July 30, 2012 by Milly·Comments Off on The Reconciled Bride
Reconciliation is something that has been carrying weight in my heart.
To see man reconciled to God, and to see man reconciled with each other. The message of the Cross.
However for man to be reconciled with each other, there needs to be a blueprint.
As the Body of Christ we should mirror the unity and mutual honor of the Trinity.
The Spirit points to Jesus as Jesus points to the Father. The Father endorses the Son and the Spirit.
The Father does not control the Son and the Son does not Lord Himself over the Spirit. The Son always honored and magnified the Father. When it came time for the Son to return to the Father, Jesus spoke so generously of the Spirit. To paraphrase Jesus, “Guys, its heaps better that I go, because then you can meet the Helper, One even better than I! For although I am with you, After I have gone, He will be In you!” How wonderful would our culture be if we preferred others before ourselves.
Jesus was right, after He had gone, the disciples received this Helper.
They became empowered by the Spirit to love. The works flowed from this love and Reconciliation is a demonstration of a return to love.
In recent times, Christians are more commonly known for their self righteousness, accusation, hypocrisy or impotence in making the world a better place.
Yet we were called to be Lights set on a hill. As we show up, darkness flees. Illuminated by the Spirit, we can reveal the reconciled mystery of Christ’s Body in union with the Divine Creator. Reconciliation must start in our own lives.
Let us be fountains of forgiveness
Continually allowing love to pour through our souls. For the more love and purity of our lives can flow, it flushes resentment and poison out of the atmospheres that we abide in releasing a superior order of heaven in that place. A place where offence can not find a resting place and where pools of bitterness have evaporated leaving behind salt.
Interesting that we are also called to be salt. Salt is most commonly known for it’s use of flavouring and preserving food of cleansing wounds and in middle eastern culture, it was used in covenant. Are our lives manifesting as salt and light?
When offence is taken, often the form of punishment we default to, is the sethering of lines of communication. Withdrawing and ransoming our love from the relationship.
In Matthew 5:24, Jesus instructed that before we bring our offering to God, we should be reconciled to our brother. Our offence is a bit stinky in the nostrils of Papa.
We can make a concious decision to be reconciled with one another. To take the first step, to forgive and to purge ourselves from slander.
Repentance breeds humility. Humility is a relationship saving resource.
Disarming pride, to open the door even just to talk. As the lines of communication open, we can begin to allow His living streams to flow into dead relational situations. Romans 12:18 says “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone”.
If we cant agree on some things, lets rather move forward with the things we do agree on. But lets not kill each other because of differences. By killing I am referring to the hearts posture when hatred is kindled. It can happen by using our pulpit as a platform to pusuade our own opinion over that of anothers.
It saddens me to hear preachers shooting down others with mocking darts when the person they are speaking about is not present in the meeting and may not even be aware of the differences. If only they could see that they are brothers and as a team could be used as a combined instrument of breakthrough.
A remarkable man of God Canon Andrew White has been key in the reconciliation process in the middle east and of initiating and brokering peace talks. He has met with many influential multi-faith leaders of nations. In his book “The Vicar of Baghdad”, he said that he had to keep his opinions and emotions to himself, while going back and forth between one group and another to find a form of words acceptable to both parties.
As we reconcile people to God, our own opinions and emotions must bow down to His Spirit of love and the person of Jesus.
Canon Andrew also said this rather challenging yet refreshing comment. “godliness is more important than doctrinal correctness”.
There are times when I have seen people of other faiths be more godly in their heart attitudes than some Christians.
There is a glory in our uniqueness that causes us to see things differently and we may have varying language for describing our beliefs. Some may be focussed in a particular direction, and that is the weight and flavour that they bring to change the world. Another may be focussed on something else and that is great too.
Love looks beyond the belief system to the heart.
Love reaches out and Reconciliation listens.
The enemy is not your brother, or your belief system. The enemy is a spirit that stirs up hatred, pride, accusation. So, let us not agree with that thing and rather Shine, that we would reveal the light of His Love through humility and open our hearts to Reconciliation.
There are even angelic hosts assigned to reconciliation. As our hearts and lives come into agreement with the Trinity’s blue print of unity and honor, they can be released on our behalf and into situations we may face.
Hearts that have journeyed together are fused with a love from mutual overcoming. Where the cost has not been counted and where right and wrong theologies have not been decided. Love can be the intertwining chord to unite relationships where diversity is celebrated.
In the shaking happening globally with churches, nations, govenments, financial systems.
May WE become known for our love reconciling the natural with the eternal.