2 Cor 5:18-21

As I’ve been traveling across our Community, one of the messages I’ve been carrying is being a minister of reconciliation for bringing restoration of relationships between parties that have been divided and wounded.

Throughout this journey, I’ve spoken at multiple venues hearing numerous stories of congregations who have split for one reason or another. Yet through my outreach, divided communities have come together, in some instances for the first time since they parted ways.

The enemy works skillfully and diligently to divide, disrupt, and destroy the body of?Messiah. But we have a duty and an obligation to be ministers of reconciliation and work toward spiritual unity.

When, through humility and prayerful seeking of God's mind, we learn to resolve conflicts, we will realize the unity of the Spirit and display the reconciling power of love (agape) and give testimony of Jesus as He said,?“They will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”?[John 13:35]

The spirit of reconciliation does not necessarily require uniformity of belief but unity in deferential love, where disagreements are not in essentials. My wife and I disagree in several areas, for example, but we will not allow these disagreements to override our love for one another.

If we can unify in the essentials of our faith … without surrendering sound doctrine … not based on the spirit of ecumenism, but the unity of the?Holy Spirit, our testimony will be authentic and powerful as we bring the message of the Kingdom,?"Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand."

?Brothers & Sisters, reconciliation is the work of the Messiah, accomplished on His cross to reconcile men to God. Jesus's exemplary work of reconciliation lays a completely sufficient foundation for us to walk in as well. We must diligently seek unity and reconciliation with one another, both individually and corporately, through humility, prayer, confession, and forgiveness. Our enemy, the Devil loves and knows how to divide us. Will we pursue the Lord's way? By the power of His Spirit, we can love one another and fight to achieve the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.?BE MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION!