The Ministry of Reconciliation and Walking in 'The Way'

The Ministry of Reconciliation and Walking in 'The Way'

2nd Corinthians 5:18,19 (NASB)

18. "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,"

19. "namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation."

I remember an incident that took place where I had been sharply rebuked and falsely accused by, of all people, a Pentecostal pastor. Perhaps the issue sprung up out of miscommunication and simple misunderstanding. Nevertheless, I felt wounded and that I`d been unjustly treated.


A few weeks earlier, I began attending this pastor's church. Shortly after the worship service started the 1st Sunday evening I was in attendance, The Lord deposited within me an encouraging word for the congregation regarding travail, revival, and subsequent harvest.

Midway through the song service, the pastor had stepped down from the platform and was quietly worshipping as some folks were praying in front of the altar. When an inconspicuous opportunity presented itself, I discretely introduced myself to the Pastor. I asked if it were agreeable with him that I greet the church and share the word that the Lord had deposited within me. The pastor politely declined.

Please fast forward with me to the incident of the pastor`s rebuke.

Sleep evaded me that night. Instead, I spent the night in prayer and meditation. In the spirit of Jesus' teaching, as recorded in Matthew 18:15, I prayerfully concluded that it would be best to contact the pastor, the following day. I was hoping that he could clarify the reasons for his actions. In my hurt, it was important to me that he substantiate his charge against my character and ministry.

Suffice it to say, my phone call to that pastor was not very well received. It didn't seem to me, that my Christian brother made any genuine attempt to understand me better, or actually validate his mistaken perceptions. He made sure that I understood his legal position and referred to federal/provincial laws. I was informed of the policies that his Pentecostal denomination upheld. The pastor had even apprised me that it was within his legal boundaries to call policing authorities, if I were to incite any kind of disruption or disturbance within his church.

Oh my! My well-intentioned heart felt further bruised and wounded.

I was dismayed since I am careful to maintain proper and discrete conduct within any social setting or worship service. Had this incident taken place within a secular or a non full-Gospel setting, I would have taken it with a "grain of salt". I was surprised that these words and actions were from a Pentecostal pastor.

The phone call I made to that pastor seemed to have been ineffective and unfruitful. I decided, after consulting with my wife, that I should bring the matter to the attention of the Pastor's organizational head(s). I was careful NOT to mention the name of the church, nor the name of the pastor himself. My intention was to seek wisdom and counsel, but only from within a generalized scope.

It had been kindly explained to me how to correctly proceed if I did indeed want to pursue the matter. I was now armed with the information necessary to bring a formal charge against my brother. Uncertain whether I should forge ahead, I determined that it was best to consult with the Holy Spirit and earnestly seek His (Holy Spirit) wisdom, and the mind of Christ on the matter.

I slept on it again.

Throughout the night, the Lord woke me and reminded me of the ministry of reconciliation. I sat up and listened.

The gentle love of God was stirring within my scathed heart. The Lord reminded me that He reconciled me back to Himself and that He forgave me of every sin I'd ever committed - whether in ignorance, negligence, or deliberately in defiance. Jesus reminded me that as the executor of the ministry of reconciliation, He didn't count my trespasses against Him. He brought to my remembrance that I was to forgive those who trespass against me; just like he taught us in "The Lord's Prayer".

I was enveloped by the presence of God. I was acutely aware, during this wonderful, personal encounter with the Lord, that He is "The Way, The Truth, and The Life." I knew with calm, peaceful, assurance that if I proceeded in His "Way" that all would be well. If I walked in "The Way", and allowed His truth to direct me, I would be free. His Truth makes us free (John 8:32). For that matter, I knew that if I faithfully walked in "Christ's Way", and in His love, that dear pastor could be made free as well; he would only need to be receptive to the ministry of reconciliation.

According to 2nd Corinthians 5:18, 19, the ministry of reconciliation was given AND committed to us by Him; By Jesus! The ministry of reconciliation is part of "The Way".

Merriam Webster's dictionary defines the word "Reconciliation" as such:

1: a : to restore to friendship or harmony <reconciled the factions> b : settle, resolve <reconcile differences>

2: to make consistent or congruous <reconcile an ideal with reality>

3: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant <was reconciled to hardship>"

Think of "The Way" as meaning "The only correct path and direction. The only perfect means of action and procession." The original greek word, Hodos, is understood as follows: "a travellers way, journey, travelling" Metaphorically, "a way (i.e. manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding"

Thinking, feeling, and deciding are all part of our soul realm. Our spirit is the part of us which is spiritually dead until we become born-again. Our spirit is the eternal, invisible part of us that only God, our creator, can see and peer into. Our soul, on the other hand, is the part of us that can choose to live in Christ and walk in the Holy Spirit's leading. The Word of God helps us discern the difference between soul and spirit, and to correctly judge the thoughts and intents of the human heart (Hebrews 4:12).

On the premise that scripture always explains scripture, let's take a look at John 20:23. "If you forgive the sins of any, their sins [I.e. have previously been forgiven] have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained." The term 'sins' is transliterated in this verse from the greek word "hamartia", which means:

a) to be without a share in

b) to miss the mark

c) to err, be mistaken

d) to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong

e) to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin"

Jesus' words here impacted me greatly when I finally began to understand the gravity of them. These words denote and infer a great deal of responsibility upon the heart and conduct of the believer, don't they?! These words also greatly reinforce one of the principles of the ministry of reconciliation - Forgiveness.

