We start week two of our month of Mission: The Gospel as Transformation.
Our writer is ANDRIES COMBRINK who serves the congregation at Centurion West, Pretoria.
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Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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 people'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." 2Corinthians5:17-20
We do not have to wait till the last day, the day of the resurrection when Jesus returns, to become a new creation. It all starts here and now. It starts on the day God reconciles us with Godself. On that day we celebrate by singing and shouting: The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God. The Holy Spirit recreates me into someone new. I was born again.
The new creation within me does not hide or run away from God anymore. The new creation within me does not oppose God, the Kingdom or the values, the dream and the vision our Lord has for us and for his work or the Church.
No, the new creation in me thirsts for friendship with my God. It longs to walk with God. It prays to work for God. It celebrates that my sins do not count against me anymore. It begs the Lord to make me a change agent for his sake. It urges me on to seek the glory and honour of my God in every aspect of life.
The new creation within me turns me into an ambassador of God - of the King and of the eternal Kingdom! We represent the eternal King on the Father's right hand. We teach what he taught, we bring the message he brought, we testify about his resurrection and his victory. We promise the forgiveness of sin. We live for our King and invite the world to enter and celebrate the everlasting Kingdom of life and love.
Through us God makes the appeal to all who live as enemies of Truth, to make peace with their Creator. Through us God implores all, to on Christ's behalf, through Christ's atonement and in Christ's conquering power, to become new people - transformed by being reconciled with God, filled with the Spirit and creating a new community of love promoting true life.
Ambassador of God, the new person you became is a militant agent of transformation. You are light, salt and yeast. Communities opposing God and suffering the painful consequences, can change to live as God's friends, walking with the Father, working for Christ, seeking his glory in everything and celebrating true life and healing through becoming alive in Jesus by the Spirit's work in us.
The new people we become beg everyone on Christ's behalf: "Be reconciled to God."
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
