RECONCILIATION AND CHURCH UNITY—GOD’S AGENDA Revd Dr. K. V. Simon, Kottayam Reconciliation is God’s mission in Christ. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself. It is the primary vision and plan of Christ.
we will be at peace with God through faith. The initiative for this is taken by God by sending His only Son to die on the cross for our sake.
There is a five-fold mission purpose:
UNITY OF THE CHURCH:
1. To share the Word of God with the world. 2. To help the believer, both the minister and layman alike in his understanding, preaching and teaching the Word of God. 3. To do everything possible we can to lead men, women, boys and girls to give their heart and lives to Jesus Christ. 4. To do all we can to minister to the needy of the world. 5. To give Jesus Christ His proper place—the place, which the Word gives. What is reconciliation? The meaning of reconciliation is at peace with. There is a broken relationship between God and man due to sin. There is a breach of the covenant, the fellowship with God is broken. Hence, there is need for reconciliation. Reconciliation is an unquestionable privilege for the believers. The heart of the sinner is filled with enmity to God; God is offended with the sinner. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. He has successfully accomplished the ministry of reconciliation by His death on the cross. In Jesus Christ a new covenant is opened. The blood of the New Covenant is established in the Upper Room. It is the covenant of grace and forgiveness. So, we have peace with God Through Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1). He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf be reconciled to God (II Cor 5: 19-20). Reconciliation is our indispensable duty, because the design of the gospel is reconciliation. The highest title you can hold is “ambassador”. You belong to the one who sent you (Jesus Christ). You are commissioned for the purpose of reconciliation. You possess all power and authority of the one who sent you (Jesus Christ). Therefore, the message is so critical and very urgent. Beseech means beg, entreat, cry, plead not for your sake, but for Christ’s sake. We are ambassadors by calling; we are reconciling agent by mission. It is God’s mission, not our mission. Reconciliation is possible only by conviction—about our sinful state. Repentance is a turning away from the sinful ways. Forgiveness is the forgiveness from God, restoration is to reinstate to our original status, and then
Unity of the Church is Christ’s prayer and God’s agenda. When we consider the unity of the Church there are ten truths about unity. 1. Unity is a gift from God (Eph. 2: 19-20). Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of apostles and prophets with Christ Himself as the chief cornerstone. 2. Unity is maintained, not created by man (Eph. 4:3). Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Unity is God’s plan not man’s creation. Our duty is to maintain the unity designed by God. 3. Unity grows day by day (Eph. 4:13). We are the body of Christ, which may be built up until we reach unity in the faith and knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining the whole measure and fullness of Christ. So, unity must grow daily in our attitude, in our dealings, in our actions and reactions. 4. Unity is opposed by pride and self interest (Phil. 2:3). Do nothing out of ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only on your interests, but also the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ. If you have pride and self-interest, you cannot achieve unity. Pride is the super enemy of unity. 5. Unity is uniquely a Christian adornment (Eph. 4: 23-24). Put off your old self which is corrupt by its deceitful desires to be made new in the attitude of your minds and to put on the new self created in the image of God in true righteousness and holiness. God said, be holy as I am holy. Righteousness and holiness are divine. God’s chosen people are holy in nature, in dealings with others.
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