I am an Ambassador for Christ

I. Ambassadors

A. Our primary role in the Kingdom of God is that of ambassador. We are to be representatives of the King of Kings! 

Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father."

2 Corinthians 5:20 "So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'”

B. Ambassador: an official envoy; an authorized representative or messenger

II. The great commission calls us to be ambassadors (disciple makers).

Matthew 28:18-20 "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'"

III. One Ambassador to Another

Acts 8:27-40 (NLT) So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.

29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.    And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

A. Ambassador for the Queen

1. The Ethiopian eunuch was an ambassador for the Queen of Ethiopia.  (v. 27)

2. He was a worshipper of God. (vs. 27)

3. He was reading from the book of Isaiah. (vs 28)

4. He did not understand what he was reading. (vs. 30-31)

5. He invited Phillip into his chariot indicating his desire to learn. (vs. 31)

B. Ambassador for the King of Kings

1. Phillip had been one of the apostles. (John 1:43 (NLT) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”)

a. The word apostle is from the Greek “apostlos” which means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders”

b. The apostles (disciples) were sent out by God and commissioned by Christ to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20)

c. Phillip was led by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”)

d. Phillip explained the meaning of the passage in Isaiah.  He told the eunuch that the one written about was Jesus. (vs 34)

e. Phillip baptized the eunuch once he believed. (36-38)

III. We are Ambassadors

God has not called all of us to leave home and country to be missionaries. He has not called all of us to stand on street corners and preach. He has not called all of us to be pastors, evangelists, etc.

However, he has called us all to love others. John 13:35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

He has called all of us to do good. Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."  These good deeds might be acts of service, giving to those in need, speaking a word of encouragement, etc.

God has called all of us to have a servants heart and attitude. Mark 10:43-45 "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

We are called to be salt and light. Matthew 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." As salt we can influence the "flavor" of our culture. As light we can "illuminate" our culture. We do this by living lives of holiness. Living for others rather than for ourselves.

We must always remember that we are ambassadors of Christ. Our actions and attitudes must always reflect those of the One we represent. If we are called by the name of Christ, "Christian", we must live like him, serve like him, think like him, act like him, and speak like him. This is a tall order but we are not doing it in our own strength. We are doing it through Christ. Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

Let us influence our corner of the world, those around us, by being faithful ambassadors for our King!