Week 8: Heaven on Earth
In Christ, the world is being made new. As believers, we’re not simply waiting for God’s Kingdom to come; we’re invited to live as part of its breaking in. God has already reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and now we carry the message of that reconciliation. He’s made us ambassadors not just bearers of news, but active participants in God’s restoration plan. The old has passed away, and the new has already come. We are living in that "in-between" moment, where the Kingdom is here and not yet fully realized.
The beauty of the Gospel isn’t just that we are reconciled to God, but that we are now agents of reconciliation in a broken world. Wherever we go, whatever we do, we carry this mission: to point others toward Christ and His transforming love, as we wait for the day when God’s Kingdom is fully restored.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.b The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Reflection:
In what areas of your life can you actively live into reconciliation both with God and others?
What does this passage reveal about God’s heart for restoration and His desire to make us part of His redemptive work?