Relate: Ambassadors of Christ

Manuscript Template

Title:  Relate: Ambassadors of Christ

Focus Statement:  

Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel”(1 Thessalonians 2:4). As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom (John 18:36), and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16). God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must take the message of our King to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), imploring men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God.

Function Statement:  

As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to represent Christ and His Kingdom well, aligning every aspect of our lives to Christ’s values, spreading His message of Love and Grace to a hurting world through the example of our lives.

Tweetable Phrase:  

God’s intention for ministry is (everyone, everywhere, all the time)

Main Text:  2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Supporting Text:  1 Corinthians 9:19-23, John 3:30-35, 1 Corinthians 10:23-11:1, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 6:24, Matthew 22:36-40, Romans 1:16

Redemptive Closure (point to Jesus):  Romans 1:16, John 5:19

Benediction:  1 Thessalonians 2:4

Questions to Review

Is the bottom line clear? Main point should be able to be said in a single sentence.

What’s the opening line? Not hello, start with a question or something to grab attention.

Is the transition from the introduction to main point clear?

What’s my main point? Make it short and memorable

Does it matter? Is the topic relevant to the congregation?

Where is the power in the text? What word or phrase highlights the tension?

How am I moving toward application?

What is my main to-do (application)? Be specific.

What does it matter? The WHY creates urgency.

How am I closing? Have a plan.

WELCOME

Good morning!!! My name is Ryan Hanson and I have the honor of serving here at The Light KC as the lead pastor. I’m so glad you’re here with us.

‌Welcome to those joining us online. We hope your doing well and hope to see you in person in the coming weeks.

And a special welcome to those joining us for the first time. We’re so glad you chose to be here.

ME/INTRO - Tension

In Matthew 22:36-40, Jesus is asked by a Pharisees what the greatest commandment in the law was. Jesus answered that the greatest commandment was to Love God. And always giving people more than they asked for, Jesus gives this Pharisee the second greatest commandment, love your neighbor as you love yourself.

I know for me, it is very easy to read this verse, mentally agree with the premise that we should Love God before anything else, and then love others.

But...the reality is that on average, as Americans the data shows, we don’t do a great job living this out.

In a study by the Pew Research group that asked people to describe people in America, 68% agreed that the typical American is selfish.

[Pew Research - Selfish American]

Psychology Today concluded the following when studying American culture:

American culture (especially in is dominant or middle-class version) acknowledges the legitimacy of a relatively self-centered vision of life.

Families: Divorce is common as people believe they should not be prisoners to an unhappy relationship. If we’re not always happy, it is culturally okay to just leave.

Education: Schools teach children industriousness and self-discipline, reducing schools to a filtering system to match kids with an occupation.

Religion: Churches are focusing more on individual morality and making good choices, than any obligation we have to society as a whole or individual groups within our community.

In another study by the Association for Psychological Sciences, they concluded the following:

Individualism, as defined by behavioral scientists, means valuing autonomy, self-expression and the pursuit of personal goals rather than prioritizing the interests of the group — be it family, community or country...Everyone seems to agree that our individualism makes us self-centered or selfish, and disagree only about how concerning that is.

There doesn’t seem to be any argument, we are selfish, many just don’t see it as a problem.

WE - Tension

If selfishness is the direction society has been going, and by all indicators will continue to go, I think we all need to ask ourselves the same question that Pharisee asked Jesus.

Matthew 22:36 NIV

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” [for us today]

Said a different way...

What did God create us to do now?

More specifically...

Are we living out Jesus’ answer to this question; to LOVE GOD and LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS?

That’s exactly what we’re going to talk about today as we continue our series “Living An Invitational Life”.

Three weeks ago we talked about how we’re called to LIVE the life of a disciple, obediently doing the next thing God calls us to do.

Last week we talked about how we are called to SHOW UP to places we typically wouldn’t go, talk to people we typically wouldn’t talk to, and serve those we typically wouldn’t interact with when called to do so by God.

This week, we’re going to take one more step forward and see what God has to teach us about how we’re supposed to RELATE to others.

If you missed the previous messages, please feel free go to our website, TheLightKC.org, to catch up.

As as we begin, please turn with me to [2 Corinthians 5:16-21]

We’ll have the scripture on the screen, but if you have a Bible with you, or Bible app on your phone, I’d encourage you to turn to the passage and follow along. There is nothing that replaces having God’s word in your hand.

AND...if you don’t have a Bible, we have Bibles under the seats. If you don’t have a bible and would like one, please come see me after the service and I’ll get you one you can keep.

