Ambassadors for Christ

“Use everything at your disposal to be a gigantic, illuminated billboard of God’s glory!”

Lindsey Carlson

Watch Liz share her testimony

Lynda and Emily share what it means to be Ambassadors in Christ

2 Corinthians 5 (NIV)

Awaiting the New Body

5 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. ² Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, ³ because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. ⁷ For we live by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹ Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹² We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³ If we are “out of our mind,” as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Questions

Intro

1. Was there any person or people that were ambassadors to you and helped lead you to Christ?

2. What was it they did or said that helped you put your faith in God?

Context (v1-10)

3. At the beginning of this passage Paul uses a lot of imagery to get across his points. He talks of the “earthly tent” and “heavenly dwelling”, and also being “clothed…with our heavenly dwelling” and “unclothed”.
   1. What does he mean by earthly tent and heavenly dwelling?
   2. What does he mean by clothed with our heavenly dwelling and unclothed?

4. Verses 6 to 10 Paul reminds us of why we should be ambassadors and ultimately who we’re doing this for.
   1. V6-8: What is Paul saying here? What should our primary motivation be?
   2. V9-10: Paul says here “So we make it our goal to please him [God], whether we are at home in the body or away from it”. Why should we be trying to please him always?

5. Paul uses a lot of linking words in this part of the passage.
   1. Can you find them all?
   2. What is he leading us towards in the next section?

Observation/ Meaning (v11-21)

6. In verses 11 to 15 we see Paul animatedly explain why we should be ambassadors. From these verses, what are his motivations for his call to action?

7. V15 is such a big statement! What do you take from it?

8. In v 16 and 17, what do you think Paul may be asking us to remember here? And as believers, how can we help each other to remember that too?

9. Having looked at these verses in more depth how does this make you feel about being an ambassador for God?

Does it motivate you or terrify you?

Application

10. How can we be ambassadors for Christ to non-believers?

11. How can we be ambassadors for Christ to other believers and each other?

Prayer

Who do you think you are called to be an ambassador for God to in your life? As you pray think about that person or those people lift them up to God, that they may see God’s glory through you.   

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors as though God were making his appeal through us. (2 Cor 5:20a)