Ministry of Reconciliation

Lerma, Sunday, January 27, 2013Ministry of Reconciliation(2 Corinthians 5:1-21)AFTER THE BELIEVER HAS EXPERIENCED THE GRACE OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST GIVES THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION.(2 Corinthians 5:18) "And all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation."INTRODUCTIONThe apostle Paul was not sure about the future. He harbored a firm hope and eternal in the Doctrine of Christ. Nor had doubts concerning the Gospel of Christ. The purpose of Jehovah God in the gospel of Christ was and is restoring all that humanity has lost in the fall of Adam in the Garden of, Eden. The gospel of Christ teaches us that because Jesus died on the cross of Calvary and paid with his life the price of our redemption, we enjoy restoring what man lost, and more. As children of God, redeemed by the Blood of Christ, we now enjoy a communion with Jehovah God deeper than that experienced Adam before his fall, he walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day.God's grace, his unmerited favor, is so great that even we provide a better body than that of Adam before the fall. When Christ comes, our bodies will be resurrected and transformed to get up and go to meet the Lord. Our bodies will be immortal, incorruptible, never to be destroyed by death or decay. In the same way that Abraham waited a city basis, we expect the arrival of the New Jerusalem. That place that God has prepared for us is even better place to live for eternity in the garden that Adam lived.WHAT GIVES GRACE OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST:Confidence in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:1-10) "1 we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3 because we found well dressed, not naked. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, because we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who has given us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are in the body we are absent from the Lord 7 (we walk by faith, not by sight) 8 We are confident, and willing rather to be absent from the body and present with the Lord . 9 Wherefore we labor, whether present or absent, to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. "


A BETTER BODY:After emphasizing that all our present and visible circumstances are temporary and transient, Christ through Paul mentions something that constantly shows weakness, pain and many limitations: our present body. Why Christ through the apostle refers here to the human body as a tabernacle?Because the body is only a temporary dwelling place of the human personality. Jehovah God has something better for believers. Jehovah God has prepared a new body, completely different from what was created in the garden. Our new body, unlike we have, will be eternal and incorruptible, and never be tainted by sin, or corruption or death. It will be a body made to live in glory for eternity.Is not that when we speak of a house? Immediately we think of a building built on strong foundations sunk to some depth in the ground and supported by wooden columns and walls or concrete. In contrast, in the time of Moses when speaking of home or dwelling could only think of tents or booths erected at certain sites in the desert, the sand and supported by ropes tied to stakes. And the most common occupation at that time was the care of herds. For this family went from place to place looking after their cattle which were grazing. Hence his dwelling was temporary. Because of the constant movement, the store or the tent that was used to house became a very appropriate symbol of the fragility and brevity of human life (Isaiah 38:12) "My home has been moved and removed from me, as shop pastor. As Weaver cut my life, I will cut to the disease, I consume between day and night. "WHY moaned the Apostle Paul? (2 Corinthians 5:2) "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling".It is very likely that their sufferings and evils that afflicted his body did Paul moaned and wished to be clothed "upon with our heavenly dwelling" and receive his transformed body (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52, Romans 8:20-28).Paul did not seem to be wishing death destroy his present body. Paul was rather hoping not to be deprived of it, but have the joy of being put on the heavenly body with which the Lord God clothed all who are yours for the coming of his Son. In other words, Paul would have liked to live until the rapture of the church. Actually this experience not to die but to be transformed to go to meet the Lord in the air will be wonderful for those who are still living in the body.That is why those who have died will be given glorified bodies, and those who are alive will be transformed allowing the new body, the heavenly, the earthly absorb. What guarantee God has given us to make sure we have all this up for us? The Bible refers to this as "the earnest of the Spirit", or a foretaste of the blessings that we will enjoy fully in the life to come. In (Romans 8:23) is called "first fruits of the Spirit", because we are given spiritual fulfillment as we await this decision (the final entry privileges to participate in our heritage and we are as children of God), within which included the redemption of our body to the coming of the Lord Jesus (1 John 3:2 and Romans 8:11).Did Paul have some assurance that live in this world until the resurrection of the Christians or the rapture of the church? For Paul, wanted to arrive that day. As I stood in the physical body of the Lord was absent in the sense that he could not see Jesus with their physical eyes. Like all Christians, Paul lived by faith, not by sight. It is true that he kept in touch with the Lord, but also felt like I was in a strange country.What was the effect on the life and ministry of Paul this intense desire to be face to face with the Lord? This helped him to trust in the Lord and feel value to face opposition from enemies of the gospel of Christ. Paul knew that there were many who wanted to kill him. But none of this scared him nor make them quit their intense task of proclaiming the message of Christ's teaching. Part of its value was because he always had a preference to be present with the Lord so that his faith was unshakable.What wonderful attitude of Paul! He really did not care and continue to live or die. All he wanted was to be truly enjoyable to Jesus Christ our Lord. Already he had written to the Philippians in the following terms: (Philippians 1:20, 21) "20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain. " That meant that if life has any meaning has to be Christ, death can only mean the win over Christ.What else gave Paul the incentive to live only to please the Lord? He knew it was coming the day that such a degree of loyalty receive the due reward, because all Christians should appear before the judgment seat of Christ.Did you feel fear the Apostle Paul by the fact of having to appear before the judgment seat of Christ? The Bible teaches that those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus who was executed on the cross of Calvary and shed His blood for all sin and offense is completely forgiven and forgotten by God. Therefore, this court referred to Christ the apostle here can not be anything other than the time when the Lord will reward everyone deserved Christians. So he lived looking forward to that moment. The scriptures also found clear indications that the judgment seat of Christ. (Revelation 20:5, 11).THE LOVE OF CHRIST constrains the believer (2 Corinthians 5:11-15) "11 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God what we are, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. 