Reconciliation

It can mean reaching out to bridge a gap when a relationship is broken, and that can be between people, within business, or in church circles where it can be between us and God. We can even make it personal and make that much needed reconciliation between my/your own sinful life and a loving and forgiving God.

Reconciling something can also mean trying to balance in our minds the difference between what someone says, and what they do. We do it all the time, and in almost all areas of our life. We do it without thinking when we drive, or shop. Does the car indicator mean what it says? What does he mean when he flashes his headlights at a crossroads. Does the newspaper headline tell me the whole story, or is something hidden? We balance our decisions on a regular basis.

Sadly, we have to do it in church too. Do we live those things we claim to believe? Do our lives reflect the teaching of the church denomination, but most important of all, does my life balance out with the teaching of the Word of God as set out in the Old and New Testaments? Reconciliation at its root, and by its very nature is personal. It comes down to you or me being true to our word, and living the life that our faith says we believe.

Now it’s question time. What do we do when faced with a sincere Christian who looks on and says they have a serious difficulty in reconciling some church practices, with the  teaching of the New Testament as he sees it? What if the person is a good and sincere friend? What if you see these same practices in your own church? What if you are unsure, but can’t bring yourself to face the imbalance, or the fact that reconciliation may be needed? But here is the biggest question: what if your friend is just plain wrong? That, I believe, is when the Spirit given fruit of discernment and love must be used