In last week’s post on 2 Corinthians 5, we asked the question ‘Have you ever wondered what believers in Jesus should be involved in? What should our focus be?’ We saw in Second Corinthians that one of our roles is the ministry of reconciliation. According to the Word, every believer has this ministry. What we are endeavoring to learn is what is that ministry and how can we fulfill it? We left off in verse nine showing the strong connection between this ministry and the promised glorified body Jesus has waiting for us.

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2 Corinthians 5:18 (NKJV)
¹⁸ Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

• The discussion ended last week at verse nine.

2 Corinthians 5:9 (NKJV) 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

• As we mentioned, one way to please God is of course ‘walking by faith’ because Hebrews 11:6 says ‘without faith, it’s impossible to please Him.’
• By why else should our desires be toward pleasing God?

2 Corinthians 5:10 (ESV) 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

• A second reason is found in verse ten, ‘We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.’
• We want to please Him because we all are going to stand in front of Him and give an account.
• We want that meeting to go well.
• Therefore… and now we get to it.
• We come to verse eleven.

The Ministry of Reconciliation and Persuading Others

What Sharing Your Faith Means and What It Doesn’t Mean

2 Corinthians 5:11 (ESV) 11 Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.

• What does the ‘fear of the Lord’ have to do with the ministry of reconciliation?
• The answer to that lies in understanding that ‘the fear of the Lord’ is the reverence you should maintain knowing that you are going to have to stand in front of Him and give an account for your life.
• Because we know that everyone will stand before Him, we then make it our aim to persuade others.
• The Greek word ‘persuade’ means to convince, to persuade, to appeal to, to win over.
• This next statement almost sounds contradictory.
• EVERYONE will stand before God but it is not your particular job to tell EVERYONE.
• The word ‘persuade’ does not mean go and tell EVERYONE you see.
• In the area of the ministry of reconciliation, you can’t throw out the leadership of the Spirit.
• Smith Wigglesworth would go out and sit on a public bench and wait at times for hours for the right person to minister to.
• Many would pass by his way and he wouldn’t say a thing to them.
• But then, the right would come.
• He knew by the Spirit that they were the right one and he would lead them to the Lord.
• Instead of listening to the Spirit, we got under the emotional condemnation and get to feeling guilty because we come into contact with someone unsaved and didn’t say anything to them.
• Saying this again.
• It is not your personal job to tell EVERYONE YOU SEE.
• It is your job to be led by the Spirit of God in who you tell in your world.

Mark 16:15 (ESV) 15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”

• This verse doesn’t say, ‘Shove the gospel down everyone’s throat you come across.
• Understand that not everyone is ready to hear.
• How are you going to know who is and who isn’t?
• You can only know that by the Spirit of God.
• Remember that you are a link in the chain between God and other men.
• You are not the whole chain.
• Never, never allow yourself to get under condemnation.
• Never, never minister the gospel in a condemning fashion.
• This ministry of persuasion is not after the flesh.
• This ministry of reconciliation is not a ministry of condemnation.
• It is not you being under condemnation or you putting other people under condemnation.
• Jesus is a Comforter not a condemner.

John 14:16 (NKJV) 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—

• In this verse, Jesus is speaking of another Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
• If there’s another Comforter than there had to have been a first Comforter.
• Jesus is that Comforter.
• He is telling His disciples that He is going to have to leave but that He was going to send another Comforter to carry them along the way.

How To Minister Reconciliation: The Example of Jesus

• Look at the following verses, where Jesus, the first Comforter, directed His disciples in not to testify of Him.

Mark 1:40–45 (ESV) 40 And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” 42 And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. 43 And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once, 44 and said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them.” 45 But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

• Did you hear what Jesus said to this leper?
• He said, ‘Don’t say anything to anyone.
• But, this man, who was healed of leprosy, disobeyed Jesus.
• And He went and broadcasting his healing to everyone.
• Jesus said, ‘Don’t tell it.’
• This man didn’t listen and what was the result?
• It shut Jesus out of that town.
• He could no longer openly enter that place.
• Jesus had to camp out in a desolate place.
• “So what is the big deal?” you might say. “People were witnessed to weren’t they?”
• The big deal is miraculous ministry in that town was cut-off.
• No more lepers were healed in that town because Jesus couldn’t get to them.
• Many times, we are hindering what the Second Comforter is trying to get done because we are emotionally trying to get people saved rather than being spiritually led.
• This was not the only case where Jesus told people not to tell it.

Matthew 9:28–30 (NKJV) 28 And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying, “See that no one knows it.”

Matthew 12:15–16 (NKJV) 15 But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all. 16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,

Matthew 16:20 (NKJV) 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

• Sometimes the command to ‘not tell it’ is for a season.

Matthew 17:9 (NKJV) 9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

• After the season was up, then it was okay to broadcast.

Mark 5:38–43 (NKJV) 38 Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly. 39 When He came in, He said to them, “Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping.” 40 And they ridiculed Him. But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the child, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying. 41 Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, “Talitha, cumi,” which is translated, “Little girl, I say to you, arise.” 42 Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement. 43 But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

Mark 7:32–36 (NKJV) 32 Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him. 33 And He took him aside from the multitude, and put His fingers in his ears, and He spat and touched his tongue. 34 Then, looking up to heaven, He sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 Immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was loosed, and he spoke plainly. 36 Then He commanded them that they should tell no one; but the more He commanded them, the more widely they proclaimed it.

Luke 9:20–21 (NKJV) 20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one,

• As you can see there are many cases where Jesus instructions were not to tell it.
• Now, there were other occasions where Jesus did tell them to tell it.

Mark 5:18–19 (ESV) 18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

Call to Action:

How are we going to know the difference? You have to listen to the Spirit. This is how you minister reconciliation. This is how you witness.

Question: In what way has the Lord used you in the ministry of reconciliation? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.