27/05/2022
CALLED BY A NEW NAME
2 Corinthians 5: 1-21
In Proverbs 13:17, Isaiah 18:2, 30:4; 33:7 and Jeremiah 49:14 we find the word ’envoy’, meaning an ambassador. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul speaks of himself as Christ’s ambassador (Ephesians 6:20), and of all Christians as the ambassadors of the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:20).
What is an ambassador? In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul says, “We are therefore Christ�s ambassadors” An ambassador is a REPRESENTATIVE - one who represents another. He goes to a foreign country and represents the Throne and the Government of his own people. Now this is true of ambassadors for Christ representatives of the King of heaven and of heaven itself in a foreign country - this world. His position is one of great RESPONSIBILITY, so think of this in its spiritual significance. Christ is our representative in heaven (Hebrews 9:24) and we are His personal representatives on the earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). However, none of us can truly represent the Lord in our own strength, but when He sends us out we go with all the RESOURCES of heaven behind us. He is our sufficiency, and we go in His Name. Compare 2 Corinthians 6:1. Let’s notice the Marks, the Message and the Motive of God’s ambassadors.
1. The MARKS of an Ambassador of God
1. (1) He must be a citizen of heaven. No alien can ever represent our Queen or her Government in a foreign Court. Now look at 2 Corinthians 5:17, because a true ambassador must be ”in Christ…”, ”a new creation…” and “redeemed with the precious blood of Christ…” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
2. (2) He must be above reproach. Our Queen would never send out a man of doubtful character; and the Lord requires that His ambassadors should live lives that are above suspicion. Notice again in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “the old has gone, the new has come…”, and compare Philippians 2:15. He is the object of the closest scrutiny, and in every relationship he must be blameless.
3. (3) He must be selfless. He must be willing to put aside completely his own interests so that he might do the will of his king. Is the whole determined attitude of our lives, ‘�Not I, but Christ’? Do we “die every day”? - look up 1 Corinthians 15:31. Have we entered, by faith, into the experience of John 12:24 and Galatians 2:20?
4. (4) He must be in constant contact with the Throne. He will make use of every modern method of communication. In the same way, by prayer we can be in constant contact with the Throne of God - how necessary for a true ambassador!
5. (5) He must be steadfast and loyal. Look up Ephesians 6:20. The Apostle Paul is in prison, but how willingly he suffered these “chains” for Christ’s sake! How faithful and how utterly loyal he was to his King!
6. (6) He must be diplomatic. Diplomacy is the art of negotiation. We have no wisdom of our own and we certainly do not have the wisdom needed to win souls and to represent the Lord before men; but we have a great promise that God will fulfil in us if we ask Him (James 1:5).
7. (7) He must know the language of the people among whom he lives. How important it is for the ambassador to be able to communicate in a foreign country. The language that we, as ambassadors, need to learn is the language of love. Look up Luke 10:33-35.
2. The MESSAGE of an Ambassador of God
This is clearly defined in 2 Corinthians 5:19-21. We are to proclaim the fact that at infinite cost to Himself God has made a way of reconciliation possible; that He has done this by sending His own Son to die for sin; and that through His sacrifice the barrier of sin has been removed and God and man have been brought together in Christ, by His at-one-ment. The ambassador is to proclaim this message and to tell men and women that these are God’s terms for reconciliation, and he is to press them to accept these terms and to be reconciled to God. The ambassador’s message is therefore one of absolute certainty; it is one of great heavenly and spiritual authority - for it has been ”committed to us” (verse 19), and we proclaim it “on Christ’s behalf” (verse 20); and its proclamation calls for great loyalty on the part of the ambassador. Philip was a good ambassador - look up and compare Acts 8:5 and 35.
3. The MOTIVE of an Ambassador of God
1. (1) The love of Christ (verse 14). His great love for us, and in us (Romans 5:8) compels us to go out with His message of reconciliation.
2. (2) The Judgment Seat of Christ (verses 9-10). One day our King will recall us, then - Romans 14:12; 1 Corinthians 3:13.
3. (3) The dire need of the lost (verse 11). The fact that men are lost and bound for a Christ-less eternity should stir us, not only to live so that we truly represent our Lord, but to proclaim with passion the message that He has committed to us. This passion was in the heart of the Prophet when he wrote - Isaiah 62:1, and it was certainly in the heart of the great Apostle himself when he wrote - Romans 9:2-3. It is the passion of our beseeching God that burns within us, that becomes a part of us and that finds its expression as we pray for men and women “on Christ’s behalf” that they will be reconciled to God.
Christians of every era are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. An ambassador is a personal envoy sent from the head of a state. Just as a head of state sends an ambassador on a diplomatic mission, Christ sends us on a mission to represent him in both words and actions.
