Encouragement
Ambassadors for His Kingdom
True Love and Jesus’ character is what we always strive and hope to be in this life so that we can be ambassadors for His Kingdom. But how many of us really do and are that way?, I think that we can be like that, without fear of rejection or fear of embarrassment. God gives us the tools and the commandments to do so.
We enter the world each day as ambassadors of Christ and his kingdom—sensitized to the effects of sin—loving others by seeking their welfare through the proper ordering of things and relationships. We look for and respond to opportunities to bring relief to those who are suffering. We seek the good of others and when possible, we create systems and institutions that serve the common good and promote human flourishing. We work for remedy in the daily situations and when necessary, the reformation or abolition of whole systems that oppress. We disciple people in the Truth, showing them the way that leads to a life that thrives through having a right relationship to God, to self, to others, and the rest of creation.
So if we only remind ourselves each day to be God-centered and not SELF-CENTERED, we can make the difference. Ever wonder why it feels so good to help another person? Feel the fluttering in your heart when you know that your love and kindness has made a difference? It’s because we were made in His likeness, born out of His love for us. Jesus did so many things while He walked this earth but the greatest of them all was His love for ALL.
Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20
A Kingdom of ambassadors
We have established that those who are called to follow Jesus have been born again into the Kingdom of God’s own Son, translated, as it were, from the darkness of sin and unbelief into the glorious light of the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life (Col. 1:13, 14). Citizenship in the Kingdom of God entails certain unique privileges and responsibilities, chief among them, seeking the King and His Kingdom, embodying the character and mission of that Kingdom, and proclaiming the reality of the Kingdom of God by our lives and words.
None of this comes naturally to someone simply by virtue of his coming to faith in Jesus Christ. Just as disciples must be taught what it means to follow Jesus, so they must be equipped to live within His Kingdom and before His glorious throne.
Even more, however, as citizens of the Kingdom of God every follower of Jesus Christ is commissioned as an ambassador of the King and His realm of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17, 18). All disciples have been sent into the world after the same manner that Jesus was sent (Jn. 20:21). Jesus came to “bring near” the Kingdom of God to human beings, to establish a beachhead for a new era, a portent in time of an eternal realm of glory which is poised to come at any moment. Jesus established that beachhead; then He promised His followers that, as citizens and ambassadors of the Kingdom of God they would do greater works than He had done – greater, in particular, in the extent of their reach to the entire lost world (Jn. 14:12).
As ambassadors of the Kingdom of God every follower of Christ must understand his uniquely personal assignment as an agent and outpost of the Kingdom. And it is the duty of pastors and teachers to equip the saints for such an outlook on and approach to following the Lord.
What is involved in being an ambassador for Jesus Christ?
A uniquely personal calling
We can understand this work of being an ambassador more fully if we follow the logic of Paul’s summary of his ministry in 2 Corinthians 10:13-18. We observe, first of all, that Paul was mindful of having been assigned a unique “area of influence” within which to follow Jesus and serve His Kingdom (v. 13). This “area of influence” had been assigned to him by God, and he understood that his responsibility was to embody and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to the full extent of that assigned area.
In the same way every believer occupies an “area of influence” for which he has been uniquely prepared by the Lord (Ps. 139:15, 16). This “area of influence” amounts to what Jesus described with the participle, poreuthentes, “as you are going”, in Matthew 28:19. Every follower of Jesus Christ is a living, working, and relating agent and outpost of the Kingdom of God. His bodily space – together with the community of believers with which he is united – is his “embassy.” There the Law of the Kingdom obtains to engender love for God and neighbor as the defining marks of discipleship.
From his “embassy” the disciple seeks to exert “influence” for the Kingdom, to bring the benefits of righteousness, peace, and joy to arenas and individuals from the far country to which he has been sent.
Every ambassador of the King has business in a foreign land, where he must understand the culture and people in order to represent the interests of his King and Kingdom and to bring the benefits of that eternal rule to the people he encounters in the “as you are goings” of his daily life. This requires a lifetime of ongoing training and discipleship, which it is the duty of pastors to provide.
The ambassador’s objective
Every ambassador serves as a kind of “good will” agent of the nation which has commissioned him. His job includes putting forth the best his nation has to offer – in hospitality, good will, concern for the needs of his host country, and so forth. He will want the people to whom he has been sent to understand the unique qualities of his native land so that they will regard it favorably.
