2 Corinthians 5:17-20 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 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.”
2 Corinthians 4:1-4 (NIV) “Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
Where do we begin with this ministry of reconciliation which the Lord has entrusted to us as his followers? We begin by agreeing with God’s will to be done and his kingdom to advance throughout the earth. We begin in prayer. Paul gives us a good starting point here by revealing that the evil one has blinded the minds of unbelievers. So our response is to ask the Lord to open their eyes to the light of the gospel. We pray for them to see Jesus and his glory through the eyes of their hearts. We ask God to reveal himself to them in such a way that they will understand who this God is that pursues them with an everlasting love.
We may ask: “Why do we have to pray this prayer? Doesn’t the Lord love all people and pursue them?” Yes, but we must understand the means through which the Lord works. He has given to his people the ministry of reconciliation. This ministry goes forward on all fronts. It can be compared to a battle, and in fact it is a very real spiritual battle. There is first of all the air war which is like our prayer. Military strategy dictates that the air war comes first. Yet sometimes we are tempted to stop at that point, and that is a great mistake. Military strategy also shows that the battle can’t be won without the ground forces. This can be compared to the sharing of the message of the gospel, person to person. The ministry of reconciliation includes both prayer and proclamation. He has given us the tools not only to pray for his power but also to deliver the message of reconciliation. May we have the courage and determination both to pray and to tell.
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