Be Agents of Reconciliation

ME

I find one of the toughest things to do is preach the first message at the beginning of the year. I mean, there’s a lot of pressure to get it right. And I had to confess, I was still worried and at times even dreading to stand up here this morning, I mean, what have I got to say which you haven’t already heard of? I even at times last night before what I can only describe as a breakthrough from God through a very dear friend praying with me and setting my eyes right on what it means to be a minister of the gospel and what is the passion or burden I have, what is God saying to me which I MUST say to everyone here this morning, that I got my bearings right. And January 2018 does that to a lot of us, doesn’t it?

WE

For some of us, it means we are not going to write 8 as the last digit every time we have to write the year at least for the first 3 months.

For some of us, it means looking ahead and start planning our vacations and 180 days cruise trips.

For some of us, it’s preparing for our first exams, or our second last exams, or to begin a new semester right and leaving home once again.

For some of us, it means the year we buy the ring, have to prepare for our wedding, or consider family planning.

For some of us, it’s once again hitting the gym again, dusting off the L.A. Fitness membership and promising that THIS will be the year which I will achieve my health goals.

For some of us, it means closing 2017’s chapter of personal losses, financial losses, family losses and heartbreaks, and turn the page of 2018 with hope and expectation.

For most of us, it means a fresh new start. A time to pursue new dreams, vision and passion.

Yet with all these personal dreams and goals, and pursuit of passions, do we sometimes forget that we are everything we said just now yes, but we are more than that. We are MCBC. We are a church which God has established with our head as Jesus and our commission is to go and make disciples of all nations, love our God, our neighbours as ourselves. What might 2018 be like for MCBC? What has God wanted us to focus on so that we would be more than the sum of the earthly things (even though they are important and God blesses us with it), but also we are actively pursuing what God wants us to join him in partnership in 2018? For that, let’s go back about 1900 years to a letter written to a group of followers somewhat similar and yet also different from us in the city of Corinth.

GOD

Apostle Paul was writing to the church of Corinth which he planted himself. Corinth would be the equivalent today of Toronto. Huge metropolitan city but with all the vices you would expect: There’s some suggestion by scholars 4 letters in total were written and we only have 2, 1 Corinthians and this one.

Suffice to say the relationship Paul, who almost like a father to the Corinthians had become strained because as we shall see and there are some hints even within this chapter but even more apparent in the ones before and after some apostles who are strong, charismatic and charming have won over the Corinthians. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they also won over at the expense of Paul, so much so the Corinthians are starting to doubt Paul’s credibility as a legitimate Apostle. Why? His letter are bold enough, but when he comes to preach…. ehhh.. not much power there. Simple and sincere, not charismatic for sure. Can’t speak in tongue. Well claims he did, but never shown it to us. And man, he gets imprisoned and beaten a lot, doesn’t he? He doesn’t have the poise we would except from THE apostle.

So that was Paul’s reason to write this letter to Corinth, again.

In chapter 4’s latter half, he had

just mentioned judgment and heavenly dwelling before, away from the body, being with the LORD. Paul now turns on the offense at the heart of the issue: if Paul is not a legitimate Apostle, and these opponents are, then his gospel can be put into question. Paul needs to set his record straight, not just for him, but more importantly for the sake of the gospel entrusted by Jesus to him on Damascus road. And not only that, for those in Corinth who has thrown mud into his face by turning their backs on him to some super-Apostles, yet Paul, despite all this betrayal and belittling, LOVES this church and its people.

11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others.

But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

12 We are not commending ourselves to you again (stickling point for Paul) but giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not what is in the heart.

13 For if we care beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.

Elsewhere these outward appearance boasters have been identified subsequently as earthly wisdom (1:12), peddlers of God's word (2:17), disgraceful, underhanded way...practice cunning or tamper with God's word (4:2) If we end the discussion there, it would basically be nice to know and maybe feel bad for Paul for us today. After all, it’s a quarrel two thousand years ago. We would have some sympathy. Except notice Paul says here you know who I am, and what I stand for, and that I am in the right, i.e. through your conscience, but if logic is not going to get us to the point of agreement, I am going to appeal to your heart!

That should gives us pause as to what Paul is about to say. And with that brief context, let’s dive deep into the heart of the matter, and again, the vision we need to have in 2018 God is reminder each and everyone of us.

14 For the love of Christ controls us, presses on

The word control sounds strange enough, when has love ever been controlling… except love hones us in and locks us on the target we love, and Paul is saying I could just throw up the white flag and abandon the Corinth church to other churches say in Philippi or Ephesus where I am loved, and that would be fine! But Jesus doesn’t allow me to love only those who love me back! His love controls, dictates, the orientation and direction of my love. In other words, who Jesus loves, I am compelled to love. The other image the word conveys in it’s original language is the idea of pressing on or making an impression. Have you ever seen two people who love one another so much that they become imprints of one another? Like my brother and my niece, they already look alike, but they also talk alike, when they stare at you, or certain demeanours, you can put them at opposite ends of the food court and if you know one, you will know the other. So we too are impressions of Jesus. How has Christ and his love rubbed off on you?

