The church has a responsibility to reconcile the world to God

I want to invite you to open your Bible to the book of Second Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 17 to 20. It is a word that has attracted a lot of attention in my life because the day we accepted Jesus Christ we were eyewitnesses of what this word means In us. And I say that we were eyewitnesses because we have somehow lived what is written here. But it also calls our attention that now it is up to us to lead others to this process of reconciliation before the Lord. Second book of Corinthians in chapter 5, verse 17 to 20, says in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit:

“…So if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. And all this comes from God who reconciled us – tell your brother who is next to you, the Lord has reconciled with me – and all this comes from the fact that he reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation…”

God was in Christ reconciling the world with himself, not taking men's sins into account and entrusted to us the word of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors in the name of Christ as if God were pleading through us, we beg you in the name of Christ to reconcile with God.

By some chance you ask your brother now, have you reconciled with God? That is a good question. Have you reconciled with God? If not, look, come forward here and once and for all we'll pray and that's it. It is a very beautiful word, the word reconciliation. How many of us have had the opportunity to be in the middle of a process that requires a reconciliation between two people. It is a challenge but at the same time it is a responsibility. When you are in between you have to try to be as impartial as possible, try to piece together the elements that have caused the enmity to reach some levels where we need to be reconciled.

But today I want to speak to a church, a church that has the responsibility of reconciling the world with God. And do you know who that church is? Us. Those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our savior and have recognized that he is Lord and have confessed that God raised him from the dead, a church that is an agent of reconciliation.

The word reconciliation means to restore, restore, reconcile, change something that was in an opposite state to another, we change the enmity we had with God for friendship. Yes or no?

When we receive Jesus Christ we through Jesus Christ have been reconciled with God. The church must seek and must provoke to be an agent of reconciliation where we move, where we live, with whom we are.

He knows that there are some Christians who have nothing of reconciliation. What's more, they are not called to be referees. No, for him to come, better than not, we'd better be enemies, we'd get along better.

We are in a time where the world is somehow imposing its truths, its conditions, and when we are in a time of post-modernity of this style, the differences and enmities are increasing. The church is called to bring about this reconciliation between men and God. The church needs to understand that there are at least 4 aspects that reconciliation demands in each one of us. And so that the world can understand that God was the provider of the reconciliation process through Jesus Christ.

There is no other way to reconcile with God. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ, I am going to tell you something very sad, you are not reconciled with God. The way to reconcile ourselves is through recognizing that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary says that he became sin for us, he shed his blood on the cross of Calvary, he was humiliated, he was beaten. He rose and through that process in the life of Jesus we were able to have input into this process of reconciliation.

To enter into this process of reconciliation we need to examine our conscience, we must urge the world, we must urge people, we must try to have an examination of our conscience every day, what is it that we are doing that keeps us from a relationship with God.

We need to provoke in ourselves that this examination of conscience provokes in us a contrition, a pain for offending God. The church is the only spiritual institution that can bring man closer to God. Nobody else. Not religion, not being good, not good works, the church of Jesus Christ is the one that has the privilege of fulfilling this mission.

Look, we have been taught that there are 5 great ministries and some of you want to be an Apostle, you want to be a prophet, others just remain a pastor, others want to be teachers and evangelists. I don't know if the Lord has any ministry prepared for you, what I do know is that he is calling men and women to work on his work.

But there is a ministry that corresponds to the entire church of the Lord, it is the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciling man with God should be our goal. Reconciling a society like the one we are living in is the goal of the church. The church should not take away that responsibility, you and I should not step aside from that responsibility. The Lord is demanding from us that many can approach him with a correct attitude.

So let's take people to do an examination of conscience. Let us provoke in people that this examination can bring pain for sin, for enmity against God. When people feel that, then it provokes in them an attitude of repentance, the desire not to continue living in a wrong way before God. And when we repent, and when the church provokes repentance in society, there is a confession and there is a declaration.

In Romans, chapter 10 verse 9 and 10 it says that "...if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved..."

How many have confessed Jesus Christ? How many have believed in their hearts that God raised him from the dead? So you are saved. You are reconciled with God. Do you know what your role is now? Reconcile those who are by your side, your friend, your co-worker, your neighbor, your family member, the one who is suffering on the street. Reconciling ourselves with God is what the Lord brought about through Jesus Christ.

You know, being in Christ, verse 17 says; "... so that if anyone is in Christ..." Being in Christ means believing that he is Lord and savior, believing that he is powerful, believing that he is the means that God used for man to be reconciled with God. Being in Christ means living in a way that pleases God, so that if anyone is in Christ, no one who is not in Christ is a new creature.