This is true for the ambassador of the Kingdom of God as well. Paul understood he had not been sent into his area of influence to boast about himself, but about the Lord (vv. 13, 16, 17). His objective was to set forth the goodness, greatness, majesty, compassion, mercy, and loving kindness of the Lord to the people he met throughout his area of influence.
This, Paul was careful elsewhere to observe, he did both by the manner of his living among the people to whom he had been sent as well as by his conversation and instruction (cf. 1 Thess. 2; 1 Cor. 2, 3). Paul had not been sent to his area of influence to represent his own interests, nor even those of the church at Antioch which had commissioned him. His desire was to see, wherever he went, the name of the Lord exalted and boasting in Him increasing all around.
The Lord in honored both by the lifestyle and conversation of His followers. Christians are called to a new and distinct way of living (Eph. 4:17-24). Their daily lives and conversations are devoted to the service of their King, and they seek to bring Him and His many virtues to the attention of everyone they encounter in the “as you are goings” of their lives. They want people to know Him, to understand the difference He can make in a person’s life, and to join him in seeking the King and His Kingdom. The ambassador for Christ longs to bring the presence and transforming influence of the Kingdom of God into every cultural arena to which he has been sent – home, neighborhood, community, work, church, and more – so that righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit may abound more and more there. He is even determined, insofar as God enables him, to see his world turned upside down for the cause of Christ and His Kingdom, as he boasts in the Lord by word and deed in every area of his life (Acts 17:1-9).
But he will not live this way nor own this objective unless he is equipped to do so, heart, mind, conscience, and strength.
The ambassador’s method
Every ambassador understands that a kind of symbiosis must exist between his embassy and the host country. His daily living, and that of his family and staff, must be drawn from the people to whom he has been sent. At the same time, his objective is to bring the benefits of his native country to the people of his hosting nation, regardless of what their attitude may be toward his nation.
Paul saw his life in this way. He knew that he had been sent to the Corinthians to benefit them, in particular, to help them come to saving faith and then to nurture them in that faith (v. 15). He chided the Corinthians because they failed to reciprocate as they should have by supplying part of his personal needs (1 Cor. 9). Here in 2 Corinthians 10 he is seeking help from them for another sector of his area of influence, and he wants to make sure they fulfill the duties this symbiosis requires: “our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged.”
Ambassadors for the Kingdom of God must seek the wellbeing of those to whom they have been sent, as Paul makes clear in Romans 14:17-19. In turn, we must remember that we derive a portion of our own wellbeing from the people around us – our work, the protections of civil government, the benefits of culture and community, and so forth. The follower of Christ must be taught and equipped in order to glean the good of the lost world, without becoming ensnared in the evil, while, at the same time, seeking to do good to all people, beginning with the household of faith (Gal. 6:1-10).
The ambassador’s agenda
In all their dealings with the people of the nation to whom they have been sent, ambassadors have one overarching agenda – to represent, extol, and honor the nation which has commissioned them to their calling.
This is how Paul saw His life. He knew that God had commissioned him to take the name of Jesus Christ to the limits of his area of influence and to increase that area, and the reach of the Gospel, by every available means (vv. 14, 16; cf. 1 Cor. 9:23). The principle item on the agenda of every Kingdom ambassador is to make known the name of Jesus Christ and to call others to consider Him. Every day doors of opportunity open for us, just as they did for Paul (1 Cor. 16:8, 9; Eph. 5:15-17). But the followers of Christ must be trained to recognize those opportunities and to go boldly through them, ready to give a reason for the hope that is within them (1 Pet. 3:15).
True disciples are ambassadors of the King and His Kingdom
We are not making disciples if we are not equipping the people in our care to live as ambassadors of Jesus Christ – to see every aspect of their lives, all their relationships, roles, and responsibilities, as an area of influence – a personal mission field – to be occupied, shaped, and employed in the business of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Every week our churches are sending out ambassadors of the King and His Kingdom who are ill-prepared for duty and are failing to make the most of the Kingdom opportunities the Lord brings to them each day. As a result, they are giving up ground to the Kingdom of darkness, simply because they have not been properly equipped to live as ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
Every ambassador is accountable for his calling. In the same way, the ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom must be accountable to one another, and to their shepherds, for the high calling and great privilege of the ambassadorship which has been entrusted to them.
