2 Corinthians 5:18
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
My God it seems as if I just wished you guys a happy April! Now we're in the last week of the month having already celebrated Easter!
Explain the logic!
I personally don't celebrate Easter from a traditional standpoint.
For a while now, I've stepped aside and let the saints have their lavish garments and the weetots hunt for eggs.
While dodging potential anger aneurysms induced by arguments hosted by the "woke" folk and people who like to bring up their other gods to refute the existence of Jesus even though they don't even really worship or follow these gods on regular days.
Real talk, I'm just one of those people that know for a fact that if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side...
*Insert Baptist shout here______*
No seriously though, when you know you're living on borrowed time and rented air, you move different.
Nothing matters.
Them responses to life's shenanigans hit different when you know you could be 6 feet under right now and that tomorrow is not even promised.
I worry and press myself for nothing especially these popped holidays!
Yet, I thank God for Jesus who hung, bled, and died for my baldheaded undeserving self.
And it's a blessing to be able to observe this no matter what day it is.
I still believe He did it for me!
Period.
Since we just observed the resurrection of Jesus Christ and last week, in my previous post, I had us considering the spirit of offense,
I would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity to expound on THE GIFT!
What's the gift? I'm glad you asked.
In order for me to effectively answer this question I want you to follow me to Genesis where Adam and Eve were recorded signing the deed to the Garden of Eden over to their disobedience and triggering their inevitable eviction.
Therefore, reconfiguring the makeup of man. Leaving us, the descendants to be automatically born into sin.
With that being said, we were born with a wedge between us and God. Sin initiated our estrangement from God which is why He went to great lengths to get us back.
Hence, the gift.
The gift is none other than the ministry of reconciliation, as mentioned by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18. The ultimate sacrifice at the cross involving Jesus was the payment, plus shipping and handling.
This gift is free to us. It's always been free to us.
To reconcile, means to harmonize or synthesize. To adjust and bring into right alignment. Hear this though, the foundation of reconciliation is FORGIVENESS. The reason why God even allowed His only son to take the position on the cross was to forgive Adam and Eve for what they'd originally done. Which would then repudiate our own sins and make us joint heirs with Christ, no longer disavowed orphans.
Wew!
Does that make sense?
Believe it or not that was just the preliminaries.
Last week in my post, the Gates of a Citadel, I tracked down the birthing stations of the various forms of offense. Depending on its origin, it has a tendency to show up in different ways.
My objective was to get you all to go to the root of your offenses if you have any, pull it up and destroy it, so that a large enough space for THE GIFT could be made!
A space for the ministry of reconciliation.
You see what I did there?
Understand, that no self proclaimed, blood washed believer can say that he or she is truly such, if he or she is turned off by the ministry of reconciliation.
If God started it then WE MUST hop on the wave and continue the flow.
No respecting Christian is exempt from participating in the ministry of reconciliation.
It's not a vertically unilateral transaction between you and God. But an exchange that establishes the model for your interactions with you and your fellow brothers and sisters.
In other words, if God reconciled you unto Him, you are now charged to make it a habit and practice to reconcile with men. Jesus' ministry was not solely a miracles and healing ministry. It was a ministry of reconciliation. It was him making friends with men who were seemingly enemies of God and walking it out with them until His ascension.
Matthew 5:24
Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
You remember a few weeks ago, I shared that Paul took it upon himself to write a letter to the Corinthians to confront their infighting? Now here you have it in Chapter 5 him mentioning to them the ministry of reconciliation.
I could actually consider this his cease and desist to them if you will.
And then here in Matthew 5, you see Jesus make it aware to the disciples that God does not want ANYTHING you have to offer Him if you know that you have a defiled residency in your heart for a person you've yet to reconcile with.
That's critical.
Here's the thing beautiful people, we have to get rid of these elementary rock paper scissors type of interactions with people when there is friction. If you pick the rock and I got the scissors, then that means you have to crush me. If I pick the paper and you pick the scissors, then that means you have to cut me. If you got the rock and I got the paper, then that means that I can swallow you whole.
NO!
How about if there is an issue among us and we both have weapons of mass destruction that can destroy one another, why don't we instead stand down and choose to reconcile the matter, before things get bloody and out of hand?
Why must differences ALWAYS lead to war?
I will never forget a conference I attended in 2016, where I was invited by a friend to assist in praise and worship. The Apostle was discussing the topic of being perfected in love which was the theme of the conference.
She said something so profound that will remain stapled to my soul. She said, that the armor of God was never meant to be used against man. She said, you don't wear your armor for man, you wear the fruit of the spirit and leave the armor for the devil.
That right there blew me away. No lies! I'll be 100% honest with you guys, on up until that very event, I was out here suited and booted in the armor of God ALL THE TIME and flexing on people who irritated my soul. Yet wondering why nothing I was doing proved effective.
It was because I was too militant to be forgiving. I was too stoic and guarded to show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
And I'll tell you the truth, it will be virtually impossible to reconcile with men without the fruit of the spirit.
Aht, aht, I know what you're thinking, my loves. To reconcile with men does not mean to rock with or allow a suspected OPP lay at your bosom. Nope. It just simply means welcoming all moments to receive a person's sincere apologies or seeking pure ways to converse and iron out differences. Or taking advantage of any unique space that is afforded to make amends and keep it pushing. Or refusing the right to retaliate, paying evil for evil.
Lastly, cancelling all rehearsals in your mind that involves you acting out vengeance.
You've got options!
Once again reconciliation is funded through forgiveness.
You must forgive and let live remembering first and foremost the
beautiful exchange between you and God, to propel you into this cause.
I prophesy that great favor will be poured on those who are willing to return God's gesture through the ministry of reconciliation.
This is the WAY.
