DAY 13: THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

PHRONESIS DEVOTIONAL

30 DAYS DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM

September 13, 2023.

Topic: THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:13-20

Verse for Meditation: 2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV

All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

We do not just have a message, we also have a ministry. God did not just save us, but He also gave us a responsibility to save others; we are saved to save.

When someone hears that everyone has a ministry, what comes to his mind first is a church arm, that is wrong. Just as how worship has been misunderstood for those slow songs we sing unto God and praises have been misunderstood for the fast songs for dancing unto God, that is how the word, ‘ministry’ has been wrongly used semantically.

One of the ways to interpret scripture is what we call the law of first mention. That is where it was first mentioned in the Bible and how it was used in context. So worship was first used in context when Abraham told his servants that himself and Isaac would go yonder and worship (Gen. 22:5), and he was talking about sacrifice. Hence worship is a form of sacrifice that describes any activity by which we demonstrate that we are consecrated to the Lord. So your worship can be demonstrated through singing or giving or any activity that express your devotion to the Lord.

How about praise? When Leah bore her fourth son, Judah she said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” (Gen. 29:35). And that means to make confession or give thanks especially to revere or worship. And of course this can be expressed through songs, but not limited to singing. Because in Jesus’ model of prayer, He started with the prayer of adoration which is a praise unto our Father.

Now ministry, what does it mean? It was first used in the King James Version as service (Num. 4:12). “And they shall take all the instruments of ministry...” (KJV); “Then they shall take all the utensils of service...” (NKJV). So ministry is all about service.

Jesus gave the church the fivefold ministry gifts to equip the saints for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). And this has nothing to do with church ministry, but our service to the body of Christ. And God has given everyone of us this ministry of reconciliation.

The ministry of reconciliation is simply the work of evangelism.

2 Timothy 4:5 NIV

But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.

This ministry defines our purpose; and purpose is that one thing for which we were created and in which we must succeed, otherwise other things we succeed at would not count. God’s priority in our lives is to know Him and make Him known. Now that’s purpose- to make Him known, and that’s our ministry. We all share in the same purpose; “For to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” (Phil. 1:21).

But this purpose is uniquely carried out, and it is called an assignment.

1 Corinthians 7:17 NIV

Nevertheless, each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches.

Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter had the same purpose; to make Christ known. But Apostle Paul’s assignment was to the gentiles (Acts 9:15; Rom. 11:13; Gal. 1:16). And Apostle Peter’s assignment was to the Jews (Gal. 2:7-8).

Same with every believer, you may have an assignment in the medical field, but that is not your purpose. Your purpose there is to reveal Christ, and this is not just in your lifestyle, but in our preaching of the gospel.

Being the light of the world is not just the life of Christ that we should emulate, but the gospel of Christ that we should preach.

Romans 10:14 NIV

How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

 

Good works bring God glory, and it is a pointer to Christ; it is not enough to have good works, we must preach Christ. Peter and John healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate, that was good work. But that was an opportunity to make Christ known; now that is greater work.

Our righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. These people are religious and moral in their ways, so that ministry of reconciliation is not about behavioural modification but about revealing Christ. Telling an unbeliever about his wrong ways of life is not the ministry of reconciliation; but revealing Christ it is.

2 Corinthians 3:8 NKJV

How will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

PRAYER:

DEAR FATHER, PLEASE ENABLE ME BY YOUR SPIRIT TO DO THE WORK OF EVANGELISM.

DECLARATION:

I WALK IN PURPOSE OF REVEALING CHRIST.

Bible Reading Plan: John 11:20-57; Romans 13; Proverbs 13