The ability of Christ’s followers to fulfill their Kingdom callings and to serve as ambassadors of our King depends on the kind of equipping for discipleship that we as pastors bring to them.
Write me at [email protected] and I’ll send you a helpful brochure which you can use to train your people to identify and begin working their own “area of influence” – their Personal Mission Field.
For more insight to this important topic, get the book, The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman. Here is a classic which describes the process of disciple-making and will get us in a frame of mind for renewal in our ministries. You might also want to download T. M.’s free PDF series on the life of faith, “This One Thing.”
Ambassadors for Jesus
Ambassadors for Jesus - Presentation Transcript
1. God Company Sri Lanka [email_address]
2. Acts 11:26 ...so for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. THE DISCIPLES WERE CALLED CHRISTIANS FIRST AT ANTIOCH.
3. Under whatever justification this is the HUMAN FACTOR AT PLAY. Instead of fragmenting we should be consolidating into one main body that absolutely practice and project Jesus’ teachings and be the representatives of Goodness to the entire world.
4. Fragmented to 38,000 + denominations…! Catholics - 1.2 billion Protestantism- 670 million Eastern Orthodoxy- 228 million Oriental Orthodoxy- 82 million Nontrinitarianism - 27.5 million The total number of Christians - 2.4 billion(aprox) Fragmented to 38,000 different denominations
5. Ideally… all Christians should represent ONE UNIVERSAL BODY OF CHRIST of which JESUS IS THE FOUNDATION, THE HEAD AND THE CORNERSTONE. ONE UNIVERSAL BODY OF CHRIST This strong body of Christ should be composed of all REGENERATED, SANCTIFIED AND BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS, WHO BY DEFINITION ARE INDIVIDUALS - DETERMINED AS THEIR LIFE’S PRIORITY - OBEY, ACTIVELY PRACTICE AND LIVE BY JESUS` TEACHINGS…
6. THIS BODY WOULD REPRESENT THE TRUE CHRISTIAN THAT JESUS WANTED US TO BE... The main characteristic of this body of Christ would be: THE DETERMINATION AS THEIR LIFE’S PRIORITY TO OBEY , ACTIVELY PRACTICE AND LIVE BY JESUS` TEACHINGS…
7. Jesus required each Christian to be the like the SALT OF THE EARTH - an essentiality for all mankind… and be the LIGHT OF THE WORLD – to take away the darkness and evil with our Goodness Matthew 5 13 "YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14 "YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD . A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
8. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD ... By living according to His teachings, we will be setting an example that anyone would notice . And as Jesus says no one will keep a light hidden. It will be kept at a place where everyone can see it. YOUR GOOD DEEDS WILL BE SEEN BY OTHERS... Jesus tells us that when we do good “OTHERS WILL SEE YOUR GOOD DEEDS” and PRAISE OUR LORD IN HEAVEN ...
9. If Christians were able to live and practice Jesus’ teachings we will be giving others a vivid example and a compelling reason to come to Christ...much like at the beginning of Christ's Church.
10. 44 All THE BELIEVERS WERE TOGETHER and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, THEY GAVE TO ANYONE AS HE HAD NEED. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together WITH GLAD AND SINCERE HEARTS, 47 praising God and ENJOYING THE FAVOUR OF ALL THE PEOPLE. and the LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAILY those who were being saved. Acts 2: ...AND THE LORD ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER DAILY THOSE WHO WERE BEING SAVED
11. This is exactly what Jesus expects from us when He says that we were to be the SALT OF THE EARTH ...and that we were the Light on to the world... SALT AND LIGHT ARE TWO ESSENTIALS for all mankind! Jesus wanted Christians to make such an impact that would bring good to the world( BE THE GOODNESS OF THE WORLD )... be seen and noticed by others as a valuable example... Praise and learn about OUR FATHER IN HEAVEN...and COME TO KNOW HIM and learn to trust Him as their GOD AND SAVIOUR ...and BE SAVED! The early church grew (and amidst persecution) ...because of the vivid example set by the early Christians.
