Study Introduction: Developing a Ministry of Reconciliation

My husband and I finished a four-year process of home building this last February.  Throughout the process we had paperwork, permits, receipts, product manuals, samples of materials, and even some tools and parts left by the sub-contractors that looked important.  So we kept them all.  We put them in a box.  People that know me well know that I love efficiency and organization.  But for this I just needed a box.  A place to put all this stuff that I know I’m supposed to have but don’t have time to deal with.  Stuff that is probably important, but thrown in none-the-less.  It gives me comfort to know at any time I can dig around in this box and find what I need when I need it.

Today it occurred to me that my faith is like this box.  One of the fun things about building (and there really isn’t a lot of “fun” involved so you hang on to the joys no matter how small) is getting to customize many things.  One of the things we chose are timers for our bathroom so you can turn the fan on for a certain amount of time and it turns off by itself.  Amazing I know.  But the knobs keep breaking.  They are plastic.  Go figure.  So once again I go to “the box” and find a random receipt shoved in there for the fan knob.  Out comes the mysterious silver rod.  It’s one of the items found in a drawer during the final clean that we don’t know what to do with.  Our theory is that it is part of the pendant lighting over the eating bar.  The lights are in.  They work great.  So what do I do with this brushed nickel, foot long rod?  Why do I keep it?  Someday I’m going to have to clean out the box and decide what to do with the things inside whose purpose is mysterious. 

This is where my faith comes in.  We have this box of Christian doctrine, scriptures, sermons, Bible Studies, journals-the sum of all the faith knowledge we have been exposed to.  We shove all that stuff inside.  We know it’s important, we need to keep it.  It just seems like a lot of work to get it organized.  We know that if we need it, we can go there to find it. 

On Sunday during communion reflection, God called me to rummage around in my faith-box.  I pulled out a nickel-plated pole.  The pole was 2 Corinthians 5:18: Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.  I had just heard an insightful sermon and had spent the morning sitting by dear friends and worshipping Him through music.  The Spirit was close and I could hear Him.  He started speaking to me and I started writing it down.  The passage came alive and I kept writing.  I was feeding off His words.  I was excited to wake up the next day and put these revelations into practice.  That moment with God that bursts through clear, where you really believe you will always put Him first.   But after church I had to go home and prep materials for my first graders.  Ethan needed to finish his homework.  I had to stop at the grocery store.  The pole got shoved back in the box.  Just when I was starting to figure out what the pole was for, I tossed it back in with a sundry of items that don’t carry weight on my to-do list. 

I’ve been pondering for weeks what to do next for our study, dear friends.  And I do have you in my heart.  I love hearing from you!  I love questions and comments on the study!  I pray for you!  Like Paul, I long for you with the affection of Christ (Philippians 1:8).  I put a poll (pun intended) on my blog and didn’t get a good direction on where to go.  I laugh now about that, because I was once again relying on human wisdom (gadgets are good right) but instead was humbled to be led to my topic right when He was ready to give it to me.  In His way and time.  A divine idea sprouted from finding a pole in a box today that I don’t know what to do with.  I am convinced that people who think God is always serious and boring don’t know Him very well.  At some point I must clean out my box of house items and know what each item is for.  In the same way I must not skip over verses I don’t know, but deal with them and search and dig until I find what purpose they have in my life. 

So we have a ministry given by God to us of reconciliation.  It says so plain as day in chapter 5 of 2 Corinthians.  What shames me is that I’ve read these words before but haven’t been concerned that God has given me a ministry and I haven’t used it because I haven’t cared enough to find out what it is! 

I don’t have a road map or a game plan.  For me this is achingly difficult, but that’s real faith, trusting in something where you can see the end (for us understanding how to use this ministry we are given) but not knowing how we are to get there.  But take heart for He is the Road Builder and Destination Maker and Giver of every perfect gift (James1:17).  He is better than GPS.  He never has to recalculate. 

So go with me on the journey of becoming ministers of reconciliation. 

As always you will need a Bible and place to record what you are learning.

This week, please begin by reading 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and just journaling your discoveries.  For a challenge read it every day until the first study is posted.  If you read it prayerfully I bet you will see new things each time. 

For His glory and our good,