When George W. Bush became president, he did so with the narrowest of wins. His opponent, Al Gore, won the popular vote by about 450,000 votes, but Pres. Bush won the all-important Electoral College vote, 271-266. The final vote was not determined until Gore’s legal challenge to the Florida vote was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. The election exposed the divisions in our nation as never before.
During his first term, Pres. Bush began making plans to invade Iraq, further cementing the divide between Bush’s supporters and those who were still not sure of his legitimacy as president. The talk ramped up, the drumbeats of war grew louder and it seemed inevitable that we would go to war.
The Dixie Chicks, one of country music’s hottest acts, appeared in concert in London. It was during that concert, only nine days before the war began, that Natalie Maines, lead singer for the Chicks, made the statement that she was “ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”
The reaction was immediate and decisive. Men and women who only moments before had been fans of the band now demanded the Chicks be removed from radio rotation. CDs were smashed, radio stations and advertisers boycotted if they had anything to do with the Dixie Chicks, and within weeks, the once hottest band in the country had been virtually removed from American pop music entirely. The Chicks have never recovered from their political statement.
Imagine, though, the following scenario.
The furor over the Chicks is reaching its height. In the midst of it all, the Dixie Chicks get a call. They are requested to perform a mini-concert at the White House. They are stunned, but accept. As they stand on the stage prepared to perform, the President of the United States approaches the microphone. George W. Bush waits for the moment to speak, and when he does, he says, “As the President, I hear all sorts of things said about me, both favorably and unfavorably. That is the glory of this nation, that we have the right to disagree. But having that right doesn’t mean we have to be disagreeable. And so it is my privilege to introduce at the White House the Dixie Chicks. And may I add, I am proud that the Dixie Chicks are from Texas.” And then, the President of the United States turns and gives Natalie Maines a heart-felt hug, exists the stage and allows the band to perform.
What would the reaction have been to such a magnanimous gesture on the president’s part? Would his actions and words provided a healing moment when we needed it the most? Would the American people, still hurting from the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, been more willing to extend a hand to each other and recognize that we really are all in this together?
In 2 Corinthians 5:16-6:2, we find the call to the ministry of reconciliation. Verse 20 tells us: “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf. Be reconciled to God.” Since we have been called to a ministry of reconciliation, it is worth our time to discover what steps we need to take in order to be effective in that ministry.
- We need to want to reconcile others.
There are people in our world that we really don’t like. Maybe it’s the way they look, or the way they talk. It could be the people they hang with, the music they listen to (if you can call it music) or the things they believe. We can not like people because they have more money than we do, or because they have less money than we do. They drive foreign cars; they drive domestic cars; they don’t drive cars. And then there’s the color of their skin or their accent or—yes, here it is—their political views.
And that’s a problem with the ministry of reconciliation. It’s hard to reconcile with someone if I don’t really want to. We can find all sorts of excuses, but it really will come down to we just don’t want to mess with that group of people.
But God doesn’t ask us what kind of people we feel comfortable with. In Acts 10, God has a plan for Peter to bring reconciliation to a Roman centurion’s household. There’s only one problem. Peter, being the devout Jew that he is, would never consider entering a Gentile’s home. He might speak to one, but to enter the home is to be unclean. Even though Peter is now a follower of Christ, life habits are hard to break. God deals with Peter and reminds him that we are not to “call anything impure that God has called clean” (Acts 10:15). As a result of Peter’s vision from God, he reconsiders his reluctance and goes where God sends him. Because of Peter’s willingness to get out of his comfort zone and trust God, Cornelius, the centurion, and his household find reconciliation with God.
The greatest example of how it is possible to be reconciled even with the vilest of people is found in Romans 5:6-11, with one of the key verses being v. 10: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through His life!” The life of sin is one of rebellion against God—we declare ourselves to be His enemy. Yet, so great is His love for us that He was and is willing to overlook that and bring us into reconciliation with Him.
There are all sorts of reasons why we might want our world to remain divided, but there is one compelling reason why we should strive for reconciliation: It’s what God wants us to do. That’s why Paul tells us that “. . . if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Greek word for creation is the same word that is used in the Greek translation of Genesis 1. The meaning here is that God takes the old person and creates something entirely new and unique. We are not merely converts to the Christian faith; we are made into a completely different being, now able to commune with God Himself and still live in the world. We are in the world, but not of it, because of this new creation.
- We need to have empathy/compassion
One of the best ways to want to bring people into reconciliation is to have empathy with them. We should try to feel what others are feeling. It means to have a kindred spirit, a willingness to identify with others. For the Christian, seeing others less fortunate than we are, or seeing someone who is alienated from God, empathy means we see them and recognized that there, but for the grace of God, go us.
Reconciliation has a need for us to become personally involved at a certain level. I don’t think it means that we pour our entire being into each person, but that we at least recognize that each person we encounter has value and worth, and we know this because Christ died as much for them as He did for me. If Jesus could get personally involved in the lives of those around Him, we should be willing to do the same.
It’s not easy, at times. I mean, there are some really “irreconcilable” people in this world. That’s why one of the key elements in this is that we must pour ourselves as living sacrifices (cf. Romans 12:1-2) and prayerfully seek God’s direction in dealing with every person. It’s quite possible that He doesn’t want us to become involved with every person we encounter. But He does want us to be open to His leadership and prompting as we do encounter someone. And the best way to do so is with prayerful empathy and compassion.
- We need to listen.
“My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19).
Listening is a skill that requires a willingness to put my agenda on hold in order to truly hear what is being said. I read recently someone saying that today we listen not to learn but to know how to respond. In the ministry of reconciliation, listening to what the other person is saying is one of the most important elements to let that person know we value them and their opinion. We need to hear not just what is being said, but what isn’t being said.