GOD - Text

Lets dive in.

2 Corinthians 5:16 NIV

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.

The worldly point of view that Paul is referencing is from the previous verse, V15, which says:

2 Corinthians 5:15 NIV

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.

Paul here is calling the Corinthians away from a selfish / self-centered lifestyle.

I think we need to go into a little context.

The books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians were written to the people living in the town of Corinth. Corinth was a city located at the crossroads of the major N/S and E/W roads in Greece making it a center for trade and very wealthy. They were known for their bronze, ceramics, textiles, shipbuilding, and architecture. Because of their wealth, the city became quite the destination. So much so that the term Korinthiazesthai became part of Greek / Roman slang. This term meant to fornicate and do whatever you wanted with no one telling you it was wrong. It was used to describe the people of Corinth. Corinth was equivalent to today’s Los Vegas. What happened in Corinth, stayed in Corinth. And nothing was off limits.

And yet… during Paul’s 2nd missionary journey, he spent 18 months in Corinth. There he met Aquila and his wife Priscilla and together they planted a church. The letters of 1st and 2nd Corinthians are letters to that church that He planted in Corinth.

So, when I read this passage, knowing what it was like in Corinth, my mind immediately start to think, “Why on earth would Paul go to Corinth?”. They are about as far from God as anyone could be, and most likely have no desire to change. They’re rich, do whatever they want, and don’t have anyone telling them it’s wrong. From their perspective, they’re living the life. They’re living “The Corinthian Dream”. How do you tell people they need Jesus as their savior, when they think they have everything and their lives are perfect?

Maybe this sounds familiar? I think we call this, “The American Dream”.

Yet...in the next section, Paul gives us his reason. 2 Corinthians 5:20 states:

2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV

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.

To Paul, he RELATED to others as an Ambassador for Christ. But what does that mean?

To be an ambassador you need to commit to a few things

Adopt the values, beliefs, and teachings of the kingdom / nation you’re representing as your own

Align your life with those values, beliefs, and teachings

Passionately share those values, beliefs, and teachings with others

Paul actually defines this in the passage.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

When you give your life to Christ, we are made into a new creation and we are called to not only adopt Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings as our own, but align our lives with those values, beliefs, and teachings.

Paul goes on in 2 Corinthians 5:18

2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

God’s plan all along was for us to serve as His ambassadors to the world. God gave us his ministry of reconciling the world back to Himself, sharing the grace, love, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ given to us freely when He died on the cross. As followers of Christ, it is our job to passionately share this Good News with those who have not yet accepted this free gift.

And...Paul’s life served as a great example of this.

Adopt Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings

Galatians 2:20 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Paul adopted Christ’s values, beliefs, and teaching for himself.

Align your life with Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings

Romans 6:4 NIV

4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Paul aligned his life to the values, beliefs, and teachers of Jesus.

Passionately share Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings with others

1 Corinthians 11:1 NIV

1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

Paul passionately shared the Good News of Jesus with others.

YOU - Takeaway

Does this describe you?

Would you consider yourself an ambassador of Christ?

Do you believe everything that Christ teaches in the Gospels?

Have you aligned your life to live out those teachings to the best of your ability?

Do you go out, seeking people who don’t yet know the love of Jesus and passionately share the Good News with them?

I ran across a story about Ben Franklin a while back. I personally didn’t know anything about him other than he was one the $100 bill, which always confused me because flying kites in the rain didn’t seem like enough to get on money. I thought you had to be a president for that. But apparently he was the USA’s first Ambassador. When the colonies decided to go to war with England to fight for their independence, Ben Franklin was sent to France to negotiate for their support in the war. But, Ben Franklin didn’t just go to Paris and ask King Louis XVI for help. He first went to the city of Passy, outside of Paris. He learned the French language, studied the culture, and started to develop relationships with the locals. Over time, the people of France got to know Ben Franklin. They appreciated his desire to get to know them and about their culture. As Ben Franklin developed relationships, the people of France not only started to love Him, but they started to love the people of the 13 colonies that Ben Franklin represented. It was through the work of living IN FRANCE, while still REPRESENTING THE PEOPLE OF THE 13 COLONIES that Ben Franklin secured the support of King Louis XVI, leading France to join the colonists in their fight for independence.

This is what we’re called to.

