Tag: ambassadors for Christ
Compelled by Love!
Scripture reading for September 1st: 2nd Corinthians 5:12-21
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them.” (2nd Corinthians 5:14-15) Love is one of the strongest of human motivations. God’s love poured into a human vessel through Christ Jesus is stronger than natural human love. Paul had received the love of God that brought forgiveness of his many sins. He had heard the Gospel message, even received it directly from Jesus Christ by revelation. (Galatians 1:11-12) He was fully convinced that Jesus died for all men’s sins. For him, he was compelled by the love of Jesus to live fully for Christ!
“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. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2nd Corinthians 5:16-17) Paul’s vision of Christ had changed. He was no longer a false teacher and messiah pretender whose followers needed to be removed from the earth. Paul’s worldly vision was blinded on the Damascus road and a new revelation took its place. Christ was Lord of All and the Son of God! Paul was adopted into God’s family and made a new creation that day. The “old Paul” died, and a “new creation Paul” emerged through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul’s vision of others changed that day too.
Paul got a new mission: the ministry of reconciliation. “We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2nd Corinthians 5:20-21) Compelled by the love of Christ, Paul was pleading with men and women everywhere on Christ’s behalf. He was now an ambassador for the Lord, sent in Christ’s place to make the King’s plea! All men could become righteous through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ! Have you responded to this plea? If you are already a believer, are you offering this plea, compelled by Christ’s love, to your family, friends and neighbors?
New Creation Realities!
Scripture reading for November 27th: 2nd Corinthians 1-5
Many Christians don’t realize who they really are in Christ. They struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. They try to be different and keep the rules or commandments but always fail or fall short. “Try harder!”, some well-meaning saints encourage! But the harder they try, the more frustrated they become. The secret is in knowing who we are in Christ.
When we are truly ‘born again’, we are transformed inside by the Holy Spirit into new creations. (John 3:3-8) (2nd Corinthians 5:17) As God blew breath into Adam and he became a living being, so the breath of God comes into us by the Holy Spirit and we become alive to God! We haven’t just added a set of rules to live by. We don’t just learn a creed of ethics that makes us different from other religions. We don’t just go to church and sing songs and learn traditions. Our life is brand new at it’s core, in our heart and spirit! We now have an eternal relationship with Father, Son (Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 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. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21
We have a new identity! The new creation that is formed in us by the Holy Spirit is reconciled to God. We are no longer cut off from Him by sin. God did this work of reconciliation at the cross. He put our sins on His Son and the Son paid the penalty. We are adopted into God’s family and given the task of appealing to others on Christ’s behalf. Our position is “ambassador” of Christ. We are to implore men and women to be reconciled to God. We have a divine purpose and our identity is with Christ instead of self and sin. Low self-esteem is an old thing that is vanquished! The new has come and is from God!
What a blessing to be forgiven! What freedom to know eternal life and a relationship with our heavenly Father! These new creation realities must be appropriated by faith and lived out daily. Our God is for us and now we are for Him! Appropriate your “ambassador” status today and implore someone you know to be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ! It’s who you really are and your divine purpose!