We are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
The job has two aspects—conveying messages from the sovereign and representing the sovereign personally. Conveying messages requires words, but representing the sovereign personally requires more than words. It also takes action, for example by demonstrating the sovereign’s character and acting to accomplish the sovereign’s purposes. As Christ’s ambassadors, we convey Christ’s message of good news and we live in ways that show God’s love for the people we encounter at work and everywhere we go.
Jesus' words in Acts 1:8 flesh out this picture of being an ambassador. “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus does not send his followers to go witnessing, but to be his witnesses. To go witnessing might only mean speaking words about God somewhere away from home, but to be a witness means living a life that shows God’s love wherever we are. In fact, we are never commanded in the Bible to go witnessing. To focus on telling before showing disconnects who we are from what we say—and that’s a problem. Church historian Michael Greene notes that the early church’s impact on the world was dependent on this linkage of the messengers’ lives and their words.
It was axiomatic that every Christian was called to be a witness to Christ, not only by life but lip.
The connection between belief and behavior runs right through Christian literature. The two cannot be separated without disastrous results. Among them, the end of effective evangelism.
Notice the order in Paul’s instructions to the Colossians, how actions precede spiritual conversation.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV)
When we serve other people through our actions, we bring the love of Jesus to them. Evangelism is not as much about bringing people to Jesus but bringing Jesus to people—to show and then tell. Bringing Jesus to people—serving them—was key to Paul’s strategy of bringing people to Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 9:19 he says, “For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them.” Paul was willing to reach out to people wherever they felt at home in terms of space, language, or history, not make them accommodate themselves to him.
Four Ways to Serve as Christ’s Ambassador at Work
What does it look like to be Christ’s ambassador at work—to serve Christ at work and represent him there? While none of us will do these things perfectly, there are four components that make our witness credible to others—competence, character, concern, and wise conversation. We encourage you to consider how God can use these elements to attract others to himself. They are not a formula, a technique, or steps to success, but ways we show that our faith is real to coworkers and colleagues. As we review these concepts ourselves, we consistently see areas where we need to improve. But no one has messed up to the point of hopelessness. In fact, where we’ve made mistakes and can humbly confess our shortcomings, our witness becomes more believable. Even if it were possible to be perfect, people can’t identify with perfect Christians. To be able to identify with us as witnesses, they need to know that we ourselves need grace.
Sharing the Gospel Through Competence
The first task of ambassadors of Christ in the workplace is to do our work with excellence—because our competence weighs in heavily on our credibility. Competence means doing our best work, putting our heart into it, providing excellent products and services that meet legitimate human needs.
Scripture speaks about the importance of doing good work in a number of places. For example:
Do you see those who are skillful in their work? They will serve kings. (Proverbs 22:29)
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. (Ecclesiastes 9:10)
Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord. (Colossians 3:23)
We should not be surprised that our work as inextricably connected to our witness. Consider the following:
• God is a worker and made mankind in his own image as such. In Genesis chapters 1 and 2, God introduces himself as a worker—a creator, designer, builder, ruler, and real estate developer—and from the beginning, work has been part of God’s intention for the human race. It is integral to being human. God told our first human parents to diligently cultivate and keep the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) to be productive in their work to bring creation to full flower (Genesis 1:28).
• Adam’s very being, future, and identity are bound up with the earth and his work upon it.
• We reflect the image of God through our work. As Christ’s ambassadors, we have the responsibility to embody Christ in our own dynamic vocational contexts. Michael Williams writes, “We exist for the purpose of imaging God, reflecting him into the world, copying something of him into the lives of the people and societies around us.”
• The quality of our work and our attitude toward our work tells people a lot about us—and the God we serve. Can you imagine Jesus using substandard materials, performing shoddy carpentry, or overcharging his customers? Had he done so, customers who heard him teach would have every reason to conclude that his theology was as wobbly as his tables.
• Paul tells us that the products and services we provide to supply the needs of others and shape the development of human life are key ways in which we love our neighbor: "Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, … we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you, so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one." (1 Thessalonians 4:9-12)
• When we do good work, God is glorified. Abraham Kuyper explains, "Wherever man may stand, whatever he may do, to whatever he may apply his hand, in agriculture, in commerce, and in industry, or his mind, in the world of art, and science, he is, in whatsoever it may be, constantly standing before the face of his God, he is employed in the service of his God, he has strictly to obey his God, and above all, he has to aim at the glory of his God."
• Doing good work with a servant’s heart and “as done for the Lord” brings glory to God and goes a long way toward earning us the right to be heard. Conversely, we undermine our witness if we shirk our work, do our work poorly, or work only for our own self-interest.
The bottom line: In the workplace, people judge us first by our work, not our theology. If we want people to pay attention to our faith, we must pay attention to our work.
