Resurrection Power of Jesus Christ: Part 2

Good day Gathering!

2 Corinthians 5:19 “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.” (NLT)

We fight. That is just what we do. We try not to, and we work hard to live as Jesus did, but we still have moments and issues that we stumble over as we try to relate to others. History continues to prove this fact. But the fact is we were not created for this broken struggle. Our sins and sins against us severely damage our ability to relate to one another. The problem is that we were created for relationships. The fact that our ability to relate to each other is damaged, combined with the fact that we were created to be in relationship with one another, proves to be a volatile combination when it comes to relationships.

The resurrection power of Jesus Christ that we exist to embody here at the Gathering has the power to absolutely transform our relationships with others. The message of the Bible is that the Kingdom of God will come in full some day, but in Christ the Kingdom of God has been made a present reality for us today, if only in part. Jesus modeled that reality while on earth, and gave us the ministry of that model as well. A natural part of reconciliation with God through Christ is reconciliation with others. Jesus modeled what it means to have healthy relationships with others, regardless of their ability to relate to him in the same way. He even ate with Judas just before Judas betrayed him unto death.

We do need to be careful in our relationships, and seek safety and counsel when they become dangerous. But God was in Christ bringing about reconciliation, and Jesus challenges us to make a stand against self-centered and self-serving relationships by seeking to be transformed by the Spirit, going deeper in our relationships with God so that we might learn to be reconciled with each other.

Forgiveness is nothing short of a miracle of God. But as we grow together and grow in Christ, my prayer is that we would be people who model the reconciliation and forgiveness of Jesus as we seek to embody the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.

See you next Sunday at the Gathering.
Blessings,
-Tim