“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. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor. 5:19-20. God, in Christ, has reconciled the world to Himself. This is a message we have received so we can give it to people. The matter has been taken care of by God. He says that “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Isa. 1:18. We receive this grace by and through Christ. One could believe that everyone would accept this grace. People have sinned so much against God that one would think that when they hear that God wants to forgive them, they would accept this offer with joy—but unfortunately they do not! Our essential ministry is to exhort on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God! Nonetheless, they don’t want to. You have to urge them. Moreover, when people get to see their sin, they often doubt that God wants to forgive. Generally speaking, people are dissatisfied with God and His guidance. These poor wretches think that if they do not understand God’s way of dealing with them, it must be wrong. When we consider the ministry of reconciliation, most people think that it pertains to the forgiveness of sins only—they come to the point of believing in Jesus’ death for them. However, this ministry does not stop there. The majority of those who believe they are reconciled need this ministry. It is obvious that they are not reconciled to God in their daily lives; they accuse and oppose God constantly. James had to perform the ministry of reconciliation among those he called his brethren. He saw strife among them. He reproved them by exhorting them and saying, “‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Jas. 4:6-7. He spoke further to them about the tongue, reproving them and saying, “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” Jas. 3:9-10. As we can see, you are not reconciled to God when you curse people. Not at all! When you speak evil of your brother, you speak evil of the law and exalt yourself to be a judge of the law. There is one Lawgiver and Judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor? Jas. 4:11-12. So you need to be reconciled to God and to humble yourself under His hand if you want to be in the right relationship to people. It is God who gives all of them grace. He lets them live, and He takes their lives. He lets them be healthy and do His work; He hinders them and puts them on the sickbed. God watches over all this, and we must be reconciled to God so we don’t even sigh against one another. James says, “Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” Jas. 5:8-10. He practiced the ministry of reconciliation so that it reached the innermost recesses of the heart. Peter practiced the ministry of reconciliation among the “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father” and exhorted them not to think it strange concerning the fiery trial which was to try them. He spoke about being patient when they did good and yet had to suffer, and implored them to follow in Jesus’ steps who did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. He said further that if we are mocked for the sake of Christ’s name, we are blessed. He also exhorted them not to return “evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.” 1 Pet. 3:9. “‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” Ch. 5:5-6. God follows along in all these circumstances. He has elected us; He wants to save us and conform us to the image of His Son. His wisdom and love for us is unsearchable. The least little murmur or sigh is a protest against His leading. We need the ministry of reconciliation, and it needs to be addressed to you who sigh. “Be reconciled to God”! You must believe. Then you will gradually comprehend God’s wisdom and love. Rom. 9:20; 11:33. Paul, while practicing the ministry of reconciliation, said that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. It is as if he wants to say: Do not complain about God’s way to salvation; He will reward you abundantly, so you have no reason to complain. Just be reconciled to God; it will be very beneficial for you. He says further, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” His purpose with us is to conform us into the image of His Son. Rom. 8:28-29. Only the few comprehend that this is what God wants to do with them, and that He will do it while they live, and that everything that happens is God’s hand and work with them in order to further this image. This idea is totally foreign to today’s Christians. They say that God will do it after they get to heaven. Consequently, you can hear them complaining over just about anything: about the authorities who have been appointed by God, about taxes, that they cannot buy the things they want, that they are too expensive and of course about their fellow men—saved and unsaved. They even complain about their own spouse, wondering if God hasn’t made a mistake by joining the two of them together. No one complains about having received a spouse who is too good for them; so they must think that they are worthy of someone better and that they deserve to have a better life; i.e., have more money and live more luxuriously. It is necessary to repeat what is written: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God and resist the devil. Who has this ministry of reconciliation? Who will and can enter this ministry on behalf of Christ? Christ did not accuse the Father of anything but was obedient in all things. Paul was reconciled to God in truth and had resigned himself to all things. He knew that Satan works to separate us from the love of Christ. We are reminded of how Satan worked to get Job to say farewell to God. After Paul lists the worst things that can happen to a person on earth, he says that nothing of all this can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:35-39. Only this kind of person can stand in Christ’s stead and fully practice the ministry of reconciliation. There is a constant demand for this ministry in daily life and during private conversations. It is vital not to be asleep and be drawn along and into a satanic spirit by protesting against God: “Is it really true; aren’t you permitted to do this either; but after all, you have to realize,” etc. Gen. 3:4. May God raise up many people with the ministry of reconciliation, and may we who have this ministry be watchful and practice it so that we do not draw back.Sigurd Bratlie

“Everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” Luke 6:40; Matt. 10:25. This does not speak about being perfectly trained in knowledge alone, but rather in deed and in life, as it says in Colossians 1:11; James 1:4; Philippians 4:8, 9, 13, for example. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin. He was a master in not sinning when He was tempted. Paul had also become like his Master in not sinning. He says, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ . . . .” 2 Cor. 2:14. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Rom. 8:37. This is what we are to learn as disciples. When we are perfectly trained in it, we will be like our teacher. Then sanctification continues—being transformed into Jesus’ image. Paul was not perfected in sanctification, but he pressed on toward the goal. However, he was perfected in not sinning when he was tested. Phil. 3:12-15. These are the simple clear words of Scripture, which people generally say they believe; yet who of all the world’s professing Christians really believes these words? Who really believes in all seriousness that they are to become like their teacher; for example, having perfect patience and perfect longsuffering that never fails no matter the circumstances? Usually people simply skip these words when they read them. It is as if they seem to be written in a strange, foreign language of which they are completely ignorant. There is one single reason why such an unspeakably great salvation seems so extremely far away and so impossible to attain. Indeed, there is just one reason!!! This particular, ever-present, and powerfully active reason is that one sees something great and important in the things that this world values: money and all you can buy with money; the honor of man and power over people; the opposite sex, and getting one’s own way. This deceptive, earthly-minded delusion makes it more than difficult for a person to believe in the possibility of living in the spirit and mind and being of Christ. It becomes absolutely impossible. Yet the fact remains that we can receive a heavenly vision of the whole matter, of all values, so that we see them for what they really are. Paul received a heavenly vision, and he was not disobedient to it. It was almost as if he was changed by the wave of a wand. Now he saw as loss what he had previously seen as gain. With this true, heavenly vision, everything that was difficult and impossible before, becomes easy. Read 2 Corinthians 4:17 and 1 John 5:3. For example, the Sermon on the Mount seems to be just a number of insurmountable mountains to almost everyone, but that is only because people are earthly-minded. They are totally devoid of a heavenly vision. As soon as this vision rules in their hearts, all the mountains become a plain. Glory to God! This is the essence of the matter. A person wouldn’t steal if he considered it a loss. They wouldn’t fall away from God and the church in order to get a husband if they didn’t see something to gain by it, etc., etc. The great thing is not to earn a lot of money, but to be righteous and merciful and content. It is not a great thing to avoid being robbed or cheated of smaller or larger amounts of money, but it is very great and glorious, by God’s grace and power, to be free from wrath, worry, all hardness and bitterness, and all unrest when such things happen to you. If money is no longer something precious and valuable to me, then the great difficulty of keeping the words of the Sermon on the Mount about giving and lending will fall away completely, won’t it? God helps every upright soul, so that the heavenly vision gains power in their life. The Lord be magnified!Elias Aslaksen

All those who are called have an opportunity to partake of an eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15), but not all of them make use of it. Their attitude is to get away with doing as little as possible, instead of being very diligent to do God’s will. Therefore many of those who were among the first will end up among the last, but there was no more inheritance left for the prodigal son when he returned to his father’s house. The inheritance is in the light (Colossians 1:12), and the one who does not fully live and walk in the light as He is in the light has no share in the inheritance, because if we do not suffer with Him, we also shall not inherit together with Him. Romans 8:17. Walking in the light as He is in the light is a constant and persistent suffering for flesh and blood; yet the inheritance is to be found in this light. There­fore we read in Hebrews 9:15 that those who are called shall receive the inheritance after a death has taken place. This applied to Christ first of all, but it also applies to His followers. There is no glory to which the grain of wheat can be raised up unless it has first fallen into the ground and died. Someone who has never had victory over him­self during his life on earth cannot receive the glory of the sun in the resurrection of the dead. This is how serious it is! He who overcomes shall inherit all things. Revelation 21:7. This is God’s word. First comes the condition, and then the promise of an eternal inheritance.Trygve Sandvik