So what is the content of this love?

a) that one has died for all, (that is Jesus)

b) therefore all have died; (we have surrendered our control because of what? the love of Christ controls us!)

c) 15 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.

He died for all. Let that sink in, because it’s going to be important later. Jesus died on the cross for ALL, so that what? we can continue to live our selfish ways and ignore what’s going on around us? NO! But no longer for ourselves. His gospel, his salvation does that. It makes us selfless. It brings us to a point of surrender, to say, not my will, but your will be done. From now on, it’s no longer going to be just what I want or need. It’s all for you Jesus, and who does he love? Those who do AND DON’T love me back! In other words, everyone! Seems like a wide target, doesn’t it? But would we expect a God who so love the world that he gave his one and only begotten son not also have followers who are willing to deny themselves for the love of all those HE loves IN the world!

Paul continues,

16 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. (Just want to insert here that this phrasing of according to the flesh is the strength of this particular ESV bible translation, because it is a very literal translation. But what does it mean? I like the NIV translation, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldlyl point of view.” After all, this is Paul we are talking about. Paul who used to see Jesus as public enemy #1. Who went and arrested Christians and as if he hadn’t had enough, went to the high priest to get more search and arrest warrants to travel to other cities. Paul of Damascus. Why was he in Damascus? He intended to continue his arresting spree in Damascus. Paul who was so feared by the disciples when he had encounter Jesus on the Damascus road and a bright light shine on him asking him why he is persecuting me (and it turns out to be Jesus) which led to his repentance and yet the disciples still didn’t believe his story and accepted him. He was that notorious as a Christian persecutor, which by extension, meant that he was a Jesus-persectuor! When he changes, his view of Jesus changed, his view of himself changed, and now by extension, his view of anyone, friend or foe has changed.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

This is the principle of Damascus road. If anyone, and I mean, anyone, is IN Christ, that is belongs to Christ, surrendered to his love, imprinted with his image, he is a new creation. In the original language, the words “he is a” doesn’t even exist! It’s saying, so you belong to, follow, obey, trust and love Jesus? NEW CREATION! We are different! We are unique! We are His! Paul was Saul the persecutor or Christian, now he is Paul of Tarsus, Apostle of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Who were you? ________________ But who are you now, declares Jesus! NEW CREATION! But I still go back and sin? NEW CREATION! Oh yes, but sometimes I think I am so far from God? NEW CREATION! But I am not good enough, or faithful enough, or . Jesus will ask, are you in ME? I am the vine, you are the branches. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. NEW CREATION! Let that sink in this 2018! I constantly needed to remind myself I didn’t need to wait until January 1, 2018, 12:00AM to feel new and set new goals, and new dreams and pursue new passions! Am I in Christ? NEW Creation! The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.

Except that it’s often those new goals, new dreams, and new passions set us on the wrong path away from being a new creation. Paul is not done as he explains what a new creation does, and if you don’t remember anything else from today’s message, I want you to remember this point clearly:

As New Creation, you can’t be reconciled to God and not be a minister of reconciliation.

Verse 18 All this is from God, who

a) through Christ reconciled us to himself and

b) gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

19 that is, in Christ God was

a) reconciling the world to himself,

b) not counting their trespasses against them,

c) and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

What does reconciliation mean?

the exchange of hostility for a friendly relationship, or to restore someone presumed wrong

The word reconciliation always remind me of the time when I had the privilege to go with the brothers Krystaal in 2015, who came from the Congos but were Rwandans who got scattered when the genocide happened in the three short months of April to July 1994. Estimates of upwards to 1,000,000 died because of the tribal massacre of the Tutsis at the hands of the Hutus. Walking through genocide museums and talking to various people, when the war was over and a new government was set up, instead of punishing the Hutus (after all, an eye for an eye, right?), the tutsis-led government brokered reconciliation, putting survivors or surviving families face to face with their daughter, son, father, mother, sister, brother, uncles, grandparent’s killers, who they ought to in all earthly terms have the right to exact proper revenge, at least torture these murderers, stare their enemy face to face and… offer forgiveness and reconciliation! Some chose to even live close to one another, and re-establish communities with one another. That is the picture of reconciliation!

And the only other time it’s used specifically in regards to God is , also from a letter of Paul, says:

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Both passages talk about reconciliation and verse 19 is almost a summary of . It says that we were once enemies, old creation, self-focused, God-haters and not God-fearers, and yet still and despite being enemies of Jesus he still willing chose, despite our rebellion and hatred towards him, die on the cross, completing the exchange of hostility for a friendly relationship with God as New Creation, child, friend, beloved, His! We are saved, both now and

forever. Now that’s worth celebrating. But and 19 adds a new aspect to this reconciliation.

