Teaching from Appling Advance, Appling Georgia – Part 2
Peace: Full shepherding to the water
RECONCILIATION – Full shepherding
Romans 5:10, 11 (MGI):
For if when we were enemies God was reconciled [reah] with us by the death of his Son, then how much more will we by his reconciliation [tareutha] live by his life?
And not only so, but also we boast in God by way of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have now received reconciliation [tareutha].
This indicates that there was hostility between us and God that needed to get altered. We were enemies. God was reconciled to us by the death of His son, and by His reconciliation we live!
Let’s look at some of the familiar English definitions of “reconciliation.” The word “conciliate” from the Latin means to overcome the hostility of something and “re” means again. One of the English definitions is to “make one thing compatible with another.” For example: “The scientists had to accommodate the new results with the existing theories.” They had to reconcile the theories together to make them compatible. Another definition is to “bring into consonance or accord, to harmonize one’s goals together with your abilities.” That is the definition that actually made the most sense to me as far as how the Bible uses the term. You would alter or regulate something to achieve accuracy or the desired results. An example would be if you get an alignment done on the wheels of your car, you correct the alignment of the wheels so that the car can go straight. You alter something to get a certain desired result. That’s the summary of the English definition. Other examples: synching an ipod, adjust inner workings of a clock
Keeping in mind those English definitions, I think there are two aspects to reconciling. One is that there is a correction that happens whereby someone is put to right. The second part of that is that once they are put right then they’re satisfied (with the food, so to speak). They are brought to a new pasture and in that new pasture there is great food to eat. It is very, very healing, satisfying and provides peace. It’s a place to lie down and rest. The word “shepherding” describes these two aspects.
We boast by way of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom we have now received shepherding. We have received shepherding because the Shepherd took us out from where we were, which was enemy territory and was totally hostile to God, and He brought us into this new flock, gave us new pasture and completely cares for us.
Jesus has given us his name to use and everything must bow to it. Prayer in the name of the shepherd for reconciliation, new pasture, protection, healing.
Several other keys are in II Corinthians 5, the great passage about how we have the ministry of reconciliation – of shepherding.
II Corinthians 5:17, 18 (MGI):
Everyone who is in Christ is therefore a new creation. Old [things] have passed away
And everything has become new from God, who reconciled [reah] us to himself in Christ and has given us the ministry [service] of reconciliation [tareutha].
Everything has become new from God. Why? We’ve got new pasture, new food, new care, new trust… everything!
“…who shepherded us to himself in Christ and has given us the service of shepherding.” He shepherds us so we then in turn can shepherd others.
II Corinthians 5:19 (MGI):
For God was in Christ, the one who reconciled the world with his majesty and did not count to them their sins. And he placed in us the word of reconciliation.
God was in Christ. He was the one who shepherded the world by His majesty.
It was very majestic of God that He brought us out of the world and did not count to us our sins. The reason He can do that is because of the blood of Christ. His only begotten son died (shed his blood) to pay the price for that shepherding. But he was shepherding the world, not just believers, but each person who is even still an enemy.
And He placed in us the word of reconciliation or the word of shepherding.
II Corinthians 5:20 (MGI):
Therefore, we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ and [it is] as if God were begging you by way of us on behalf of Christ. Therefore, we beg [you], “Be reconciled to God.”
So our message to other people is “Come! Be shepherded by God.”
Colossians 1:19, 20 (MGI):
For in him, he desired all fullness to live
and by way of him to reconcile everything to him. And he made peace by the blood of his cross by his hands, whether in earth or in heaven.
Those verses are talking about how God, by way of Jesus Christ, reconciled everything to Himself. So, God is the Shepherd but it is by way of Christ’s shepherding also, and his bringing us to that pasture which causes us to be satisfied.
That is why it says he has now made peace; it literally means “peaced you.” He has made you still, so it’s the picture of being fed in the pasture and then lying down by still waters. He made peace.
Colossians 1:22 (MGI):
By the body of his flesh and by his death, so that he would establish you before him holy, without blemish, and without blame.
That’s another result of being reconciled or shepherded by God, that we can be holy.
The last section we’ll look at is in Ephesians 2. This has both elements in it of being put to right and then tended as by a shepherd.
Ephesians 2:14 (MGI):
For he was our peace treaty, who made the two of them one and has broken down the wall that stood in the middle.
Two groups, Jews and Gentiles, were complete enemies, not only to God but to each other. God made a peace treaty in Jesus Christ and broke down the wall that stood in the middle.
Ephesians 2:15, 16 (MGI):
And the conflict, by his flesh. And he brought to an end the law of commandments with its commandments, so that [from] the two of them he would create in himself one new man, and he made a peace treaty.
And he reconciled [reah] the two of them with God in one body and, by his cross, he destroyed the conflict.
He took these two groups of people who were both enemies to God and each other and he broke down the wall between them. Then he brought them into one body (a brand new pasture) and he reconciled the two of them so they would both be able to be shepherded by God. By it he destroyed the conflict or the enmity. He destroys all the conflict between people no matter what groups they are – same holy spirit!
II Corinthians 5:20 (MGI):
Therefore, we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ and [it is] as if God were begging you by way of us on behalf of Christ. Therefore, we beg [you], “Be reconciled to God.”
So our message to other people is “Come! Be shepherded by God.”