We are called to be IN THE WORLD. RELATING to people. Making relationships with people who don’t know Jesus yet desperately need Him. But we are called to be cautious, to remember that we are not OF THIS WORLD, knowing that we are citizens of God’s Kingdom first ADOPTING God’s values, ALIGNING our lives to God’s commands, and PASSIONATELY INVITING everyone to join us in living the lives that God created us to live now.

WE / JESUS - Redemptive Close - Call to Action

BUT… if we’re honest, even if we have ADOPTED Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings as our own. If we’re doing everything we can to ALIGN our lives with those values, beliefs, and teachings. How many of us feel prepared to PASSIONATELY SHARE the message of Jesus with the lost?

Sharing the gospel

There are lots of ways to share the gospel. I recently read a book that was suggested to me that does a pretty good job of presenting a plan to share the gospel.

It is call “Gospeler” and written by Willie Robertson from the show Duck Dynasty.

[Gospeler]

The basic premise of the book is that to share the Good News of Jesus with someone, you focus only on what is ESSENTIAL and intentionally avoid getting into arguing over CONVICTIONS or PREFERENCES. When talking about faith with people it is easy to get caught up on non-essential details. By non-essential, I’m talking about all the details that have historically divided the church into the current 45,000 denominations. For example, was creation 6 literal days, or 6 time periods? Is the earth 4.5 billion years old or 6,000 years old? Do we baptize by immersion, or sprinkling? etc, etc, etc. Whereas arguments can be made over these (and many more) topics, these are things people are convicted about or prefer to believe. They are not the essential details of scripture.

The ESSENTIAL detail of scripture that we want to carry to the world as Christ’s ambassador is THE GOSPEL. We need to be very intentional about not arguing over our convictions or preferences, staying laser focused on the gospel of Christ. So here’s an image depicting one way to share the Gospel with someone.

[Sharing the Gospel - Duck Dynasty]

The way this image works is that you share the truth about our current condition as fallen people. You use the Bible to point people to the WORD OF GOD as only God’s WORD has the power to save.

First, everyone sins: Romans 3:23

Romans 3:23 NIV

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Second, that sinful nature leads to death: Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 NIV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Finally, share what acts define a sinful nature: Galatians 5:19-21

Galatians 5:19–21 NIV

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

You then share the gospel: 1 Corinthians 15:1-7

1 Corinthians 15:1–7 NIV

1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,

And emphasize that there is only way to be saved, Jesus: John 14:6

John 14:6 NIV

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

You then go on to explain the process of salvation

First you repent: Acts 2:38

Acts 2:38 NIV

38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Then Believe: Romans 10:9

Romans 10:9 NIV

9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Then Confess your sins: 1 John 1:9

1 John 1:9 NIV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

At that point you start a new life based on faith: 2 Corinthians 5:7

2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

7 For we live by faith, not by sight.

You make your decision to follow public by being baptised: Romans 6:1-7

Romans 6:3–7 NIV

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

And the evidence of accepting Jesus as your LORD and SAVIOR is the FRUIT He produces through our lives: Galatians 5:22-23

Galatians 5:22–23 NIV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

This isn’t the only way to share the Gospel. To be transparent, I’ve shred the gospel many different ways over time.

I’ve shared the Gospel without bible verses; Sharing the story of my life before Christ, sharing the reason I sought a personal relationship with Christ, and sharing how my life is different after entering into that personal relationship with Christ.

I’ve used other Bible based methods. One common method you may have heard about is the Roman’s Road.

Many methods are valid and you need to figure out what is best for you, given your comfort with the Bible and sharing your story.

Knowing the story of our denomination

Sharing the Gospel is God’s plan to use the big “C” church to redeem the world.

But how many of us could share the story of the “c” Wesleyan Church. Because people will ask what denomination The Light KC is and what that means relative to other denominations.

If you don’t know The Light KC is a church within the Wesleyan denomination. I personally am very proud to be part of the Wesleyan denomination. The Wesleyan denomination is a denomination that, throughout its history, has worked to focus on the essentials and remain flexible on convictions and preferences.

The denomination was started by a man in the 1700s named John Wesley. He was an Anglican preacher who believed that faith shouldn’t just be head knowledge but something we live out. He focused on application and the denomination that ended up being formed as a result was called the Methodists (because they had a method for applying the truths of scripture to their lives).

The Methodist (later Wesleyan) denomination is what is called a Holiness Denomination as it believes in entire sanctification; the belief that God can (and at times does) provide us the Grace to be free from all willful win. I think there is so much hope in that. We’re not just biding our time on earth to get our ticket to Heaven, but God is working in us and through us now.