12. The number of Christians would grow as others would want to be a part of this wonderful group of people who are filled with absolute Goodness ...AND EVENTUALLY BE SAVED. Christians good deeds will be valued by society and Our Father in Heaven would be praised Christians would be noticed by others due to our exemplarily Goodness
13. As required by Jesus, imagine if all Christians…. were to practice and live according to Jesus’ Teachings… It will set in motion actions that release pure Goodness onto the world through Jesus’ teachings such as; LOVE…HUMILITY…KINDNESS…CARING…FORGIVING… HUMBLE…HONESTY… GODLOVING…
14. This is what Jesus wanted from us. To be active participants of His Kingdom’s growth. Not just be passive and dormant Christians...but to be active dynamic Ambassadors who are a living example of His Goodness... AND TO SAVE OTHERS FROM ETERAL DAMATION! Jesus brought us the possibility of Salvation...and because of His love for humanity He provided us a pathway to reach Gods Kingdom. The pathway is His message found in the four Gospels. Among many other teachings we see two main directives given by Jesus as found in Matthew 22 and the same referred in Mark 12
15. Matthew 22 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [ b ] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [ c ] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.“ Mark 12 29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. [ e ] 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' [ f ] 31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [ g ] There is no commandment greater than these."
16. Love your God... Live a life in keeping with God’s Directives and steadfastly being within the ten commandments Love your neighbour... Live in Goodness...surrounded by goodness Jesus added this additional directive as the Son who represented our Father in heaven... He said Love your neighbour as yourself... THE BASIS OF LIVING A RIGHTEOUS LIFE FILLED WITH GOODNESS...
17. When we come to Christ,accept Him as our Saviour and start a new beginning and a new life altogether... ...we become Ambassadors for His Kingdom Ambassadors that spread absolute Goodness
18. AS PRACTICING CHRISTIANS WE BECOME THE AMBASSADORS OF THE GREATEST KINGDOM... ..but as a valued person who is noticed as a result of HIS UNIQUE LOVE FOR OTHERS and his EXEMPLARILY GOODNESS TO OTHERS that reflects Jesus and His teachings As Ambassadors for the Greatest Kingdom CHRISTIANS HAVE TO BECOME AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT of the society that we live in... NOT BY MERE SOCIAL STANDING DUE TO MONEY...POWER OR POSITION...
19. Therefore our numbers would grow... automatically ... if I may add
20. Matthew 28 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU . A nd surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.
21. Matthew 28 As a parting instruction Jesus tells His disciples 19 Therefore go and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. ... “TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU”.
22. THE Jesus` parting Instruction was to tell His disciples to TEACH US TO OBEY EVERYTHING HE HAS COMMANDED...giving so much importance for this requirement...which most Christians have forgotten in today’s world ...AND THE REASON IT IS FILLED WITH EVIL ...THE REASON FOR THE TURMOIL... UNREST... ANGER... VENGENCE... VIOLENCE... SELFISHNESS... THAT IS PREVAILING AROUND US TODAY!
23. The whole purpose of Jesus coming to us was for the sake of salvation of humanity...because of His love for Humanity....not just only for you and me... This type of Evil cannot exist in the world if all the Christians follow what was told to us by Jesus. BUT FOR ALL OF HUMANITY
24. COULD EVIL EXIST…? HOW DIFFERENT THE WORLD WOULD BE IF ALL CHRISTIANS COULD LIVE AS THE AMBASSADORS FOR JESUS WHO OBEY, ACTIVELY PRACTICE AND LIVE BY HIS TEACHINGS … ...so that others may see your good deeds and praise our Father in Heaven...and start to learn and come to Him to be saved...THEN START TO ACTIVELY PRACTICE AND LIVE ACCORDING TO HIS TEACHINGS...
25. In the context of today’s world it may look like a tall order. Acts 2 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and ABOUT THREE THOUSAND WERE ADDED TO THEIR NUMBER THAT DAY.
26. Number of Christians in the world today are estimated to be between 2.5 to 2.8 Billion – Roughly 43% of the world population If we live and practice what Jesus thought us and also repeated as His parting instruction found in Matthew 28 20 “...and TEACHING THEM TO OBEY EVERYTHING I HAVE COMMANDED YOU”. If all Christians can act as an Ambassador for Jesus focusing on just two others and bring them to Christ – and you have your entire lifetime to do this...THINK OF THE DIFFERENCE THAT IT WOULD CREATE...
27. By simply being AMBASSADORS FOR JESUS we can set in motion the RELEASE OF GOODNESS TO THE WORLD and be THE INITIATORS OF CHANGE of all what has gone wrong in the world today. Thank you God Company Sri Lanka Email : [email_address] Website: http://www.slideshare.net/Thornmd/presentations
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