GOD'S ESSENTIAL "R"s (2)

Yesterday we started with the most important of God’s essential “R”s that of REPENTANCE, this results in the second R taking place in our lives, that of:
RECONCILIATION, which means to be made “at one” with God, that we can have fellowship and relationship with the true and living holy God, just like Adam & Eve had in the Garden of Eden. Although we inherited a sinful nature because of their rebellion in the Garden, we also chose to be estranged from God, I will be eternally grateful that God intervened through the Holy Spirit to help us repent.
There was another problem, because Adam’s sin, God was angry at mankind, His wrath was against His creation,  because man had desecrated God’s glory, and God’s holiness, and justice and righteousness disallows sin to be let off scot-free. that wrath needed to be dealt with. It could only be dealt with by a perfect sacrifice and God laid His wrath on His Son Jesus, plus the sins and sicknesses of the whole world, and Jesus carried them all away.
In the KJV we read the word PROPITIATION, IN 1 John 2:2 He (Jesus) is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Simply spelt out, it speaks of mending the relationship with that someone who is angry by something we did. This brings out a new dimension that someone somewhere is angry. And in the context of the Bible “propitiation” paints a clear picture that God is angry with us. Why? Sin. Sin absolutely repulses God, Sin disgraces God’s holy name, sin is to fall short of God’s glory (Rom.3:23) we had totally missed the mark (as in the Archer missing the bulls eye.
What an awesome privilege we have to be reconciled with our God, and be able to develop an intimate relationship with Him, because we now have permanent, constant access into His holy presence.

WE MUST NOT BE SELFISH

2 Cor.5:18-20 tells us, God who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and gave us the (WORD and MINISTRY) of Reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself…. We beg you on behalf of Christ be reconciled to God.

Now that we have been reconciled to God, he has put into our heart the WORD to share, and the MINISTRY of Reconciliation, every believer (without exception is to be a MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION.

Have you shared the WORD OF RECONCILIATION with anyone recently, have you had the joy of seeing someone reconciled to God. Personally, when I stand before the Lord, I trust many will rise up and call me blessed, because I share the Word with them, and they were reconciled to God.

So, let me encourage you, enjoy to the full that you have been reconciled to God, don’t take it for granted, but see it deepen and develop in your life, and don’t be selfish, but be the MINISTER OF RECONCILIATION to as many people as possible.