Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Nov/66

Contributor - J. Dykstra

Title - Meditation

Topic - Meditation

" . . and entrusting to us the message Of reconciliation" 2 COR. 5:16c

Imagine such a thing, that God should entrust the message of reconciliation to you! You've never had anything quite as valuable entrusted into your care. And, it isn't merely a matter of safekeeping - of receiving that message of reconciliation, believing it, rejoicing in it, and keeping it for yourself until God asks that you return it to Him. When God entrusts the message of reconciliation to you, He means for you to share it with others, with as many people as you possibly can. Just prior to the text quoted above, we are reminded that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ.

It is possible that one can get so busy, so preoccupied with so many things, that he all but forgets the most important responsibility he has? Alas, it has happened all too often that people got all wrapped up in the things of this passing world and never got around to this - spreading the message of reconciliation. Excuses enough, but what about that trust that God gave you?

If ever there was a time when people needed this message of reconciliation, it is now. The world is full of rebels and critics and violence and hatred, but what about someone who brings a message of reconciliation, of the God of all grace and mercy Who, at the cost of the hellish agony and humiliating death of His Son, reconciled men to Himself? What about a message of love, the dynamic whereby proud men can be humbled so that they can be reconciled to one another because they have kneeled at the foot of the cross, they have believed in Jesus Christ and opened their hearts to receive the Holy Spirit in fulness? !Shall we withhold that message? What a sin against God and man that would be!

We are God's witnesses to a dying world, demonstrations of His transforming grace, His ambassadors, the instruments through Whom He chooses to work. When we speak about the Mission of the church, we mustn't think only of a special fund our church has, but of that man or lady next door who doesn't know Christ as Saviour, or that person fat the shop or office or with whom we go to school. God has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us for us to bring it to them. The whole congregation shares in this mission. In Christlikeness, we are to "bring good tidings to the afflicted, bind up the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound". We are to do so prayerfully that God may use us effectively.

Just think of the implications of this trust - as many people as possible have to hear - in your city, county, province, nation, hemisphere, world! The North American Indian is included in this trust and those of the coloured races and the poor and hungry and ill-clothed and poorly educated, and the hospitalized and imprisoned. So many people to reach. How many ... or how few have we reached, preaching the message of reconciliation and living it as we show compassion on the needy. How much of a witness have we really in North America, this huge continent with its millions of people in city and country?

Maybe we are doing more than we think. That's the very purpose for which the Boards of our denomination came into existence, to help us to fulfill our trust of bringing the message of reconciliation. Our congregations in Canada have often been on the receiving end of the Board of North American Missions and we have received far more than we have returned. We are deeply indebted to this board. Yet, we have returned something and w e are working among North American Indians and among the coloured people and poor whites in various inner-city and rural areas. We are supporting the work of evangelism and church extension. Only, it is high time that we start doing a little more if we are really to take our trust seriously. Some find it a great help to share in the direct support of a missionary, designate some of their funds to go to a particular person, and thus to have a more personalized contact with the fulfillment of our trust. There are only a few of our Canadian churches and Sunday Schools doing this, but it might prove quite a stimulus for mission giving. How about bringing it up in your church in this North American Missions Month, especially as our churches prepare their budgets for the coming year.

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