My God it seems as if I just wished you guys a happy April! Now we're in the last week of the month having already celebrated Easter!
Explain the logic!
I personally don't celebrate Easter from a traditional standpoint.
For a while now, I've stepped aside and let the saints have their lavish garments and the weetots hunt for eggs.
While dodging potential anger aneurysms induced by arguments hosted by the "woke" folk and people who like to bring up their other gods to refute the existence of Jesus even though they don't even really worship or follow these gods on regular days.
Real talk, I'm just one of those people that know for a fact that if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side...
*Insert Baptist shout here______*
No seriously though, when you know you're living on borrowed time and rented air, you move different.
Nothing matters.
Them responses to life's shenanigans hit different when you know you could be 6 feet under right now and that tomorrow is not even promised.
I worry and press myself for nothing especially these popped holidays!
Yet, I thank God for Jesus who hung, bled, and died for my baldheaded undeserving self.
And it's a blessing to be able to observe this no matter what day it is.
I still believe He did it for me!
Period.
Since we just observed the resurrection of Jesus Christ and last week, in my previous post, I had us considering the spirit of offense,
I would be a fool not to take advantage of the opportunity to expound on THE GIFT!
What's the gift? I'm glad you asked.
In order for me to effectively answer this question I want you to follow me to Genesis where Adam and Eve were recorded signing the deed to the Garden of Eden over to their disobedience and triggering their inevitable eviction.
Therefore, reconfiguring the makeup of man. Leaving us, the descendants to be automatically born into sin.
With that being said, we were born with a wedge between us and God. Sin initiated our estrangement from God which is why He went to great lengths to get us back.
Hence, the gift.
The gift is none other than the ministry of reconciliation, as mentioned by Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:18. The ultimate sacrifice at the cross involving Jesus was the payment, plus shipping and handling.
This gift is free to us. It's always been free to us.
To reconcile, means to harmonize or synthesize. To adjust and bring into right alignment. Hear this though, the foundation of reconciliation is FORGIVENESS. The reason why God even allowed His only son to take the position on the cross was to forgive Adam and Eve for what they'd originally done. Which would then repudiate our own sins and make us joint heirs with Christ, no longer disavowed orphans.
Wew!
Does that make sense?
Believe it or not that was just the preliminaries.
Last week in my post, the Gates of a Citadel, I tracked down the birthing stations of the various forms of offense. Depending on its origin, it has a tendency to show up in different ways.
My objective was to get you all to go to the root of your offenses if you have any, pull it up and destroy it, so that a large enough space for THE GIFT could be made!
A space for the ministry of reconciliation.
You see what I did there?
Understand, that no self proclaimed, blood washed believer can say that he or she is truly such, if he or she is turned off by the ministry of reconciliation.
If God started it then WE MUST hop on the wave and continue the flow.
No respecting Christian is exempt from participating in the ministry of reconciliation.
It's not a vertically unilateral transaction between you and God. But an exchange that establishes the model for your interactions with you and your fellow brothers and sisters.
In other words, if God reconciled you unto Him, you are now charged to make it a habit and practice to reconcile with men. Jesus' ministry was not solely a miracles and healing ministry. It was a ministry of reconciliation. It was him making friends with men who were seemingly enemies of God and walking it out with them until His ascension.
Matthew 5:24
Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
You remember a few weeks ago, I shared that Paul took it upon himself to write a letter to the Corinthians to confront their infighting? Now here you have it in Chapter 5 him mentioning to them the ministry of reconciliation.
I could actually consider this his cease and desist to them if you will.
And then here in Matthew 5, you see Jesus make it aware to the disciples that God does not want ANYTHING you have to offer Him if you know that you have a defiled residency in your heart for a person you've yet to reconcile with.
That's critical.
Here's the thing beautiful people, we have to get rid of these elementary rock paper scissors type of interactions with people when there is friction. If you pick the rock and I got the scissors, then that means you have to crush me. If I pick the paper and you pick the scissors, then that means you have to cut me. If you got the rock and I got the paper, then that means that I can swallow you whole.
NO!
How about if there is an issue among us and we both have weapons of mass destruction that can destroy one another, why don't we instead stand down and choose to reconcile the matter, before things get bloody and out of hand?
Why must differences ALWAYS lead to war?
I will never forget a conference I attended in 2016, where I was invited by a friend to assist in praise and worship. The Apostle was discussing the topic of being perfected in love which was the theme of the conference.
She said something so profound that will remain stapled to my soul. She said, that the armor of God was never meant to be used against man. She said, you don't wear your armor for man, you wear the fruit of the spirit and leave the armor for the devil.
That right there blew me away. No lies! I'll be 100% honest with you guys, on up until that very event, I was out here suited and booted in the armor of God ALL THE TIME and flexing on people who irritated my soul. Yet wondering why nothing I was doing proved effective.
It was because I was too militant to be forgiving. I was too stoic and guarded to show love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
And I'll tell you the truth, it will be virtually impossible to reconcile with men without the fruit of the spirit.
Aht, aht, I know what you're thinking, my loves. To reconcile with men does not mean to rock with or allow a suspected OPP lay at your bosom. Nope. It just simply means welcoming all moments to receive a person's sincere apologies or seeking pure ways to converse and iron out differences. Or taking advantage of any unique space that is afforded to make amends and keep it pushing. Or refusing the right to retaliate, paying evil for evil.
Lastly, cancelling all rehearsals in your mind that involves you acting out vengeance.
You've got options!
Once again reconciliation is funded through forgiveness.
You must forgive and let live remembering first and foremost the
beautiful exchange between you and God, to propel you into this cause.
I prophesy that great favor will be poured on those who are willing to return God's gesture through the ministry of reconciliation.
This is the WAY.
Amen and amen
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