God’s Amazing Reconciliation
What’s more important than worship? Reconciliation! “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (Jesus Christ, MATTHEW 5:23-24) Don’t try to focus vertically until after you’ve put things right horizontally.
Two salient passages from Paul on this are 2 CORINTHIANS 5:16-21 and COLOSSIANS 1:19-22. The first scripture tells us of the ministry of reconciliation that is God’s gift to us and the message of reconciliation that He also committed to us. The work of reconciling is something where God has already done the heavy lifting by dismissing the past and inaugurating the new. “All these things are from God” means that the primary reconciling between heaven and earth has already been done by God Who does not count our trespasses against us. He is for us, not against us! (ROMANS 8:31) The word of the reconciled is that we matter more than our sins! This is our testimony that we share with everyone who will listen to us. We come from the embassy of heaven’s grace begging for an audience to make His appeal: “Be reconciled to God.” Christ first took our place so that He could then take us to the place of being brought back and made right with God again. And to this good news the second scripture adds: “For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in (the Son), and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross… although you were formerly alienated…yet He has now reconciled you…”. This is how reconciliation comes to all who are at odds with God. “Be reconciled.”
Case in point: Saul of Tarsus and Stephen (ACTS 6-7). The persecutor experienced a reconciliation with God where it was pointed out to him that he hadn’t just stoned the martyr, he had violated the Messiah, too (ACTS 9:3-5). So even after the tent-maker made things right with Christ he never forgot the Christians he had helped murder. From the road to Damascus to every other Roman route he traveled, at every turn Saul was reminded of Stephen (ACTS 11:19-26). Reconciliation doesn’t wipe out recollection, it redeems it. Wherever Paul went his offense went with him (ACTS 22:17-20; 1 TIMOTHY 1:13). He had been forgiven, but had not forgotten. And as he writes his swan scripture in 2 TIMOTHY 4:6-8 anticipating going on into the future to be crowned as one of the reconciled, one of many who have loved the Lord, he must have imagined what it would be like to meet his brother Stephen at the gates of God. Though he had originally been one of the mob who screamed and gritted their teeth and covered their ears to keep from hearing about the vision of God’s right hand Man standing up for Stephen, I’m betting Paul remembered seeing Jesus receive that beautiful soul into glory. His reconciliation with God would also make for a sweet reunion with Stephen. My guess is that when Paul went through the pearl-gate to make for the throne room in heaven, he first went and made things right with his brother. Remember: reconciliation comes before worship…even in heaven. Especially there! (MATTHEW 6:10,12)
Heaven will be “home” (2 CORINTHIANS 5:8) in part because no one will be at odds with anyone else. Ask yourself: “Who is it that I need to first go to and make things right with before I try to go to God?” Ask too, “Do I even want to make peace?” To be reconciled one needs to first be conciliatory (ROMANS 12:18). “Peace.” Is it in you?