Sharing the Gospel Through Character
Character is a second prerequisite for spiritual influence. Every human being is created in God’s image, and instinctively respects the character traits of the God who designed us—true even for those who do not know God. Humankind universally values the Fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). In Jesus’ day, many people repulsed by the religious leaders were attracted to Jesus because he embodied these characteristics. Today, Christ-like character still engages attention and invites respect.
Non-Christians take note of our joy when we work, our peace in the midst of disappointment, and our graciousness and humility toward people who try our patience. Unfortunately, these are too often in short supply for those of us charged with showing Jesus’ character to the world. In 2013, the Barna Group studied hypocrisy among Christians. Among those who self-identified themselves as Christians, research based on a list of self-selected attitudes and actions found that 51 percent described themselves more like Pharisees (hypocritical, self-righteous, judgmental) as opposed to only 14 percent that modeled the actions and attitudes of Jesus (selfless, empathy, love). C.S. Lewis described the problem,
When we Christians behave badly, or fail to behave well, we are making Christianity unbelievable to the outside world. … Our careless lives set the outer world talking; and we give them grounds for talking in a way that throws doubt on the truth of Christianity.
If our words are to mean anything to others, they should flow out of a life of integrity, otherwise our deeds paint our words the color of a lie. Integrity can be especially challenging at work. The pressure to abandon biblical values and follow a different rule of life on Monday can overwhelm thin commitments made in church on Sunday. Christ calls us to live out our Christian values at work as fully as everywhere else, even when we must disadvantage ourselves. When people see that we are not just striking a pose, but humbly seeking to live a life of integrity, they take notice.
People also take notice, not so much when we fail—which we will—but when we fail to admit that we don’t have it all together. Perhaps more important than getting things right is admitting that we often get things wrong, seeking forgiveness, and making amends to those we injure. One of the most attractive elements of character is the humility to accept that we’re not perfect. Jerram Barrs reminds us of the impact humility can have on others,
So often as Christians we behave as if we have everything to give to the non-Christian and nothing to receive. We imagine that it would be demeaning for us to acknowledge any weakness or need. Christians are supposed to “have it all together,” and we fear that letting unbelievers see that we don’t, might bring discredit on us and on the gospel. This is folly, for the truth is that we are always weak and needy and the gospel is not served by pretending otherwise. To acknowledge, as Jesus does, our need of the kindness, gifts, wisdom, or advice an unbeliever can give us is encouraging and ennobling to those who might have been led to expect only scorn or condescension from us.
Here’s the bottom line. It’s not enough to do good work, there has to be something attractive about our character. And especially, the ability to admit our failures and brokenness stands out in stark relief to the culture around us. People need to smell the sweet aroma of Jesus’ presence in our character, which comes most strongly through the humble character he creates in us.
Sharing the Gospel by Showing Concern
When competence and character combine they create trust that lends credibility to our words. When joined by godly concern for others, they give our witness power. It is true; people don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.
Showing concern for others is not an option for followers of Christ. It is what Christians do—the natural outworking of our relationship with a gracious God. Kind words and gracious actions that impact others come from within, not from mere obligation or religious duty. When people see our genuine concern, they see Jesus alive in us.
We show concern by our words. What we say and how we say it speaks volumes about who we are, what motivates us, and how much we care about others. The apostle Paul allows little wiggle room when it comes to thoughtless words.
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)
Consider the wisdom about words from the book of Proverbs:
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1)
With patience a ruler may be persuaded, and a soft tongue can break bones. (Prov. 25:15)
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverse. (Prov. 10:32)
One who gives an honest answer gives a kiss on the lips. (Prov. 24:26)
A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. (Prov. 25:11)
And even when we must deliver rebuke, we are to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).
We show concern by listening to others’ words. Our willingness to listen and receive input from others sends a powerful message. It says, “I care what you think; you have something valuable to contribute.” When we ask questions and listen with focused attention and a humble spirit, we invite trust and cooperation in our workplace as well as personal relationships.
Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. (James 1:19)
We listen not just because it’s good leadership or reflects well on us, but because the person speaking is an individual made in the image of God and deserves our respect even when that image has been distorted.
We show concern by our actions. Gracious speaking and listening should be accompanied by corresponding behavior. The way we respond toward others in the midst of daily stress and success reveals whether we care more about others or ourselves. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus taught his disciples that spiritual leadership is not about doing big things. It is about being a servant.
Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognize as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)
Small acts of kindness can light up a dark room or a dark workplace.
Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:4.)
Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world. (Phil. 2:14-15)
Given the negative perception many people have of Christians, Christianity does not look like a faith most people can relate to, much less benefit from—unless we show them differently by our competence, character, and concern.
Developing relationships with the people we work around should never be a strategy to manipulate them into a conversation about faith, but a way to genuinely grow to love them more deeply and learn how we can serve them.
Here’s the bottom line. Competence, character, and concern together create a powerful apologetic for the gospel and with the Spirit’s nudging can open a door for gospel conversations.
