“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your plan of salvation. You have now entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation. In Your name, we pray. Amen.”
Acts 3:25-26 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘AND IN YOUR SEED ALL THE FAMILIES OF THE EARTH SHALL BE BLESSED.’ (26) To you first, God, having raised up His Servant Jesus, sent Him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”
Peter and John, were now bringing home to the Jews that Jesus Christ was the one sent by God to them. He sent Jesus to turn the Jews from their iniquities. This was the moment of conviction for the Jews. The Jews had to respond to the call of God, return to Him, and receive Jesus by faith as their Lord and King.
I Peter 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Yes, we have hope because of Jesus, who was raised from the dead.
He was put to death because of our sins. He was raised up from the dead by which Jesus has settled/paid for our sins, once and for all, before God. The resurrection of Jesus is also the means by which we live victoriously over sin. Romans 4:25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.
When we receive what Jesus has done for us by faith, we are born again into the family of God. This word, by which we are born again, is incorruptible. I Peter 1:23 having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, This new birth experience in Christ is not a ‘temporary emotional high’ but this new life is eternal.
This free gift of God’s salvation for man is truly wonderful. We can never exhaust our wonder at God’s plan of salvation for man. Romans 5:15-16 But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. (16) And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. The stark contrast is between the entry of sin and its judgement of death on man and creation, against the grace of Jesus by which we have the fullness of life.
Having been born again into the family of God, we now enjoy all the spiritual blessings of God in the heavenly places. Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
One of the awesome spiritual blessings that we have in Christ is access to God’s wisdom. Colossians 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. As we know Christ, more and more in our everyday experience, we grow in His wisdom. Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,
This wisdom of God is not only an individual experience but the whole earth is filled with His glory, as we return to Christ. Psalms 72:18-19 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only does wondrous things! (19) And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.
God is reconciling all things to Himself through the work of Jesus on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, (20) and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.
God has entrusted this message of His reconciliation of man and creation, to His church. II Corinthians 5:18-19 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
We are, therefore, ambassadors of Christ, reconciling man and creation back to God. II Corinthians 5:20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.
This was the message of Peter and John to the Jews, they were blessed in Christ Jesus, to be a blessing to the nations. It was now for the Jews to respond to the call of God.
The church too is called of God to be a blessing to the nations. We are blessed to be a blessing.