. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18). Maranatha!

Be encouraged Christian, remember Christ and remind others of Him also. Forward this encouragement to someone else to share the blessing.

 

I encourage you to guard against deceptive festive faith

Christmas is a wonderful time of celebration, thanksgiving and festive pleasure for Christians. Believers accept as the apostle John did, that “The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us” (1 John 1:2). Peter realised that the Christian’s spiritual life, that is their faith life, is only “by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).

However, there is questionable belief in Jesus which I call ‘festive faith’ which is when the spiritual party syndrome dominates. In other words, your loyalty only lasts as long as the good times last. It’s shallow and immature by nature, it’s where simplistic thoughts rule and fun ranks as the priority while maturity is shunned as irrelevant and legalistic.

Festive faith can only recognise its own kind; it repels absolutes while embracing vagueness. The middle ground is attractive, that spiritual space where neutrality exists, where nothing needs to be stood up for and decisions for Christ have no cost attached.

Questionable faith

It’s festive by nature, pursuing popularity, drawn to that which it deems attractive and happening. It’s similar in essence to the heart attitude of the Pharisees Jesus spoke of; “you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27). Festive faith promotes outward beauty and fun while convincing you that inner sin is of no consequence. We live in an age and culture which elevates festive faith for the Church while rejecting “fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

By nature Festive faith compromises and is happy to give no consideration to the consequences of its actions. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Kingdom of God doesn’t need more boys and girls for Jesus; rather, the Lord desires more men and woman of God. Men and woman of conviction; laying down their lives in surrendered faith, a faith which relentlessly pushes ahead in service for the Saviour. Jesus said it best; “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).

Spot the real faith

Faith must be more than mantel piece belief. Yes, faith empowers joyful celebration! And yes, faith gives meaning and understanding of life. Faith enriches God’s people with the assurance of security in Christ. Faith grows the certainty of hope in Heaven and eternal life. And yes, faith replaces fear with peace and certainty.

Faith agrees that; “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him (Jesus), and through him (Jesus) to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:15-20 NIV).

This Christmas, I encourage you to enjoy celebrating Jesus Christ heartedly while being on guard against deceptive festive faith. May the Lord be pleased and honoured as you “proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

P.S.   I’m taking a break over the Christmas holiday period and shall join you again in February 2018.

 

I encourage you to enjoy Christmas faith that knows who it believes in

Christmas comes with its obvious celebrations, busyness, family get-togethers, and possibly pains and doubts. Regardless of your spiritual convictions, Christmas is one of those occasions that draws spiritual beliefs to the forefront. Therefore faith should produce unashamed and surrendered living for the baby Jesus who came specifically to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The apostle John was possibly the most outspoken regarding the identity of Jesus. He boldly explains that Jesus is “The Word” and that “the Word was God” (John 1:1). “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Even in His humanity, Jesus still had everything under His authority – nothing was exempt. Nature obeyed Him in the miracles He performed. Demons obeyed Him with first time obedience when being cast out of people. Satan obeyed Him, even death obeyed Him when He commanded Lazarus to come back to life.

Christmas divinity

Here’s the thing about baby Jesus; “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). There is no other pure, divine child of God who shares the divine nature with God the Father! There is no other way to access God’s divine nature than through faith in Jesus Christ alone. John’s point is this: if you don’t like Jesus, there’s no point looking anywhere else to find God, because Jesus is the only one God has ever given to humanity to provide direct access to Himself (1Ti 2:5; Heb 1:2).

That’s precisely why John wrote his gospel; “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).  For Christians, celebrating Christmas is a declaration of faith. Why? Because, “though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). Faith transitions spiritual truth into personal reality. Belief acknowledges Jesus Christ is God and Lord of your life while trusting Him as Saviour of your soul; this is the source of your greatest and lasting joy.

Christmas perspective

Christmas is simply the time we focus our celebrations with thanksgiving upon the breath-taking incarnation of God’s Son, Jesus. Matthew 1:23 explains; “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When you believe God’s testimony of who Jesus is, your whole perspective of baby Jesus changes. Years later Martha was confronted by this same gob-smacking truth, when adult Jesus opened her eyes to His true identity. Jesus explained; “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26).

Today, I invite you to believe as Martha was called to believe. Believe with genuine dependence that Jesus is God with us. Believe in the child who is God in human flesh, who came for the express purpose of going 33 years later to the cross of Calvary, taking sin’s judgment upon Himself. This Christmas, I encourage you to exercise faith, belief that knows who you believe in.