In an earlier blog, I wrote about the art of listening. When we really listen to people, we learn about them and we learn from them. By listening to someone without an agenda, we discover what is important to that person and we learn what drives them. We get to know them.
And getting to know someone allows us to reach out to them in a reconciliatory nature. By listening, we earn the right to be heard. By listening, we learn that person’s needs and fears, hopes and dreams. We listen in order to address those needs, fears, hopes and dreams. We listen not to manipulate, but to genuinely speak to what drives them, what defines them.
- We need to minister.
People in our world are hurting. The hurt may not be obvious, but it’s there. Almost all of us have doubts, fears, questions, hurts. As we listen to people, we can pick up on these areas of their lives. And we can minister to those needs as we learn of them.
Sometimes, all a person needs is a listening ear. Sometimes, all they need is a helping hand or someone who can help lift a burden from them. My mother died of Alzheimer’s disease. It was in the days when the public was first becoming aware of this horrible disease, and the care for Mom fell mostly on Dad. After work, my wife and I would often invite Mom and Dad over for a meal. After the meal, we would encourage Dad to leave Mom with us so he could go home and relax, maybe get some sleep. The small respite was welcome to Dad. It was a small gesture on our part, but it was something we could do.
Jesus encourages us to do the little things that help people. “I tell you the truth, anyone who gives a cup of water in My name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward” (Mark 9:41). James reminds us we are to feed the hungry and give warmth to the cold (cf. James 2:15-16). The truth is that it’s hard to hear words of reconciliation if I’m unwilling to do anything to help someone.
It is our ministry that opens the ears to receive, the heart to respond.
- We need to share the love of Christ.
All of the preceding points in the ministry of reconciliation are nothing without the love of Christ leading us and infusing our message. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I gave all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). To the Colossians, Paul wrote: “. . . clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (Colossians 3:12-14).
The love of God is the key to all that we do as Christians. It is the reason for Christ being sent to die for our sins (John 3:16). It is the “uniform” we wear to distinguish us as Christians (John 13:34-35). It is our obedient show of devotion to Christ (John 14:15, 23). The Greatest Command is that we love God with all our being and that we love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus illustrates this point with the story of the Good Samaritan. We reach out to others because we love, not because they fit the group with which I identify.
Any other motive for our ministry, as Paul told the Corinthians, is a waste of time, really. Yes, God can use people whose motives are not pure (cf. Philippians 1:15-18), but the faith is stronger when the message is based upon the true motive of Christ—reaching out in unconditional love to bring all people into a right relationship with God through Christ.
- Don’t cast our pearls before swine.
As Jesus is reaching the end of the Sermon on the Mount, He teaches us about the need not to be judgmental. He spends the first five verses of Chapter 7 warning us that we must not judge others, and the standard we use will be used against us as well. He tells us not to try to get the speck out our brother’s eye without first removing the post from our own eye.
Then, in v. 6, Jesus tells us that we must not judge, but we must be discerning. “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.” What Jesus is telling us is that we need to discern whether the person we are speaking to is really open to the word.
Most people are willing to listen to our testimony of how Christ has worked in and is working in our lives. They may not accept what we say, but they will listen politely and thank us for sharing with them.
But there are those who are so set in their animosity toward God and those who profess to follow Him that their only reason to speak with us is to mock God and belittle us. I remember years ago an acquaintance telling about some people he knew. He said they were drunk and he knew they were drunk. They called him over to their car and said, with glib smiles on their faces, “Tell us about Jesus.”
My friend said, even though he knew they were drunk, he willingly shared God’s word with them. That to me was casting pearls before swine. The world of God is too precious to waste on those who would not only not receive the message, but would use it to taunt and mock God. In such a situation, I think the better thing for my friend to do would have been to say, “I would love to share Jesus with you. I think He can benefit you in ways that would amaze you. But now is not the time and this is not the place. Why don’t I come around at a later time and we can talk about Jesus?”
Shouldn’t we always be willing to share the good news? I don’t think so. I don’t think Jesus would have given us this instruction if He didn’t mean for us to use our wisdom—to be innocent as doves, but wise as serpents—in our dealings with those in need of reconciliation. There will simply be times when, as we prayerfully approach someone, we will be told this is not the time or the place. Save our priceless message for someone who will realize what they are receiving.
- We need to be willing to let them decline to be reconciled.
The story of the Rich Young Ruler is familiar to anyone who has been involved in church for a while. A man—a rich, young ruler—comes to Jesus and asks what he has to do to enter the kingdom of heaven. Jesus begins with the last six of the Ten Commandments. The man says he’s been doing them all his life. Jesus then tells him to sell all he has, give it to the poor, and follow Him. The man walks away with a sad heart. (cf. Matthew 19:16-29; Mark 10:17-30; Luke 18:18-30). One of the interesting things about this passage is that Jesus lets the man walk away. Jesus has great compassion for the man, but He doesn’t force the man to follow Him, nor does He compromise His message to better accommodate the young man.
It should come as no surprise that some will walk away from an opportunity to be reconciled to God. Jesus was rejected as He walked the earth, and His message was dismissed as being Satanic in its nature by the religious leaders of the day.
And it’s not our job to reconcile. The role of the Holy Spirit is to convict and to save; our role is to tell what we know and offer the opportunity for the Spirit to work.
Conclusion
The ministry of reconciliation is the primary reason God leaves us on earth once we have come to know Him. He expects us to be conduits of His message and His work. The ministry of reconciliation applies to God’s relationship with others, but it also applies to our relationships with one another. Jesus tells us we are to be peacemakers (Matthew 5:9) and Paul reiterates that truth (Romans 12:16a). In order to be reconcilers, we must be willing to step outside our comfort zones and go where the Spirit leads us. The risks are there, but the reward is also there.
© 2017 Glynn Beaty