How many are in Christ? How many are in Christ? So you are a new creature. Those things of the past have no power over you and even though the enemy wants to remind you of them, in Christ you have been victorious, in Christ your victory has been declared, in Christ your life is reconciled with God.

A passage in Romans, chapter 8, comes to mind that “…if God is for us, who is against us…”

You know, if we weren't reconciled to God, God wouldn't be there for us. Do you know what you are saying? It is that just as God is with us now, he wants to be with those who are suffering outside. Your mission is to reconcile the world with God just as he allowed you to reconcile with him.

Being in Christ and experiencing the new life is a conversion process, it is a process of being and recognizing that we must accept that Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and men. So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, and behold, everything is made new.

The ministry of reconciliation needs to be constantly being preached by men who meet these requirements, be in Christ, be new creatures, and the things of the past are gone. That is a requirement, but also that everything has been made new. Do you have those requirements?

So if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new. If you do not have one of those requirements, you cannot be a reconciliation agent because we do not know, we have not completed them. That is the challenge of the church in these times.

You know, when we meet those requirements, the Lord gives us an honorary position. Verse 20 says that “…. So we are ambassadors…”

When we have these 4 requirements, of a man transformed by the power of God, we become ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, here. And the Kingdom of God has a mission, to reconcile man with God. God brought about the process of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. There is no other way. In Jesus Christ we are reconciled, in Jesus Christ we have forgiveness of sin, in Jesus Christ we are forgiven, we are saved, we have mercy, the love of God surrounds us, the blood of Jesus Christ has power over us.

God sees us in a very, very special movie under the blood of Jesus. And he wants the world to accede to this position and you are a messenger, an ambassador of God's promises to outsiders. Don't forget about that. Do not forget what the Lord has provoked with you, he wants to provoke it with others but through you.

In Romans, chapter 6, verse 4 it says, “…for we are buried with him – this is the process of baptism – by baptism so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in new life…"

It is the way through Christ. Being in Christ, living a new life, leaving old things in the past and modeling a new life structure, is what the Lord recommends to us. If we can carry that responsibility within us, we will help many people to open their hearts to the Lord and to recognize in him his hope, his path.

John 14:6 says, “…Jesus Christ said, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me…” if not through me.

There is no other way to reconcile the world. So if there is someone today who needs that reconciliation, I urge him, I want to persuade him to open his heart and declare that in Christ he can be a new creature. God is powerful. God is good.

Look, I want to invite you to open your Bible to the book of Isaiah, chapter 42, verse 5, thus says Jehovah God, look when we practice and project the ministry of reconciliation, God has promises for us, thus says Jehovah God, creator. It's not just any God, mind you.

Today I put on my Facebook, where is your God? Look, the number of responses I had... my God is the creator God, not just any God. It is not that little Greek God that we were taught for years here in America, my God is the creator God of all things, that where there was nothing he put his design.

Thus says Jehovah God, creator of the heavens and the one who unfolds them, the one who spreads out the earth and its products, the one who gives food to the people who dwell on it, and spirit to those who walk on it. I, Jehovah, − listen well, this is a word for you – I have cried out for justice through Jesus and I will hold you by the hand, I will keep you and I will make you a pact to the people − Are you the bearer of this reconciliation? − For light to the nations, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of jail and those who dwell in darkness out of prison houses. I, Jehovah, this is my name and to another I will not give my glory nor my praise to sculptures..."

We should have exploded in glory to God, in applause. The Lord is going to do that through you. So when you go out, when you go to the mall, when you go to the supermarket, say here goes the reconciler. When you open your mouth the Lord is going to put authority and power in you. The grace of the Lord will be upon your life. God is faithful. God is faithful.

So this is our mission, to be agents of reconciliation so that man, so that the world can be reconciled with God. If there is someone here who has not yet been reconciled with God, I want to invite them. If someone here comes forward, today is the time that God has prepared for you.

Close your eyes for a moment. Thank you, Lord, because your word confronts us and positions us in the direction that is correct for each one of us. Lord, we recognize that we have an important mission on earth, and that this, your church, is declared a church, Lord, that represents the interests of your Kingdom. Lord, and in any part of the world where they can see us through, Lord, the internet, may the message of reconciliation spread, Lord, urgently, may your church rise up in favor of reconciling man with you.

Lord, that we can say as the prophet said, here I am, send me, teach me to be an agent of reconciliation so that many may have the possibility of knowing Jesus as their Lord and as their savior. Amen. Amen. Hallelujah! Thank my Lord.

Let's stand up. The Lord is beautiful, let us sing that song, How beautiful is the Lord.