Intentionally Reconciled

Amos 3:1-8; Luke 12:49-58; 2^nd Corinthians 5:14-21

Our fairy tales traditionally conclude with “And they lived happily ever after.” We are left with a rosy picture of life as it should be, with no worries and no concerns. We freeze frame one moment of happiness as though life were but an extension of a singular moment of success and joy. When have we ever experienced life in those terms? Life in the real world requires energy, effort, and the intentional investment of our lives. Should we expect church life to be any different?

Amos understood that much of life requires purposeful planning. This was the basis for his critique of the people of Israel. Idolatry and breaking covenant with Yahweh did not happen by accident. Cooperation requires a decision to establish a common purpose. A journey requires a destination and the means to arrive at its endpoint. If there is cause and effect in life, purpose and planning are necessary ingredients to achieve one’s goals. So Israel had elected to forsake God’s will, joining ranks with idolatry to secure their own purposes beyond God’s. They had been committed to God as long as God’s will coincided with their own. Deep down, they wanted their own will above God’s. Amos reminded them that the state of affairs clarified what they had planned for. It was not the result of happenstance.

Life requires decision and purpose. It doesn’t happen by accident. We do not achieve our goals without working for them. We do not reach God’s goals without effort, either. Accepting God’s will for our lives requires commitment to seeking God’s will. Am I committed to the gospel, come what may? Faith demands accountability, responsibility, and faithfulness.

At a Bible study in high school, we were asked what it would be like if there were ten truly committed Christians at our small Christian school. Along with that question came the recognition that being truly committed to God was a requirement of faith, not one of faiths option packages. Several of us gathered after school to talk about it. We knew that becoming committed required that we take action. It wouldn’t happen automatically. It would require effort and purpose—the investment of our time and energy. We chose to work on it together, encouraging one another to develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. We had to commit to the purpose at hand, working toward the goal of faithful service.

Jesus did not make the gospel message a namby-pamby call to complacency. Some passages make that fact too painfully clear. On occasion, people were turned away by Jesus’ strong words and demands for discipleship. Jesus wanted commitment above comfort and what we call peace. He did not promise the absence of conflict for those who would follow him. Rather, Jesus promised conflict would be an expected ingredient in life. Many voices today sound a gospel of fairy tale utopia. Jesus preached something far different. To follow Jesus is to accept a very different gospel from the fairy tale version we’d like to hear. Jesus requires a struggle for faithful commitment. It requires the investment of effort, energy, and resources. There must be commitment to faithfulness despite the conflict to arise.

Jesus knew that we are not naturally wired for committed service. He understood that the effort involved in discipleship would not be popular with others. There would be conflict as believers made the commitment to give their all to god, regardless of the effort and investment required. Faith is born out of grace and forgiveness, but it demands effort and the investment of our lives. How much effort will I invest in my faith? How much is it really worth?

I came across a book on the life of Jim Elliott, a missionary to the Aucas in the Ecuadorian section of the Amazon. He made the ultimate sacrifice of his life along with four others in attempts to take the gospel to this tribe of fierce head hunters. Before that day, he had written a phrase that I copied down on my bulletin board. “He is no fool who give what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”^[1] For Jim Elliott, these were no meaningless words that simply sounded good. They were words that drove and directed his life and the investment of all he had. He had become reconciled to God, and the fact of the gospel’s demand to minister that same reconciliation to others. There would be conflict in the process, but he had weighed the options and decided that it was worth all of his efforts.

Jesus knew there would be conflict for the faithful. He urged that we make diligent effort to be reconciled with others. It would seem that unity was just as important in our relationship with others as it is with God. Jesus called on believers to work diligently towards reconciliation with all, even those who would accuse them and cart them off to prison. There would be conflict even within families, yet it is up to believers to work toward reconciliation.

Paul’s words are no lighter or more comforting than Jesus’. Paul speaks of a commission we have all been given. This is no simple one-moment task to be fulfilled once and for all. It is a charge requiring a lifetime of commitment beyond ourselves. It requires constantly investing our energies, time, and resources. It is the mission of reconciling the entire world to God in Jesus Christ.

Paul does not speak of this as an option to one’s faith package. Unlike our made-to-order mindset about life as consumers, the gospel demands contain a one-size-fits-all aspect—we were all charged with the message of reconciliation. God did not limit this ministry to the clergy or missionaries, but gave it to each believer as a personal charge. Praying for the efforts of others does not dismiss us from further responsibility. Giving financial resources to support the efforts of others does not fulfill our duty of service. This task cannot be passed off to another. It requires each of us to do our part.

This ministry of reconciliation requires our all. Paul reminds us that we have been given new life, not to live according to our old desires, but to live for Christ in fulfillment of Jesus’ lordship. We are new creatures, compelled by the love of Christ to fulfill our task of faithful service. How will we respond to our responsibility to reconcile the world to God?

Twelve people committed to disciple one person a year, teaching them to do the same could reach the entire world for Christ within 30 years. It is an attainable goal that simply requires the commitment of our lives. It requires effort, energy, and the investment of our resources. How seriously do we take our responsibility towards the world beyond our friends and family? Are we willing to make friends of the unbelievers around us in order to bring them to faith in Christ Jesus?

Twelve uneducated disciples of the first century made a radical change in their world. They did not live utopian lives, but lives filled with struggle and effort. They took Jesus’ words to heart and invested their lives in this ministry of reconciliation. They had to determine they would be intentional about the task at hand. They ministered God’s grace, love, and forgiveness and made a difference. Will we be intentional about reconciling the world to God? It won’t happen accidentally.

—©Copyright 2006 Christopher B. Harbin

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¹ Elliott, Elizabeth. Shadow of the Almighty. New York: Harper, 1958