Within that, John Wesley had 5 fundamental doctrines that he considered essential

Inerrancy of the Bible

Historical validity of miracles

Virgin birth of Christ

Substitutionary atonement on the cross

Bodily resurrection

Beyond these doctrines, John Wesley was a reformer and the Wesleyan denomination has historically been active in advocating for the rights of others.

Anti Slavery: refused to compromise and broke off from the Methodist denomination in 1842 when the bishops refused to condemn slavery in the south due to fear of losing congregants

The Poor: he offered interest free loans, free medical services, and job training programs

Women’s Rights: Always advocated for equal rights for women, giving women full voting rights within the denomination since the first convention in 1843, ordaining the first female minister in 1861, and even having a female general superintendent in 2012.

The Wesleyan denomination is also built on community. From the start, John Wesley knew we can’t live the life God calls us to live in isolation. He started small groups (he calls Class Meetings) and accountability groups (he called bands) to keep people in relationship and supporting each other as the Holy Spirit does the transformational work of Sanctification within their lives.

Finally the Wesleyan Denomination has worked hard to be IN THE WORLD, but NOT COMPROMISE TO THE WORLD. That trend of witnessing to the world, but staying true to the teachings of scripture (Orthodox) continues today.

Here are the stances the Wesleyan Church takes on culture’s current hot topics.

Abortion: As God creates all life, and all life is sacred, the Wesleyan church is opposed to the use of abortion.

Divorce: An absolute last option and only biblically allowable in the cases of adultery or sexual immorality or abuse

Same Sex Relations / Gender Identity: God created us each for a purpose and with a plan for our lives. Marriage was designed to be between 1 man and 1 woman. Same sex relations, sex before marriage, or changing one’s gender is not within God’s plan.

That being said, the Wesleyan church recognized that we all have a past, we all have sinned, we and all have fallen short of God’s plan for us. The truth is, nothing is to bad, no situation is too far gone, and no one is too far from God to be redeemed. No matter what is in your past, God loves you, created you for a reason, has a good plan for your life, and wants to help you life into the fullness of His good plan for you.

What it all comes down to, is that

We are called to follow Jesus’ example when RELATING to others.

We are called to be His ambassadors to a broken and hurting world.

We are called to model Jesus who was the perfect ambassador for the Father while He was on earth.

John 5:19 NIV

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.

God’s intention for our ministry is to be His Ambassador’s bringing His message to

everyone

everywhere

all the times

PRAYER 

Will you join me in prayer...

SONG 

As we enter into our final song, I want to open the steps up front as an altar to anyone who needs God this week. The steps are open for you to pray to the God who is with you, who loves you, you wants to give you His peace.

‌

You may feel a hand on your shoulder as I or one of the elders join you in prayer.

BENEDICTION 

1 Thessalonians 2:4 NIV

4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

This week...As ambassadors of Christ, let’s go out and represent Christ and His Kingdom well

Adopting Christ values, beliefs, and teachings as our own

Aligning every aspect of our lives to Christ’s values, beliefs, and teachings

Spreading His message of Love and Grace to a hurting world through the example of our lives.

Quick reminder...

Welcome Lindsay to the team as new Worship Leader

Community Prayer Walk / Easter Invite: Sunday 4/13 from 2-4

In an effort to further equip you in your discipleship journey, I’ve added downloaded some discipleship questions about today’s sermon you can review yourself or in your small group. You can get them on the web site, attached to this week’s sermon

Good Friday: 4/18 from 4-7

Easter: Party at 9:30 AM, Service at 10:45 AM

If you’re new, please stop by our info desk, or see me. We’d love to say “hi” and get you know you a bit better.

I hope you have a great week.

Go in peace.

You are dismissed.

DISCIPLESHIP QUESTIONS (download into APP)

How can you intentionally adopt the values of Christ in your daily interactions with others?

What are some practical ways to align your life with Christ’s teachings, especially when it comes to loving your neighbor?

In what areas of your life do you feel you struggle to reflect Christ as an ambassador?

What does it mean for you personally to be an ambassador of Christ in a culture that prioritizes individualism?

How can your actions reflect the love and grace of God to those who do not yet know Him?

What does being 'in the world but not of the world' look like in your day-to-day life?

How can you share the gospel message with your friends in a way that is relatable and respectful?

How can you cultivate deeper relationships with those who may not share your beliefs?

What are some challenges you face when trying to represent Christ in your school or community?

How can you encourage your peers to consider the importance of loving God and loving others?