The Gospel in Color, Week 4: What is Reconciliation?
Throughout May, I’m be posting devotionals that correspond with the four chapters in the book, The Gospel in Color: A Theology of Racial Reconciliation for Kids by Patrol Books (WeArePatrol.com) as well as video teaching from Sojourn Church Midtown in Louisville, Kentucky. Here is the devotional for week 4.
Read Luke 15:11–32, 2 Corinthians 5:14–21
You could also read "What is Reconciliation?" from The Gospel in Color: A Theology of Racial Reconciliation for Kids (pages 56–71), "Running Away" from The Jesus Storybook Bible (pages 272–279), or "Story 35: The Know-It-All and the Big Sinner" from The Beginner's Gospel Story Bible (pages 206–211).
Gospel in Color Parent Video
Kids Teaching Video
Devotional
In Paul's second letter to the Corinthians, he describes his ministry as a ministry of reconciliation. What does reconciliation mean? Reconciliation means that two people that were once enemies are now friends. Reconciliation impacts Christians in two important ways. The first is that we are reconciled to God. This only happens through Jesus. Jesus Christ loved us so much that he lived a perfect life and paid for our sin in his death on the cross. Jesus was raised from the grave three days later, and he secured salvation for us. Jesus's sacrificial love expressed through death is the reason why we are compelled no longer to live for ourselves but to live for Christ!
Jesus's death on the cross is not the end of the story. Death for our sins is not the final story. There is resurrection! We can experience the resurrection now, in part, but there will be a final day when the resurrection will be complete. We suffer and die on this earth, but, through salvation, we are made into a new creation in Christ. We live in the resurrection now by being ambassadors for Christ. God's vision for the world is to reverse the curse of sin and death and to make us his friends. Before we become Christians we are under God's judgment, and we are his enemies. Once we are saved, we are reconciled to Christ and become his friends. Christ died for us and he loves us! By faith in Jesus, we are reconciled to God. He is your friend. Since we have been reconciled to God, we should seek to live in reconciliation with others. We should personify what it looks like to be reconciled regardless of our skin color, our gender, or whether we are rich or poor.
In Christ Jesus, we are reconciled to God, so, therefore, brothers and sisters, be ministers of reconciliation in wise, safe, and responsible ways from now on, and until Jesus returns.
Think about it!
Use some questions to review the story with your family.
These questions are built just for STUDENTS.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:14 and Ask: What does it mean, "for the love of Christ controls us"? Does the love of Christ affect and change how you live? Give specific examples.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:16–17 and Ask: What are some ways in which people of the New Testament church were regarding people according to the flesh? Does the church today continue to struggle with regarding people according to the flesh? Instead of regarding people according to the flesh, how should we react and respond to others?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:18–19 and Ask: How did God achieve reconciliation? What had to happen in order that we would no longer be seen as enemies of God?
Read 2 Corinthians 5:20–21 and Ask: What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ? What is one thing that you can do to represent Jesus to others well?
Remember It!
Take a few minutes to review our catechism question, memory passage. You can sing the memory passage song and dance along to the second worship song about new life in Jesus.
Memory Passage:"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
»Porque tanto amó Dios al mundo que dio a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo el que cree en él no se pierda, sino que tenga vida eterna. Juan 3:16 (NVI)
Big Picture/Catechism Question:
What is the gospel? The gospel is the good news that we can enter into God's kingdom through Christ's cross by God's grace.
Review and Pray!
Here are some great ideas to review this lesson in your own family.
These activities are built just for KIDS.
At the end of your devotional, take time to pray. Pray for those who are severely affected by the coronavirus, for our government leaders as they make decisions about our city, state, and country, and for peace for our church family during these trying times.