How The Holy Spirit Helps Bring Reconciliation

1. The Holy Spirit helps create fellowship between those who are estranged from God. Paul wrote, "God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Cor. 5:18) Ask the Lord to teach you how to be more effective in delivering the message of reconciliation to those who are yet to know Christ as their Savior.

2. The Holy Spirit shows us how to restore communications between disagreeing people. Paul wrote, "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." (Rom. 15:7) Ask the Lord to help you bring Biblical, social and rational reasons why disagreeing people can reconcile their differences because of Jesus Christ.

3. The Holy Spirit disciplines those who refuse to be reconciled because of bitterness. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy...See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." (Heb. 12:14,15) Ask the Lord to help you live in the fear of God so as to avoid being spoiled by bitterness, animosity or any feelings of unreconcilable differences.

4. The Holy Spirit encourages us to love others even when they seem to oppose us at every turn. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "Keep on loving each other as brothers." (Heb 13:1) Ask the Lord for the strength to obey and love others as He loved us and gave His life on our behalf.

5. The Holy Spirit directs us to avoid those who are habitually trying to cause division. Paul wrote, "I urge you brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own appetites." (Rom. 16:17,18) Ask the Lord for the wisdom to know which people you should try to avoid associating with.

6. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to relate to people according to their personality strengths rather than their weaknesses. Paul wrote, "To the weak I became weak that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men that by all means I might save some." (I Cor. 9:19) Ask the Lord to help you study the characteristics of people’s personalities so that you are able to approach them in an affirming manner.

7. The Holy Spirit bridges the gap between people of opposing historical viewpoints through Christ. Paul wrote, "His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility." (Eph. 2:15,16) Ask the Lord to perform His reconciling ministry between opposing groups or individuals by focusing all perspectives on what we have in common through Christ.

8. The Holy Spirit uses peacemakers to reconcile individuals or groups who need an arbitrator. Jesus said, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called sons of God." (Matt. 5:9) Ask the Lord to give you a greater quality and quantity of ways that you can carry out the ministry of a peacemaker in your church.

9. The Holy Spirit assists those who are truly interested in reconciling people back into the fellowship of Godly people. Jesus said, "If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." (Matt. 18:15-17) Ask the Lord to help you to be empowered to follow the formula of Jesus Christ in bringing reconciliation to your organization, your church and your people.

10. The Holy Spirit helps us forgive one another as Christ has forgiven us. Paul wrote, "Get rid of bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as in Christ, God forgave you." (Eph. 4:31,32) Ask the Lord to help you bring enough self-control skills into people’s lives enabling them to put away all of their hostility, anger and ill feelings toward one another replacing those attitudes with Christ’s love.

11. The Holy Spirit convicts us of the priority that God places on being reconciled with one another by even inhibiting our fellowship with the Lord until true reconciliation occurs. Jesus said, "Anyone who is angry with his brother, will be subject to judgment. If you are offering your gift at the altar and remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your offering. Settle matters quickly with your adversary." (Matt. 5:22-26) Ask the Lord to help you not neglect reconciling with anyone in order to facilitate unhindered fellowship with God.