Enter Your Ministry of Reconciliation

Introduction

For the first Sunday of 2026, Samuel Peterschmitt calls the Porte Ouverte Church to enter into the ministry Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5: the ministry of reconciliation. This ministry is not reserved for the five gifts of Ephesians 4. It concerns every believer united with Christ, called to become an ambassador of a message greater than any other: God reconciled himself with mankind in Jesus. Do not despise small beginnings. A sentence, a word, a simple invitation can set a life, a family, entire generations ablaze.

Message Outline

1. Never despise small beginnings

Zechariah 4:10 reminds us that those who despised the day of small things will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
Everything in nature begins with a seed: before the towering tree, there was a tiny seed buried in the ground.
The entire history of Porte Ouverte began with a small flame: an unknown person telling a father "there's a tent in town where they pray for the sick."
A word, at a precise moment, seized by God, can become a fire that sets an entire forest ablaze.

2. Your ministry: reconciliation

Many Christians think they have no ministry because they are neither pastors, nor evangelists, nor teachers — this is a mistake.
2 Corinthians 5:17-20: as soon as someone is united with Christ, God entrusts them with the task of bringing others to reconciliation with him.
Every believer is an ambassador sent by Christ, whatever their age — 15, 80, or 90 years old.
The Church is not a club where people come to feel good on Sunday: it is the pillar of truth, the place from which men and women carrying good news go forth.

3. The importance of the message you carry

A single message can change the course of a war: General de Gaulle's appeal of June 18, 1940 turned a defeat into lasting resistance.
The Zimmermann telegram, intercepted and made public, tipped the United States into the First World War.
The message God entrusts to you is even greater: it decides the eternity of those who hear it.
Acts 26:17-18: Christ sends us to open eyes, so that people pass from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God. This is where the real spiritual battle lies.
Speaking to one person can sometimes touch an entire family, an entire circle, all the generations that follow — like those friends who came to the Lord one after another.

4. Why do we stay silent?

Shame and fear of what others will think: what will they say, what will they think?
Pride, a pride we rarely admit to ourselves.
The feeling of not being capable, of lacking the words — when a short sentence is enough: "Jesus loves you."
Indifference toward the fate of those who do not know the Lord — even more serious than shame.
Jesus said: "Whoever is ashamed of me, of him I will be ashamed before the Father in heaven."

5. How to proclaim: the wisdom of the fisherman

Go where the fish are — Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 9:10). We are not aliens; we are the salt of the earth, and salt goes into the food, not into the saltshaker.
Don't make noise, don't terrify — Jesus never frightened anyone to draw them to himself. We are not agents of an eternal roasting spit, but bearers of good news. Look at how Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman: he loved her, he did not judge her.
Choose the right bait — adapted language — 1 Corinthians 9:19-22: Paul becomes a Jew to the Jews, weak to the weak, in order to win some. Speak a language the person understands; leave the theological dictionary aside.
Stay yourself, stay approachable — Don't change your personality, tone, or vocabulary the moment you speak about the Lord.
Don't force it — A prayer said just to get rid of someone's insistence converts no one. It is with all one's heart that a person gives themselves to Christ (Romans 10).

6. The fruit promised to those who proclaim

Great joy: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of peace" (Romans 10:15).
The promise of one day being called "good and faithful servant" and entering into the joy of the Master (Matthew 25:21).
The signs and wonders that accompany the word proclaimed (Mark 16:15-20). A church that proclaims the Gospel sees God confirm his word.
The joy of heaven: there is more joy over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons (Luke 15:7).

Key Takeaways

The ministry of reconciliation is not reserved for a select few called ones. If you are united with Christ, he has entrusted you with this ministry.
Do not despise small beginnings: a word, an invitation, a sentence can set an entire generation ablaze.
The message you carry is more important than that of all politicians combined: it decides an eternity.
The real spiritual battle is not first about casting out demons; it is about proclaiming the Gospel so that people pass from darkness to light.
The Gospel is good news. Don't scare people, love them, be approachable, speak simply — then let God do his work.

Personal Application

Who did you bring the good news of Jesus to in 2025? When was the last time you opened your mouth to speak about the Lord?
What holds you back from witnessing: shame, fear of what others think, pride, a feeling of incompetence, or a form of indifference whose seriousness you don't fully grasp?
How much time did you spend this week praying for your neighbors, your colleagues, the people around you who do not know Christ?
Have you stayed in contact with non-Christian people around you, or have you gradually retreated into a circle made up only of believers?
Can you pray this prayer this morning: "Lord, give me one soul this year" — and if your faith allows, ten or twenty?

Scriptures Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ministry of reconciliation Paul speaks of in 2 Corinthians 5?

It is the mission God entrusts to every person united with Christ: to announce to people that God has reconciled himself with them through Jesus, not counting their sins against them, and to invite them to be reconciled with him. This ministry is not reserved for pastors or the five gifts of Ephesians 4. Every believer is an ambassador of Christ.

How can we proclaim the Gospel without frightening or judging people?

By imitating Jesus with the Samaritan woman: loving her without judging her. By speaking a language adapted to the person in front of us, as Paul became a Jew to the Jews and weak to the weak. By starting with the solution — Christ has come — rather than with fear of judgment. A single sentence is often enough: "Jesus loves you."

Why do so many Christians stay silent about their faith?

Samuel Peterschmitt identifies several reasons: shame, fear of what others think, a pride we rarely admit to ourselves, the feeling of not being capable, and above all indifference toward the eternal fate of those close to us. The solution is not guilt but rededication: asking God to rekindle the fire and to rediscover the joy of carrying good news.

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