Ambassadors Needed
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Text: 20 "We are Christ¡¦s ambassadors and God is using us to speak¡K"
March 2011, Gainsville, FL ¡V Clean Energy Logistics Lab Inc. established an online social network community of solar (photo vol-tey-ik) photovoltaics! Or better known as Solar Ambassadors! These PV enthusiasts have one job ¡V share their exciting stories about going solar!
June 2011, Toronto ON CA ¡V Toronto Transit Commission hired Student Ambassadors. These ambassadors stand in their appointed stations and help people find their way through the system.
Our formal association with Ambassador Profiles is the political arena ¡V definition: someone appointed by a Sovereign power to represent the Sovereign’s interests
From the hilarious to the practical or the essential, Ambassadors come in many forms and have many functions.
Common denominator ¡V Ambassadors represent another person¡¦s interests and agenda. An ambassador has to believe in what they represent if they will represent it well.
- Jesus God¡¦s Ambassador... None represents Ambassadorship better. Jesus said in JN14:7, ¡§If you really knew me, you would know my father as well. From now on, you do know him. You¡¦ve even seen him!¡¨
- Upon his return to the Father, Jesus appointed us as His Ambassadors!
The Greek word for ambassador is defined as ¡§one who spoke for the emperor¡¨ (Millie Stamm, Be still and Know). What a tremendous honour is bestowed on us by our Sovereign!
1. The Qualifications
Solemn fear (v11a)
- Do I fear God? What do we mean by fear? Surely God doesn¡¦t want us to ¡§be afraid¡¨ of Him. Certainly not. ILL: reaction to a police cruiser coming toward you? Foot off the pedal and on the break. Why? ¡§Fear¡¨; not ¡¥afraid¡¦ but RESPECT for his authority
- Do I RESPECT God¡¦s authority? When we respect an authority we pay attention to what they say and we carefully consider their instructions and preferences about things.
- FEAR ¡V RESPECT for God¡¦s authority inspires me, qualifies me, to be an Ambassador for Christ
Christ¡¦s love (v14)
- Hostage situation at a bank robbery. The bank robber learned the names of two or three people and during negotiations he released the people whose names he knew. First name basis raised the stakes and relationship was developed. They were not merely faces anymore. They were individuals.
- ¡¥Fear¡¦ or RESPECT for God¡¦s authority comes about as a result of relationship and that solidifies the qualification to be an Ambassador ¡V I am in a relationship with God. That raises the stakes; the investment is greater
It is a gift from God (18a)
- I did not bring anything to the situation that warranted or gave me the right to be an Ambassador for God. It¡¦s all his work. Christ¡¦s love compels me to be an effective Ambassador for Him and I understand that it¡¦s a gift God¡¦s given me! A generous person gave me two tickets last year for a round of golf at the Angus Glen Course in Markham! Angus Glen hosts PGA tours! One wouldn¡¦t expect me to throw the tickets in the draw and not respect or appreciate the gift enough to invite someone to go play a round and use the tickets.
- When I appreciate the gift God¡¦s given me, my only response could be to persuade others as best I can because it¡¦s God¡¦s gift to me and I want to share it!
God¡¦s choice (v19a)
- God designed it this way. He qualified us by the act of His will, to be His Ambassadors! It is His intent that we represent His interests in the work of helping people to be reunited to Him and one another.
2. The Skills
- Starting a new job or ministry and not having skills can be quite alarming, creating deep anxiety. We don¡¦t always bring a lot of skills but if we come to a job or ministry and have one skill that really makes a positive difference to that situation, we feel connected and we learn what else we need to know.
The skills that came out in this text that make us effective Ambassadors for Christ are very clear:
Accepts the potential of risking our reputation (v13)
- We want people to have certain perceptions of us (human nature). They don¡¦t have to be correct, as long as they¡¦re good!
There may be times when you¡¦ll act completely uncharacteristic to your natural bent and people will think you¡¦re crazy.
Exercising the ability to focus on Jesus (v15)
- The whole point to being an effective Ambassador is getting with the program which is focusing on the interests of the Sovereign! The struggle is often like asking someone to help you with something but instead of helping they decide how you want it done! ļ
- Can¡¦t decide we will determine how to represent Jesus or tell him what the focus needs to be. He¡¦s decided that! It¡¦s all about death, life and reconciliation; that¡¦s the message; that¡¦s the focus; that¡¦s the Ambassador platform!
Stop forming judgements (v16-17)
- I can¡¦t be an effective Ambassador for Christ if I decide who deserves the message and who doesn¡¦t; who ¡¥looks right¡¦ or isn¡¦t.
- If we¡¦re holding grudges in our hearts, or not willing to forgive someone. If a Canadian citizen was given the opportunity to be a Canadian Ambassador in a foreign nation but decided they hated the people and the culture, there is not a chance in the world that person can represent Canada¡¦s heart for that nation. We cannot be Christ¡¦s Ambassadors.
3. The Tasks
Persuade others (v11b)
- Most of us prefer people see things from our points of view; to come across to our way of thinking and planning. How long ago was it since you told someone what they ought to do and how they ought to do it? Was it before you left the house or just before you walked in this one? I suspect it happened somewhere between that Point A and B! ļ
Paul says we work urgently to convince people they need to see things from God¡¦s point of view; that they need to consider what He wants, thinks, feels and desires in terms of people being reunited to Him.
Sadly we spend far too much time as the people of Athens on Mars Hill where they¡¦d sit all day and talk philosophy and religion and every viewpoint is valid. That is true in the context of everyone having freedom to think as they please but we have a God-ordained anointing to make sure people are aware of the option of Christ! Are we ¡§playing it down¡¨? Are we failing to take gentle, respectful steps toward persuading people that we have a message from our Sovereign that they need to hear?!
William Robertson, minister of the Parish of Sprouston, Roxburghshire, Scotland in Essays and Sermons suggests that while some of the diplomatic nuances of a diplomat exist for the Christian ambassador, we function by a different code, one that demands a different process. He says, ¡§A Christian ambassador is one who will represent Christ in all spheres at all times in all places. He is to speak the truth boldly, with gentleness and love even if it offends; after all, the cross offends and is foolishness to those who do not believe. It is the duty of the ambassador to win all people to Christ, even if this makes him unpopular with the leaders and even with people. His code of ethics is of the kingdom of Christ which calls for gentleness, respect and love, but with boldness, truth and openness.¡¨
Glorify God (v13)
Birthdays are a wonderful thing. We don¡¦t have enough of them. Actually we should have a birthday party in our homes every week. Every week focus on the next person in line and have a birthday party! Why? Because we intentionally focus the day on that person. We tell them how special they are; we buy them gifts, sing songs and stuff them full of food! We celebrate them and pour attention all over them! We GLORIFY them in a sense; we ELEVATE them and they come to hear the truth of how critically important they are in our lives.
Ron Hutchcraft in A Life that Matters: ¡§Jesus has committed to us the message of what he did on the cross. He is counting on us to represent what He is like by the way we live, to communicate clearly the message that cost Him His life.¡¨
Our Ambassadorship is a work of ELEVATING Christ; of GLORIFYING Christ; of EXALTING Christ! He is the first focus, the last focus, the only focus!
Reconciliation (v18, MSG ¡K emphasis 18b)
MSG: ¡§All of this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other.¡¨
- An exciting verse. Reconciliation between me and God and then reconciliation between me and others
- It is the task of ¡§telling everyone what he is doing.¡¨ (v19, MSG)
WRAP: Ambassadors needed. We¡¦re QUALIFIED; have the SKILL SETS (develop what we don¡¦t); TASKS are clear. Are we up for it?
