Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2013

26 | Cedarville Magazine by Jason Malone ’98 C h a p e l N o t e s Let me tell you why I love 2 Corinthians. It perfectly lays out God’s mission and how you and I are to join Him. You have often heard that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is God’s story of redemption. We see it here in 2 Corinthians. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here” (2 Cor. 5:17)! If you have a relationship with Jesus, if you have a grace story, you are a brand-new creation. When you begin a relationship with Christ, it’s a complete transformation. I read a commentary that said, “You are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated. You are recreated.” We no longer see life like we used to. The old creation was plunged into sin and condemnation because of Adam’s disobedience, but the new creation means salvation and righteousness because of Jesus’ obedience. He restores every broken relationship. “All this is fromGod, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ ...” (2 Cor. 5:18) . God’s mission, the reason for Jesus coming, was reconciliation — restoring to friendship or harmony, making things The following is an excerpt from a chapel presentation by Jason Malone ’98 on August 19, 2013. Malone was the keynote speaker for the 2013 Fall Bible Conference. Listen to his full remarks and other conference messages at cedarville.edu/malonechapel . Watch or listen online at cedarville.edu/chapel to hear these engaging presentations: right. Jesus came to heal the rift between God and humanity. And the initiative for reconciliation, all of it, was with God! The New Testament never talks about God being reconciled to the world but always about the world being reconciled to God. Why is this important? God’s attitude toward us was, and is, love. Never anything else. He made the first move to restore the friendship. Through His son, Jesus, we are no longer enemies of God. Before he came to know Christ, Paul was an enemy of God — arresting and condemning to death people who loved Jesus. As Paul (then called Saul) walked down the road in Damascus, God got his attention and asked, “Why are you persecuting Me?” It was God who made the first move to bridge the chasm between Himself and Paul. He made Paul a new creation, and He has done the same for you. You have a grace story! So what is God’s expectation of you? “And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:19b–20a). God’s plan to accomplish His mission is the Church, you and me. He brought us into a relationship withHimself so we could represent Him wherever He has placed us. We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ sent into the world to declare peace — reconciliation with God. Are you sharing that message? Are you living that message? “As God’s co-workers, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:1–2). If you are unwilling to get in on God’s mission, you are receiving His goodness and grace in vain. It was God’s goodness that led Him to hear your cry, and mine, for a Savior. Now is the day of salvation for others. Jason Malone ’98 is the Mission/Vision and Teaching Elder at Summit Church in Greenville, South Carolina. You may contact him at jmalone@summitupstate.org. God’s Mission of Reconciliation 9/10 KenWhitten Senior Pastor of Idlewild Baptist Church Lutz, Florida 9/25 Scott Rigsby First Double Amputee to Complete the Ironman Triathlon; Author of Unthinkable Marietta, Georgia 10/30 Daniel Akin President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wake Forest, North Carolina 10/31 Harry ’96 and Echo (Tuinstra) VanderWal ’96 Founders and Executive Directors of The Luke Commission Swaziland, Africa 11/6 Marc Sweeney Dean of the Cedarville University School of Pharmacy Cedarville, Ohio 11/21 Mark Vroegop ’93 Senior Pastor of College Park Church Indianapolis, Indiana