12 We recommend, therefore, again to you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may with to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this: that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and he died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and rose ".Was it the fear of God the main reason for Paul to preach the gospel? The expression "fear of God" can be understood here as the belief that the apostle was about reality that sinners who reject Christ will face the terrible judgment of condemnation. But at the same time we must admit that the word "fear" used here is the same that appears in many other places in the Bible to refer to the reverence due to the Lord taxed.Note the following examples in which we use the word "fear" in reference to the reverence due to God. Job says (Job 28:28) "The fear of the Lord is wisdom." Moses wrote to the people of Israel the following: (Deuteronomy 10:12) "What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD your God?". The writer of Proverbs says (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10) "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord" and, (Proverbs 16:6) "with the fear of the Lord men depart from evil."This is not a fear born of fear, nor be described as fear. Fear referred to here is the reverence that any individual feels about the sacred. The psalmist said (Psalm 19:9) "The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether." We said earlier that Paul recognized that God works in Christians, preparing them to receive new bodies and a glorious resurrection. Then the apostle implies that following his gratitude for what God was doing in his life he strove persistently to persuade men to seek the Lord.In Paul there was no shadow of fear because he knew he was well known before God and in the conscience of men. Paul was sure what kind of message he proclaimed the doctrine of Christ so different from all the others that were out of the Grace of Jehovah God through Christ and the kind of life he lived. However, the only way would be trained to respond to Paul's enemies who were interested only in external things, like circumcision, not caring that his heart was not right before God.How does Paul seemed to be beside himself at times? For Christ's sake Paul risked his life to proclaim the message of the Doctrine of Christ. But everything was in God's will, driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. As for people, Palo was in his right mind, with a deep concern for them and hoping that everyone received the greatest blessings God offered through the Gospel of Christ.What thing keeping him under control or balance, while urging him to move on? The love of Christ was the great motivating force in his life and ministry. It was not only his love for Christ, but the same Lord's love, the love that Christ manifested on Calvary, the love we gave and continues to provide, the love that is the main feature of the fruit of the Holy Spirit.What conclusion can be reached in the Word of God for the fact that Christ died for all? The apostle writes here that (2 Corinthians 5:14) "if one died for all, therefore all died." That is, in one way or another we are all involved in the death of Christ. The Bible states emphatically that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Also noted in the Scriptures that have a carnal or fleshly mind itself is spiritual death because the carnal mind is enmity against God (Romans 8:6-7). We also read that he who does not love his brother is dead (1 John 3:14). So the sinner is in a state of death. But Jesus rose triumphant from the dead. We pass from death to life through faith in the Lord (John 5:24). In this way all of us share in his victory over death and therefore we have entered a new stage of life by the blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary.What responsibilities are imposed upon us as a result of this new state of life? From now on we will no longer live for ourselves. Instead, we should live devoted to the cause of the One who died in our place and rose victorious from the dead.Ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:16-21) "16 So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and entrusting to us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 Him who knew no sin, became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. "Because we are now living in a new state of life, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, Paul does not base their relationships nor their thinking on external things. This means that Paul and others judged not from a merely human point of view or as the world's standards. There was a time that even Christ judged that way, but from the moment he found new life in Christ all in Paul changed up their minds, now Paul sought fruit characteristics of the Holy Spirit in people.So what is the purpose of God in reconciling himself? All who are in Christ are a new creation, as our whole being has been renewed in the life of Jesus Christ. Old things, the customs and manners of the old life have passed, have come to an end. All things have become new because now our life is in communion with God. All this can be done only because God has removed the barrier of sin that existed between man and the Lord God. Thus Jehovah God reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ.Then the ministry of reconciliation was given to us; What is the purpose of Jehovah God to reconcile us to Him? To entrust the ministry of reconciliation, has blamed us for us to go to all human beings and we take the good news of reconciliation. The message of the Doctrine of Christ through the Gospel of Christ, where men declared that Jehovah God is reconciling those who believe in Jehovah God through Jesus, to have fellowship with them. The benefits we have received from God we can not selfishly keep to ourselves, but we have to share with others, for the river of God flow with power.In what sense Jehovah God, ignores men their sins? Because Christ paid the price to redeem us from our sins, these are no longer a barrier between us and our God. Take note that our role as ambassadors of reconciliation is not to beg God to be reconciled to man. This is already done. Rather, as ambassadors of Christ our mission is to encourage and implore men to be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) "He who knew no sin for us (God) did sin, that we might become the righteousness of God beds in it."Christ took upon himself our sins when he gave his life to save in the cross of Calvary. Now we, through His sacrifice we have come to receive His perfect righteousness. So we can say that just as Christ identified with us by dying in our place, we can also identify with Christ in His justice, which shineth more now that He has been raised from the dead.Why many find it difficult to answer the call of the gospel? The only walls that separate man from God is that the sinner has built. However, God wants to use us to go into the world with the message of reconciliation. The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to break down barriers of separation. Paul gives us a clear picture of the ministry of reconciliation. "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself." Only God can make this reconciliation.But we must not forget that one of the purposes of God to reconcile with him is that we serve as ambassadors to negotiate, advise and thrive so that others can be reconciled with the Lord. The pay item, rescue and negotiation for reconciliation is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. What a privilege God gives us to designate as ambassadors of reconciliation to attract humans to Himself through Christ!Lerma preaches by:Victor R. Pr Preciado Balderramasanadoctrinavictor@gmail.comhttp://viclaly5757.blogspot.com/?spref=fbviclaly5757.blogspot.comGood day very respectfully invite you to visit the blogspot that God has given me and, with much love I have some studies that God has given me in Revelation, Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ. Ephesians 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.