Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 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 (II Corinthians 5:18-19).
 

 

The ministry of reconciliation is a ministry that is given to every Christian. Once we have been reconciled to God through the cross, it is our basic calling to help reconcile others to Him. The primary way that we do this is through the proof of a life that is reconciled to God. Just what does such a life look like?

 

The first thing that was lost by the Fall of man was his relationship with God. Therefore, the first thing that should be restored by redemption is our relationship with God. The Lord created man for fellowship, and our primary purpose is to fellowship with Him. If there was a way to measure the degree to which redemption has worked in our lives, it would be by how close our relationship is with God. If we walk with God, we will become like Him, as we are told in II Corinthians 3:18:
 

 

But we all, with an unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

 

We cannot walk with God without beholding His glory. If we behold His glory we will be transformed into His same image. We can therefore ask ourselves: Are we becoming more Christ-like? Are we growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Are we growing in the gifts of the Spirit? All the gifts are aspects of Him. Is this transformation noticeable to others? If so, they too will be compelled to be reconciled to God. When Jesus is lifted up, all men will be drawn to Him. If they are not being drawn to Him through us then we have somehow departed from the course.

 

This drawing to the Lord can be for Christians as well as non-Christians. There are many who have "come to Jesus" but all that they ever received was a religion. The Lord did not save us so that we could become members of a church. That is one of the benefits, and true church life should be one of the most fulfilling things that we can do on this earth, but we must have a greater vision than that. We do not serve God by serving the church, we serve God as members of the church. There is a difference. If we try to serve God by serving the church, it becomes an end in itself. As the Shulamite maid said to her beloved in the Song of Solomon 1:7:
 

 

"Tell me, O you whom my soul loves, where do you pasture your flock, where do you make it lie down at noon? For why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?"
 

 

When we are only content to be in someone else=s flock, instead of developing our own relationships with Him, we veil ourselves. Then we will not be changed into His image, but rather someone else=s. This is why we are told that we must behold the Lord "with an unveiled face" (see II Corinthians 3:18) in order to be changed into His image. There are many veils Christians can put on that distort His image causing them to be changed into a distorted image of Him. One of those veils can be the church itself.

 

We cannot be content to have a relationship with the Lord through anyone else, or through the church. The Lord does not have any grandchildren. We are all first generation sons and daughters to Him. Ministers are friends of the Bridegroom who are called to help prepare the bride for Him.

 

When there is a spiritual intimacy between the Lord and His church, she will bear fruit and souls will be born into the kingdom. How would you feel if all of your children looked like your best friend? Why is it that so many Christians are conformed to the image of their church, denomination, or movement, rather than into the image of Christ Himself? It is because they are more focused on these than on Him. They are being changed into the image of what they are beholding.