Ambassadors

2 Corinthians 5:19-21(NLT)

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!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

In the passage above, it says that we are Christ’s ambassadors.  The definition of an ambassador is 'an authorised messenger or representative or an accredited representative in residence from one sovereign to another'.

We are God’s representatives here on earth.  Our home country is heaven, and we are here on earth to represent the Father and go about His business.

What is His business, you ask?  Seeking and saving the lost.  The thing that God wants most is for the lost to come back into a relationship with Him.  We have all sinned, and that sin separates us from God, but God didn’t leave us there, separated from Him.

In verse 21, it says that God made Christ, who knew no sin, to be the offering for our sin in order to make us right with God.  That is the reconciliation that we are a part of.  God sent his Son to earth to pay a debt that He didn’t owe so that we could receive a gift we didn’t deserve: eternity with Him.

We have been given the job, or the ministry, of reconciliation.  We are God’s mouthpiece in this world, calling the lost to come back to Him. 

When people start talking about being an ambassador or sharing their faith, often Christians have a whole list of excuses for why they can’t do that.  I don’t know enough, I’m too old, I’m too young.  What if they say no?  Or my favourite: I like to let my life be a witness.

These excuses are just that, excuses.  Even if you only know what God saved you from, you know enough.  You have a personal testimony, and that is powerful and worth more than you may think.  You are never too young or too old to be used by God.

In the Bible, God liked to use everyone from old men to small children.  If the person you are sharing with doesn’t say yes, and accept Jesus, that is not on you.  It is your job to share, not to change them. 

If you are being a good person and never say you are a Christian or what you believe, all people are going to see is a nice person.  Anyone can be a nice person. There are people that are in the kingdom of darkness and going to hell that are nice people.  Without actually telling people what you believe, you are not being a witness, you are only a nice person.  People need to hear the good news of God’s love.

We are God’s ambassadors calling people back to Him.  This week, ask God to show you who you can pray for and who you can share with, and keep your eye out for opportunities to be God’s ambassador.

Family

Sometimes we have the idea that kids can’t do things for God just because they are young, but time and again, in the Bible, God used young people. This week, talk with your kids about how they can be ambassadors for Christ.  Help them to write a list of 7 people in their world who they can pray for.  Each day, pray for one person on the list and encourage your kids to share their faith.