I’ am an Ambassador
II Cor 5:13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.
15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him.
19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.
20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”
Ambassador – a person sent as the chief representative of his or her own government in another country. : an official representative or messenger.
A diplomatic agent of the highest rank accredited to a foreign government as the resident representative of his or her own government, appointed for a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment.
Ambassador will many times be the link of communication between to countries during times of war.
Paul is therefore challenging us to be representatives that can bring the gospel, which is able to bring peace between lost people and God the Father.
God desires all men to be saved
Not that all will be saved according to the doctrine of universalism that says no matter what we do we will all be saved.
Or Calvinism that teaches only an elect group will be drawn by the grace of God to be saved and once there saved they will always be saved.
No we as humans have been given free will, and from free will some will respond and be saved and some will not respond and therefor will not be saved.
But regardless of our free will and our ability to say yes to Jesus or say no to Jesus it does not change the fact that our loving father in heaven desires that all would be repent and be restored to the love of the father.
I Peter 3:3 Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.
I Peter 3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
God chooses to partner with us
The next thing that is important for us as ambassadors of Christ to understand is that although the God we serve is omnipotent all powerful, omnipresent everywhere at 1 time, omniscient all knowing, He is God in Himself and by Himself and does not need anyone to do anything for him, chooses to partner with us simple fragile human beings in fulfilling his ultimate plan for humanity.
Rom 10:14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!
To reach out to the Jewish nation God chose to partner with Peter, to reach out to the gentile nation God chose to partner with the Apostle Paul.
II Tim 2:21 If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work.
God gives us the power to get the job done
My last point is that an ambassador we walk in the power of the one that has sent us to represent him.
An ambassador in himself and by himself has no power in the country that he or she has been sent to, but because he they have been empowered by the highest authority of the country they represent, they carry a certain authority to accomplish the assignment that has been given to them.
We to have been empowered by the place and person we represent to the world we have been sent to.
Matt 3:11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire
Acts 2:2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.
4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Baptizo – to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge, to overwhelm, to rub thoroughly
The best way to describe this word is from a greek poet and physician named Necandor, who lived 200 years before the birth of Christ.
It is a recipe for making pickles, Nacandor said in order to make pickles the vegetable should first be dipped into boiling water multiple times and then baptized into the vinegar solution, the act of baptizing the vegetable produces a permanent change.
When you and I are baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit in produces a permanent change with our lives and a strength and energy to bring change into the world we live in.
CONCLUSION:
We have been called to be ambassadors for Christ to bring peace between lost people and a loving father, God’s desire is that all have an opportunity to repent and experience salvation, God he doesn’t need us but he chooses to partner with us to fulfill this desire and He also empowers us to get the job done!