Yes, Christ, not us, our efforts, our doing good, our trying, none of that, but Christ willingly reconciled us, pulls us in from the enemy territory with his outstretched arms, reconciled us to himself AND….

Gave us the ministry of reconciliation!

Wait a minute? What does that mean? It means we have a ministry of reconciliation being entrusted with the message of reconciliation! Let’s unpacked that for a second. It means now that we are no longer hostile to God as enemies, we need to look for other hostiles who a) deliberately are hostiles, b) don’t know they are hostiles, and c) don’t care they are hostile to God, which means anyone basically we encounter who has neither heard of Jesus, couldn’t care less about Jesus, or downright oppose the message of Jesus’ love and redemption and you tell them what Jesus has done for them in the hope of turning them from enemy combatants to reconcile with God. Thats what it says here:

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.

We are emissary of the Kingdom of God, each and everyone sitting here this morning, who have surrendered our hostility at God, been reconciled by what Jesus has done for us on the cross, represents our sovereign King Jesus to share this message the war is over before it started. There’s no hate, no condemnation on God’s part. Are you still hating, bickering, angry at how unfair life is and how it cast you a bad lot? come to Jesus! Or in the words of Paul, “Be Reconciled to God!” The war is over. In fact, do we remember who is Paul writing to? Those who saw at one point like a father of their faith, who help build their church, and loved him so dearly but turned away from Paul’s love and leadership, questioned his Apostleship, follow after charismatic and flamboyant super-apostles with their charms and ear-tingling words… and Paul say, it doesn’t matter! I beg you, not for the sake of my reputation, or even how you drag me and my reputation down the mud, or how you were ungrateful for what I have done for you, but I BEG you (that’s what implore means), I beg you as Christ’s ambassador: stop going your own way and stop doubting the gospel I preached to you, and Jesus whom we all crucified, who was sinless and blameless. Stop hindering God’s work by your selfish pursuits! Be a minister of reconciliation. Reconcile to God! Reconcile others to Him! and reconcile with — ME.

"We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."

21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

YOU (Application)

So what now? How do we actually become ministers of reconciliation, ambassadors of Christ? Right here and right now?

I believe it begins with two things:

Pray for God to equip you to be a minister of reconciliation, a reconciler, an ambassadors.

The title is different, but the task is the same.

Pray first: God, is there any area in my life in which I have not reconciled to and with you?

Is there any person which I have not offered peace and reconciliation which I need to in order for my ministry of reconciliation to be effective?

God, who is it you have place in my life, a person of peace, who doesn’t reject me talking about Jesus, and in fact wants to hear more?

If there’s no such person, “God, send you one and ask him to give you eyes to see this person when he/she shows up.”

LORD, I beg you on his or her behalf, let her see the love and gentleness not from me, but from you, the care and the compassion, that can lead to a conversation on spiritual life and faith.

I pray for courage, boldness, tenacity, perseverance and humility when I talk to someone LORD, you gave to me and entrust the message of reconciliation to share with.

Be an Ambassador!

What do I already have?

I have time. LORD, show me the time.

I have opportunities. When I am on the Go train or TTC all the time, and instead of dozing off the whole way, what if I strike up a conversation with the person next to me? What if I take a colleague out for lunch or join one of their gatherings? What if I sit next to the parent whose child is in the same skating class as mine? What if I decide to go to one grocer at T & T, same line every time, and have a brief conversation? What if I leave a bigger tip at Woodstone or Ho Garden, and go out of my way to thank the waiter or waitress and begin a conversation there?

What do I need? I need some trainer on how to share Jesus’ story. I need practice on sharing about how I came to know Jesus. I need a refresher on how I can link the stories and encounters of Jesus to everyday living. One thing I will start saying more often this year, how do I become gospel fluent? How do I point my conversation away from me and it’s all about Jesus? I am learning that, and I hope someday, we can learn that together when we offer a course on this very idea.

WE

What would it be like in this community, let’s not even think too far, if we have ambassadors with the message of reconciliation all over the blocks of Major Mackenzie, Woodbine, 16th avenue, and Markland penetrating all levels of society, from Lincoln Alexander to Ashton Meadows, and beyond, from Richmond Green to Unionville, to PET and St. Augsutine!

We can say we are not equipped, not trained, not ready to be a minister of reconciliation just yet.

But what we can’t say anymore is that I don’t need to BE a minister of reconciliation. We all are. All who profess Jessu Christ as Lord and Saviour. Christ died for it. Christ paid for it. His love controls, compiles and presses on us to

Brothers and sisters: How will you be part of the vision to be a minister of reconciliation, an ambassador for Christ here at MCBC in 2018?

Let’s pray.