The Ministry of Reconciliation

 "All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." 

2 Corinthians 5:18-19

What is ministry? 

Everything; new direction and purpose; and most importantly, there is no longer focus on self but on Jesus Christ. Whether it is at school, work, to our next door neighbor, or to a cashier at the grocery store, our life can and should be a ministry. Because we are part of a purpose and a process we should be looking more like Christ all the time, but this process is not finished until after our earthly lives, it must continue on until after death. When we become a believer we should be radically changed--turned inside out and upside down, and ever since we broke it, God has been reestablishing our relationship with him because he loves us. God sent Jesus Christ to die for our sins, making it possible for us to be his friends again. In one sense, reconciliation is already done; in another sense it is necessary to tell people about it. Both are part of the ministry of reconciliation. This is truth and what  ministry should be based on; the reconciliation of Jesus Christ.

Since becoming a believer, we know what it is to fear the Lord, so we try to persuade people. It is important to give people the opportunity to take pride in what is in the heart, rather than pride in what is seen instead of trying to commend them. Maybe we are out of our minds, but "it is for the sake of God" (2 Cor. 5:13). Christ's love compels us because we are convinced that he died for all, and therefore those who believe have died. We should no longer focus on our self but on Jesus Christ because of this truth. We are Christ's ambassadors! Let every aspect of our lives be a ministry to others and this will happen when we allow God to totally consume our life.