The Ministry of Reconciliation
“Now everything comes from God, who reconciled us with him through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world with himself, not blaming men for their transgressions and entrusting us with the word of reconciliation. We are therefore ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if God exhorted us through us. In the name of Christ, therefore, we pray that you will be reconciled with God. He who did not know sin made it sinful for us; so that in it we may be done justice to God. ?(2 Corinthians 5: 18-21)
- Jesus is in charge of reconciliation.
- Therefore.
- The Church must also be in the business of reconciliation.
- Our main concern on the periphery is to see people reconciled with God.
- This is above all other considerations or needs (perceived or not).
- Yes.
- We want to see people.
- Find work.
- Pay their bills.
- Change their lives.
- Free themselves from addiction (in fact.
- Idolatry) and a number of other problems.
- But we want to proclaim the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and see people respond with repentance and faith for forgiveness of their sins.
- Forget the revitalization of the community if there is no reconciliation between sinful men and women and a holy.
- Just.
- Loving and angry God first.
Reconciliation is necessary because your relationship with God is broken
In 20schemes, we obviously want to develop programs and projects that serve the local community and seek to improve it for the benefit of all, whether helping adolescents on the street, helping with regional commissions, developing community outreach programs and many other things. . . But we are sure that if we are not motivated by the profound need to see people reconciled with God above all, we will quickly lose focus. The peripheries are full of broken people. Overthrown by life. Depressed by lack of opportunity, killed by prejudice. Depressed by their inherent sin and laziness, killed by bad choices. But we know that they are massacred because at the root their relationship with God is broken. This may not be the most obvious problem, but if we do not show them the gospel, they will never find a real and effective solution for everything else.
Reconciliation is necessary because their relationship between them is broken
Struggles have been common in some families on many peripheries for generations. Reconciliation between people at the local level is necessary. Churches can shape this reconciliation by having different people and social classes work together, guided by the gospel for the common good. The most frequently asked questions about suburban work are: “Do you think a middle-class person can do what you do here?”Of course, the answer is “Yes and no. ” Everyone can do what I do here: love people, treat them as equals, seek their good, tell Christ, and share life with them. No, in terms of natural cultural connection and instinctive ability to contextualize if necessary.
The point is, we don’t want a church made up of only people who love me more than we want a church made up of only middle-class people. We want a mix, right? We want the church to reflect the culture around us. The outskirts of Niddria, for example, are not just made up of parasites and drug addicts. There are also young professionals and workers who desperately need Christ. Both sides are dejected and distrustful of each other. The local church has the opportunity to paint a countercultural framework through their life and ministry together in the community. We must continue to work hard so that the culture of the Church is a model of what unity and reconciliation are. For example, a? Tea for women? it’s a strange concept at Niddrie. It is an expression of the communion of the middle class. We had one here recently. The key point was that Miriam, my wife, made sure to invite women who didn’t even know what it meant. Then two groups that would not normally mix mixed (at a small level). The question now is how to be reciprocal so that communion is not led by a particular cultural group and there can be balance and recognition that one way of expressing communion is not superior to the other. . At the micro level, in the community, it is an image of reconciliation between people (whether they realize it or not).
The goal of community reconciliation at this level is to break down the barriers of suspicion. I have lost count of the number of times someone in the community has said about someone else in the church: “Actually, he / she is great. I thought they would be a
In short, one of the most important points of the gospel ministry in the periphery is to always remember to exalt the supreme reconciliation by proclaiming the Word and modeling it at the micro level in dealing with people. We are ambassadors for Christ, not for our social class or our culture. We point out the truth and work together to show what it looks like while respecting our distinctions in the Christian community and considering others better than ourselves.
By: Mez McConnel. © 2013 20Schemes Original: Keys to Advancement in the Housing Project (1)
Translation: Fabio Luciano Review: Yago Martins © 2016 Faithful Ministério All rights reserved. Website: MinistryFiel. com. br. Original: Gospel on the periphery?Principle 2: Prioritize the Ministry of Reconciliation.
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