Share God: Week 4

In 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, Paul tells us that God reconciled us to Himself through Christ. That means He took all of our sins and shame and buried them in the grave because we couldn't bury them ourselves, and He restored us into a beautiful relationship with Him again, all through Jesus Christ. But then Paul goes on to say that God gave us this ministry of reconciliation! That means people in this world can be reconciled to Christ by hearing it from you because God has given that ministry to you. Your pastor is not going to reach everybody. Some people may only experience the ministry of reconciliation through their encounters with you. That's the good news of the gospel: That God saved us through Christ, and now we can spread this wonderful news!

But scripture also tells us that God is holy and righteous, and to remain in a relationship with our God Who perfectly loves us, we must submit to His will for our lives. This isn't a difficult concept to understand when we truly think it through. Parents tell their children what to do to care for them and help them live a truly healthy and fulfilled life. A parent who never challenges the selfish and nearsighted ways of their child is not showing their child love: That is its own form of abuse. When we share the good news of God's love and reconciliation through Jesus, we share both the reality of God's perfect love and the reality of obedience to God's perfect will for us.

Check out Pastor Bethany's word on the significance of God's ministry of reconciliation as she continues our series, "Share God."