What is the Ministry of Reconciliation?

Almost all professing Christians have also read the passage often referred to as "The Great Commission" in Matt. 28:16-20 "Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age."

Additionally, you have also probably heard how Jesus related the preaching of the gospel to the end of the age in his comment in what is known as the Olivet Discourse: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world as a witness unto all men, then shall the end come." (Matt. 24:14).

Finally, you have also probably read what the Spirit led the apostle Peter to write in his first general epistle to the church: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people,but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1Peter 2:9-10

So how do these topics connect--the ministry of reconciliation, the gospel of the coming kingdom of God, making disciples and being a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation? What have all these topics to do with the 7 endtime ministries. I will answer each of these questions in this five-part series.

First, let's understand the following three principles that govern how we understand God's word:

God cannot lie. We read in 1Sam. 15:29 "He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a man, that he should change his mind." In Titus 1:2, we read: " . . . a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time . . ." In Hebrews 6:18, we read: "God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie."

God thinks comprehensively and thus always declares the outcomes of his plan simultaneously to speaking its beginning. In Isaiah 46:10, we read: "I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come, I say: 'My purpose will stand and I will do all that I please."

God's word always accomplishes what He sends it to do. In Isiah 55:10-11, we read: "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

Therefore, we can know, with unquestioned confidence that a symbiotic relationship exists between the ministry of reconciliation, preaching the gospel, making disciples and the Church of God being a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation. Therefore, the 7 endtime ministries are based in those four symbiotic relationships.

The Holy Spirit defines and summarizes the ministry of reconciliation in 2Cor. 5:19: " . . .That God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them."

This ministry introduces the good news [gospel] of the Kingdom of God because the gospel raises this fundamental question: how do I, a sinner, enter the Kingdom? God has rescued us [the saints] from the Dominion of Darkness--this age currently ruled over by Satan--and has brought us into the Kingdom of God, ruled by Jesus, the Christ. Read this in Col. 1:10-14 "And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the kindowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joy, fully giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

So the Kingdom of God already exists. It is not being built. Jesus, the Christ, the King of the Kingdom of God serves currently as the High Priest of the Temple of God ( us--the Church). The Holy Spirit prepares us daily to be cooperative, compassionate and competent rulers--governmental officials-- in this kingdom. Currently, we serve as ambassados of the Kingdom of God, appointed to serve in this "foreign" nation--the world.

As ambassadors, our Portfolio Of Service (POS) carries the label--Ministry of Reconciliation. Consider this definition of an ambassador's powers, authorities and duties from http://definitions.uslegal.com.

"An ambassador is a diplomatic official sent abroad by some sovereign state or ruler, with a legal commission and authority to transact business on behalf of his country with the government to which he is sent. He is a minister of the highest rank, and represents the person of his sovereign.

The host country typically allows the ambassador control of specific territory called an embassy, whose territory, staff, and even vehicles are generally afforded diplomatic immunity to most laws of the host country. Ambassadors may, among other duties, be responsible for developing, coordinating, and implementing U.S. foreign policy in the host country on a variety of issues that deal with democracy, human rights, economic prosperity, protection of the environment, regional cooperation and conflict resolution, halting the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and combating terrorism and international crime.

The following is an example of one coutry ambassador's duties:

"The Duties of the Ambassador include all things relating to negotiations between Pembrokeshire and any other lands or kingdoms whether it be peace treaty, alliance, non aggression pact, or trade agreement. The Ambassador is the King's and Queen's voice in foreign lands. At the request of the King or Queen they may act as the represenative of the Royals in other lands and in the absence of the Royals and Royal Chancellor acts as the Royal stead within and outside Pembrokeshire. The office of Ambassador answers only to the King and Queen. They share the same power level in the Royal Chain as the Royal Chancellor in external Kingdom affairs but defers to the Chancellor to interkingdom affairs in the event of the Royals' absence."

Are you an ambassador of The Kingdom of God? To answer that question, let's consider how God makes these appointments: "Therefore, if anyone is IN CHRIST (Emphasis Mine throughout unless noted otherwise). he is a NEW CREATION; the old has gone, the new has come. 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. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2Cor. 5:17-21).

Now, let's define the boldfaced terms from the two paragraphs above: peace treaty, non-aggression pack, trade agreement, voice, The office of Ambassador answers only to the King and Queen, in Christ, new creation, from God, ministry of reconciliation, message of reconciliation, we are therefore Christ's ambassadors.

The Kingdom of God currently operates under the auspices of a peace treaty with this world that triggers a non-aggression pact. In other words, God is not currently at war with the people of this age who fit the following description--those who follow the ways of this world (age) and [the ways] of the ruler of the kingdom of the air [Satan], the spirit who is now a work in those who are disobedient,[ loving neither God, nor their fellow humans]." Thus, God 's policy does not materially affect any substantive changes in the "ways of this world." The Kingdom of God also operates a trade agreement with this Age in which those who are citizens of the Kingdom of God, aka Ambassadors, interact economically and financially with citizens of this Age for mutual benefit. The King of the Kingdom of God blesses citizens of this Age for two principal reasons: (1) that they might become instruments in His hands to bless His ambassadors and (2) that those designated beforehand (See Ephesians 1:3) to also become citizens of the Kingdom of God with have the economic and financial wherewithal to function in this divine interaction with this world. Rather, they speak with the authority and power of their King--Jesus, the Christ, who is the King of the Kingdom of God. The office of ambassador answers only to the King and Queen, and in this case, the term "Queen" is synonymous with "governmental fellowship."
Collectively all Ambassadors of the Kingdom of God function in a governmental fellowship also known as the Church (a group of called ones) of God. God designed this fellowship as a teaching and training collective to sharpen the knowledge and the skills of all ambassadors. You see, the ambassador were born into the Dominion of Darkness, though they had already been designated to become citizens of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, all their education and training, prior to being "called,' occurred in the Dominion of Darkness, based in the Principles of Disobedient (POD) to the Truth of God (TOG). At a point in their "lives," described in the Bible as being "dead in sins and transgressions," the Father enlivened their human spirit, put them in the path of the gospel and give them the gift of believing faith. When each of these ambassadors-to-be heard and believed the gospel, Jesus circumcised their sinful nature. The Holy Spirit united with their human spirit and they became new creations. This defines "In Christ."

This all comes from God, rather than by human choice, and once we become born from above we also become ambassadors with the portfolio of the Ministry of Reconciliation, authorized the teach and preach the message of reconciliation.

From the beginning of the Church, Jesus, the Christ, king of the Kingdom of God has given certain ambassadors--apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers--as gifts to equip--or teach and train--other ambassador how to function effectively and efficiently in their roles, administering the Ministry of Reconciliation.

Tragically, the Church has become more of a Theater of Entertainment (TOE), rather than a B.I.B..L.E Training Center. In this way, B.I.B.L.E means Basic Instruction Bequeathed [to those] Living Eternally. Therefore, the King's current charge to His team of ambassadors on the earth is to identify the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers given by Christ. That team must then work together to accomplish the following: " . . .prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." In a nutshell, that's the Ministry and the Message of Reconciliation.

We find the message of reconciliation in the overall summary in 2Cor. 5:17-21: that God is reconciling the world to himself by not counting men's sins against them.

Next: What is the gospel of the Kingdom of God?
Part 3: How to make disciples
Part 4: Why we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood and a holy nation