2 Cor 5:18-21 And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; whereas God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and putting the word of reconciliation in us. Then we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as God exhorting through us, we beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For He has made Him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
As we’ve been traveling across the United States, one of the messages we’ve been carrying is being a minister of reconciliation for bringing restoration of relationship between parties that have been divided and wounded.
Throughout this journey, we’ve spoken at multiple venues hearing numerous stories of congregations who have split for one reason or another. Yet through our outreach, divided communities have come together, in some instances for the first time since they parted ways.
The enemy works skillfully and diligently to divide, disrupt, and destroy the body of Messiah. But we have a duty and an obligation to be ministers of reconciliation and work toward spiritual unity.
When, through humility and prayerful seeking of God’s mind, we learn to resolve conflicts, we will realize the unity of the Spirit and display the reconciling power of love (agape) and give testimony of Yeshua as He said,” “They will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” [John 13:35]
The spirit of reconciliation does not necessarily require uniformity of belief, but a unity in deferential love, where disagreements are not in essentials. My wife and I disagree in a number of areas, for example, but we will not allow these disagreements to override our love for one another.
One of the greatest revivals in history, the Moravian revival endured for 100 years, as all the saints were committed to practicing this maxim, “In essentials UNITY, in non-essentials LIBERTY, and in all things LOVE.”
If we can unify in the essentials of our faith … without surrendering sound doctrine … not based on the spirit of ecumenism, but the unity of the Holy Spirit, our testimony will be authentic and powerful as we bring the message of the Kingdom, “Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand.”
Reconciliation is the work of the Messiah, accomplished on His cross to reconcile men to God. Yeshua’s exemplary work of reconciliation lays a completely sufficient foundation for us to walk in as well. We must diligently seek unity and reconciliation with one another, both individually and corporately through humility, prayer, confession, and forgiveness. Our enemy the Devil loves and knows how to divide us. Will we pursue the Lord’s way? By the power of His Spirit, we can love one another and fight to achieve the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]When Ruth pledged her alligence to Naomi and to the God of Israel, it wasn’t based on, “What ifs?” or circumstances. It was a faith rooted in her devotion to Naomi and God even to the point of death!
This season of the Resurrection also occurs during a significant Old Testament feast day, the feast of “Firstfruits” (Hebrew, “bikoreem”). When Yeshua (Jesus) rose from the dead he was the firstfruit of the resurrection. On that day the keys of Hell and Death were obtained by our Lord. The apostle Paul connected the resurrection with the feast of Firstfruits in his letter to the congregation at Corinith. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
There is a long standing tradition of cleaning one’s house in the springtime – hence the term “spring cleaning”. One source for this tradition is certainly the Jewish Passover (Pesach). Each spring as the holiday approaches observant householders in Israel and around the world perform a meticulous cleaning of their homes, especially to be sure there is no leaven in the house before Pesach begins. Leaven, in scripture, is often a metaphor for sin and impurity; and this season of the year is often a time for emphasizing “spiritual housecleaning”.
I’ve heard so many Christians ask, “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?” As if the Holy Spirit is some kind of power or force that we can control or weild. What we should really be asking is, “How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?”
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When we think of a good citizen, we probably think of a law-abiding, productive contributor to society who takes pride in his country. I’m sure all of us would like to be thought of as good citizens of the countries in which we live. My wife has dual citizenship, she’s both Israeli and American — I guess that means she has to work extra hard at being loyal!
Right now, around the world, many are celebrating the holiday of Pesach (Passover) reminding us of the time that the Lord led His people out of slavery in Egypt.