To be forgiven, we MUST forgive. Jesus said: "For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you" (Matthew 6:14). Failure to forgive others is a serious matter with God and causes us to negligently forfeit our receiving His forgiveness. Jesus said: "But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." (Matthew 6:15). To speak the word of reconciliation, which has been committed to us by Jesus, is to verbalize with your own mouth, a heart of forgiveness to the one whom you are reconciling with. Remember, the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart (Luke 6:45).

You'll notice that Jesus used the term "transgressions". The apostle Paul used the term "trespasses" in his admonishment to the Corinthian church. Simply put, if someone mistreats you, hurts you, ill uses you, it can be aptly said that the person(s) has transgressed or trespassed against you. The ministry of reconciliation, or "The Way" of Jesus Christ, is to NOT count some one's trespasses against them. It is understood that in order to truly be reconciled, you must truly forgive (2nd Cor. 5:19).

1st Peter 5:6 instructs us that we are the ones whom are responsible for submitting and humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God. It is we whom have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation - the administration of promoting and generating harmonious togetherness and brotherly unity in Christ. I encourage you to continue reading the 5th chapter of 2nd Corinthians until the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation enlightens the eyes of your understanding, regarding the Ministry of Reconciliation.

The bride of Christ must prepare herself (Revelation 19:7). We are to be spotless and without blemish (Ephesians 5:27). As a minster of the Gospel, called to the office of the Prophet, I readily discern a spirit and attitude of religiosity within some members of the body of Christ. There are hidden agendas, spiritual pride, immorality, brothers having ought against one another, believers divorcing and not remaining faithful, cliques and groups tale-bearing and sowing discord among the brethren, divisions, dissensions, and prideful behaviors. These are fleshly and even devilish traits that certainly do not exult in the Lord nor portray His great Love.

Brethren, I encourage us all to pay great attention to, and actively engage in, the Ministry of Reconciliation. I pray that divided members within the body of Christ will begin to more carefully learn of Jesus and walk in "The Way". In as much as possible, let`s pursue peace with all people (Hebrews 12:14). Romans 14:19 states the principle of peacefulness within the body of Christ as follows: "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." Psalm 133:1 encourages us by saying: "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity!"

To revisit the story of the pastor whom I felt had mistreated me - it concludes peacefully. I simply just dropped the issue. To quote my friend, Pastor Ed Bortnick: I did what Moses did in front of the burning bush; remember? He took off "issues" [his shoes]. In regard to what I perceived were wrongs against me, I dropped the issues. I assured my brother that I don't hold any account of the wrongs that I felt he committed against me. Love keeps no record of wrongs - whether perceived or valid.

From a prophet's perspective, it's good to speak a word from The Lord *before* you have any intimate knowledge of the person, place, or situation. This way, the word from The Lord is recongnized to be spoken in the true spirit of prophecy, rather than from carnal "head knowledge".

In fairness to that pastor, I've since learned wiser methods of ministering with even greater discretion. In retrospect, I recognize my own lack of wisdom in that I was in the midst of a conservative congregation who were unfamiliar with me. Perhaps over his years of occupying the Pastoral office, that dear pastor had been forced to deal with inappropriate or erroneous claims. The word of encouragement would most likely have been accepted, had I called the Pastor privately, and discussed it with him. Under the umbrella of the pastor's authority, that word of encouragement could have been shared at a later time with the congregation. We both could have handled the situation with greater wisdom, tender heartedness, and gentleness.

The ministry of Reconciliation doesn't count some one's trespasses. I continue to pray for that pastor - that the Lord will continue to bless his ministry and continue to guide him in the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. I will pursue peace with that Pastor and I will seek out ways to build him up. I have no doubt that the pastor has done much good, and has ministered well over the years. I pray that his ministry will also continue well.

A quick exhortation from the Word or God that I encourage other less experienced prophets to take note of:

• Proverbs 18:16 "A man's gift makes room for him And brings him before great men"
  Don't always be hurried to "declare" the words and insight that the Lord deposits into you. If your ministry hasn't been proven, or if you are unknown to the listener, use caution and discretion. It's a best practice for all minsters to conduct themselves wisely, but it is especially applicable to those called to the Apostolic and Prophetic offices.
• Ephesians 5:15-17
  ver.15 "Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,"
  ver.16 "making the most of your time, because the days are evil."
  ver.17 "So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is."
  An effective prophet is one who conducts him/herself carefully and wisely. It's imperative to not behave foolishly or immaturely. The office of the Prophet is appointed by God into a very delicate and strategic order; 2nd only to the Apostle (1st Corinthians 12:28). You may very well have a profound revelation or an amazing word of knowledge, word of wisdom, exhortation, instruction, or prophecy deposited within you. However, be very sure that you "understand" what the will of the Lord is regarding when, where, how, and to whom that word is ministered. Please learn from my example, what NOT to do. *smile*

Sincerely in faith, purely in heart, and in good conscience,

God richly bless you,

Minister Charles Allen