All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. 
Acts 10:43

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. 
2 Corinthians 5:18-20

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There are two songs from the early 70’s that could have been written last week. Our world seems more unstable than ever before with no end in sight! The first song is “Ball of Confusion” by the Temptations. The second song is by Ten Years After, “I’d Love To Change The World”. It goes “but I don’t know what to do, so I leave it up to you…”. It’s a melodic and haunting song. It’s just missing one thing: Jesus. I think of Him every time I hear that song. What can we do? How do we live?

When you surrender (return) your life to Jesus and strive for holiness, you have already changed the world for the better. It’s not easy work, cooperating with the Holy Spirit to transform you into your beautiful eternal self that clearly reflects the character and nature of Jesus, but it is worth it. It is the most important thing that a person can do with their life. 

By becoming born again, we join others across time and cultures in bearing the name of our Lord. The phrase “do not take the Lord’s name in vain” is a slight mistranslation commonly interpreted as “do not swear or use His name in anger.” How it really should read is “do not bear His name” and then act dishonorably like a disrespectful and unfaithful marriage partner or a child bringing shame on a family.

Another pervasive misunderstanding is the false dichotomy between faith versus works. The ancient understanding was more like patronage—if I come under your life and protection, I need to live and act in ways that respect and reflect that relationship. If you are alive, you breathe continuously, automatically. If you are truly born again from above, your love, acts of kindness, and service automatically flow from you into the lives of those around you.

I love doing something for someone else, being kind beyond social expectations, and then telling them at the end that I did it for them because I follow Jesus. My hope is that a seed of love is planted in their heart and mind that hopefully begins to encourage them into a new life with Jesus. This is part of reconciling the world to God through Jesus.

Next Steps

Ask the Holy Spirit how you can help reconcile people to Jesus, the lover of our souls.

Join in with others at Willow Creek Community Church in performing thousands of acts of kindness and service this summer. Log your participation here.