Repair the Relationship

Did you know that Christ has actually called us to a ministry of reconciliation? A “ministry of reconciliation?” What does that even mean?

Reconciliation comes from the word reconcile which means to restore friendly relations between. According to the Bible, God wants to restore friendly relations between you and Him and then He wants you to show others how they can.

2 Corinthians 5:18-19: Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,  19  that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not  [a] imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Oftentimes, that means working to reconcile broken relationships. Those relationships can be the toughest to repair. Remember, Jesus taught us to love our enemy (Matthew 5:43), forgive our brother 70 times 7 times (Matthew 18:22), and if we had an issue with our brother to repair it before trying to give our offering to Him (Matthew 5:23).

As much as is possible, the Lord wants us to repair relationships with those that He has given to us. While there may be some relationships that the Lord is calling us to turn loose of; those that are unhealthy, dangerous, or leading us into sin; too often we cut off relationships that He is still working on to avoid being hurt. When someone mentions forgiving the person who wronged us, it is easy to remind them of just how horrible that person was… but when we consider how Christ must see us… He was
willing to lay His life down, bore the weight of our sin, and holds our sin against us no more if we turn from it.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21: 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  For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Relationships are tough, but the bondage of unforgiveness is defeating. Christ wants to fill your life with His love, but He can’t if we choose to continue to hold on to past hurts. We have to be willing to give them to Him… understanding that He will use ALL of our experiences for our good and His glory if we will let Him.

Regardless of what you have been through, He can heal you. If you have questions or you need someone to talk to, we are here. Are you ready to take your relationship with God to the next level, we can help. Have you decided you want to give your life to Christ but not sure what to do next? Give us a call… we want to help.