Sunday 12 July 2015

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST


MEMORY VERSE: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ephesians 1-3

Who is an ambassador? An ambassador is the resident representative for the head of state of their country. An ambassador is a diplomat of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign state to another as its resident representative. The bible teaches that we are ambassadors for Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:20 says, “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.” Firstly, although we are in the world we are not of this world. Jesus said, “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you” (John 15:19). 1 Peter 2:11 says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Secondly, we belong to God’s kingdom. Ephesians 2:19 says, “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.” From the day we gave our lives to Christ, our citizenship changed. We are now citizens of Heaven. Praise the Lord!!!

As citizens of Heaven, we are here on earth to represent our King, the Lord Jesus Christ. I want us to know that ambassadors are very important people. If they don’t do their job correctly, a misunderstanding can easily develop – and possibly even war. An ambassador is supposed to be a good representative of their country. They are expected to communicate clearly what their country is about. It is unfortunate that the ambassadors of Christ, you and I, have not been doing a good job communicating this. The messages we are communicating to the inhabitants of earth are conflicting. We say we belong to a kingdom whose head is Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and we fight among ourselves. There is rancor and animosity in our midst. We claim that the president of our Kingdom is Jesus, the Lamb upon the throne, but we exhibit pride. Because Christ’s ambassadors have not always communicated the correct message to earth’s inhabitants, the people who are supposed to be enjoying the blessings of peace with God are at war with Him. Many of them don’t even want to hear about Jesus. This is why they are banning prayers in many assemblies today. Many think God wants to restrict them and make their life boring and all that, No!

A good ambassador for Christ must know the message of God, and speak His message – accurately. This is why we always encourage believers to study their bible. A lot of us don’t study it as often as we ought to. We spend more time reading newspapers than the bible. The message of Christ is to set people free not beat them down or put them in bondage. God has a message of love for mankind. He loves them and will help them, if they will only turn to Him. This message must be communicated clearly. As ambassadors we are to present Jesus to people as He truly was, and is- and people will be drawn to Him, because there is no fault in Him. An ambassador does not speak for himself or herself, he or she speaks the official policy and message of the country he or she represents. So we are not here to give our opinions, but to proclaim what God has said in His written Word, the Bible – Heaven’s official message.

NOTE: Ambassadors are expected to familiarize themselves with the Bible. The Bible should not be what we read only on Sundays or once or twice a week. It should be something we read daily.

CONFESSION: I will be a good ambassador of Jesus Christ, to represent Heaven, and speak His accurate message here on Earth.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

No comments:

Post a Comment