The Lord’s Message:  Ambassadors for Christ

The Lord’s Message:  Ambassadors for Christ
Date:  February 18, 2026
Where:  Tilghman Methodist Church
Scripture Reference:  2 Corinthians 5:20-6:10

Ash Wednesday

            The scripture that I just read began with Paul using a word that most of us are not very familiar with, Ambassadors.  If we were in government, we might understand what this word means.  The only time most of us hear this word is when a leader of one country is so upset with another country that they withdraw their ambassadors from that country as a sign of their displeasure.  I find this quite remarkable that if you are upset with someone else, you simply break off all communications with the person who has offended you, this seems rather childish, as in “I am taking my toys and going home and never will speak to you again”.  Instead, I would think that we would want to increase the communications to come to an equitable place.  But I guess that is why I am not a politician. 

            Let us get to the definition of an ambassador.  An ambassador is the highest-ranking government official who is not the leader but is appointed by the government to represent the interests of the leader in a foreign land.  So, why would Paul say that we are Christ’s ambassador and how can we fulfill the duties of an ambassador for Christ? 

            Let us pray. 

The first step to being an ambassador for Christ is to intimately know God and Jesus.  Some people will say I know God or I know Jesus, however the question becomes “is that knowledge just head knowledge or is it heart knowledge?”.  John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, would ask the question of the pastors and leaders of the church, “How is it with your soul?”  The soul is where we intimately know God and Jesus.  God and Jesus know about us. and we know about them.  This results in an intimate relationship for us with God and Jesus.  Our soul is the only part of our body which, when we die, goes to be with God.  Solomon confirms this in Ecclesiastes 12:7. It is vital that we have an intimate relationship with God. 

Part of having an intimate relationship with God is our understanding that we are sinners in need of a savior.  Every one of us are guilty of breaking God’s laws.  In Romans 6:23, Paul tells us that the wages for our sin, for breaking God’s law, is death, but through Jesus’ death on the cross we have received eternal life.  We have been reconciled to God, verse 20b.  We have been reconciled to God through Jesus.  In verse 21, we have the workings of the ministry of reconciliation.  In order for us to be Christ’s ambassador, we need to understand the ministry of reconciliation in order to pass it on to others.

In 2 Corinthians 6:1, this ministry of reconciliation is God’s grace.  Grace is God’s Righteousness At Christ’s Expense.  God imparts His righteousness at the expense of the His only Son, Jesus, dying on the cross for you and me.  As Paul correctly claims, “This is the Day of our Salvation, verse 2. 

As Christians ,or Ambassadors, for Christ, we need to understand that we are foreigners in a foreign land.  This is not our home.  Therefore, the ruler of this world, Satan, wants to throw everything at us for us to breaking our relationship with God.  Paul was not immune to this.  He writes in verses 4-10.  As foreigners in a foreign land, we should not expect to enjoy a cozy life, free from hardship and pain.  No, we should expect the opposite.  If our life is too cozy, then we are not being ambassadors for Christ. 

We have a mission.  No one who says they believe in Jesus is exempt from the mission.  We have all the resources to fulfill the mission.  Jesus spells out our mission in Matthew 28:18-20.  This is the burden that should be on all our hearts.  The Disciple Peter gives us instructions on how to tell others the Gospel, 1 Peter 3:15-16.   

In order to access those resources to fulfill the mission we must stay connected to God through prayer, reading the Bible, gathering with other Christians, and living in obedience with God.  Another one of John Wesley’s questions is “how is the Bible living in you?”  You are the Bible that people see every day.  In order for us to show the correct Bible to others, we need to be in the word, every day.

In conclusion, everyone who believes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior is an ambassador for Christ.  No exemptions.  As ambassadors, we need to have an intimate relationship with God and Jesus.  We keep that relationship strong through prayer, reading the Bible, gathering with other Christians, and living in obedience with God.  When we fail, we can ask for forgiveness from God and receive God’s forgiveness, which is called God’s grace.  We know this grace was made possible because of Jesus’ death on the cross.  We also acknowledge that we are living in a foreign land, so by living for Jesus, we will experience hardships in this life.  We are called to be His ambassadors, in order that God and Jesus will be known to this world, which so desperately needs them. 

 I ask you tonight, will you be ambassadors for Christ?  Will you strive every day to make Jesus and God known to this world, through your words and actions?  As you begin your Lenten journey tonight, I pray that you will examine and reflect on your walk with God.  Amen.