Your Most Important Assignment

You Are Christ’s Ambassador

Scripture References

Primary text

• 2 Corinthians 5

Other references

• John 15:16
• Philippians 3:20
• Philippians 1:27
• Colossians 3
• 2 Corinthians 10:8

Overview

There is no such thing as a “normal” Christian. If you are in Christ, you have been made new and dispatched into the world as Heaven’s representative. The Apostle Paul calls that role “ambassador.” Pastor Craig unpacks what that identity means, why it re-defines every ordinary moment, and how we plead with the world to be reconciled to God.

Context

The message opens with two extremes—a “bold, Spirit-empowered” believer and a laid-back, “normal” one. While promising to “save the punches for later,” the pastor insists that the second category is a myth: every believer is already set apart as God’s envoy.

Main Points

Two kinds of Christians?

• We often sort ourselves into “radical” and “regular,” but Jesus rejects lukewarm faith.
• Thinking you are merely “normal” contradicts Scripture’s description of believers as new creations and ambassadors.

Your True Identity

• Paul’s words to Corinth: anyone in Christ is new; old is gone, new has come.
• God has “committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
• Refrain the congregation repeated:

  “I am an ambassador of Christ, sent by God to show His love on earth as it is in heaven.”

What an Ambassador Is

Definition & language

• Greek term (πρεσβεύω) appears twice—here and when Paul calls himself “an ambassador in chains.”
• An ambassador is the highest-ranking diplomat sent from one nation to another to protect and promote home interests.

Three truths about your ambassadorship

1. Not elected by people—chosen by God
   • Jesus: “You didn’t choose me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16).
   • Story: Craig was rejected for ordination and for permission to plant a church, yet God’s call overrode human votes.
2. You never represent yourself—you represent God
   • “Live as citizens of heaven” (Philippians 1:27).
   • Illustration: A light-hearted but unwise social-media post about Amy’s 40th showed why every believer, not just pastors, must think about representation.
   • Colossians 3 reminds us: whatever we do or say, do it as His representative.
3. You carry Heaven’s authority
   • 2 Corinthians 10:8—authority is “given…by the Lord” to build up.
   • Difference between power and authority: like a police officer’s badge or a sibling sent by mom—authority rests in the greater power behind you.
   • Believers stand against the enemy’s schemes with that delegated authority.

Living On Call

• Daily connection to “headquarters”: Scripture and prayer keep the ambassador in step with assignments.
• Story: In a gym sauna, a prompting led Craig to speak to a stranger whose marriage was collapsing; the man recognized God’s intervention.
• Everyday examples: changing a flat tire, listening to a co-worker, cooking a meal (or buying a gift card)—small acts carry Kingdom weight.

Pleading for Reconciliation

• Ambassadors don’t merely inform; they beg: “Come back to God.”
• God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin so we could become God’s righteousness—this is the message we carry.

Key Truths

• New creation status comes with a new assignment.
• God’s choice outweighs every human approval or rejection.
• Representation covers words, attitudes, posts, purchases—everything.
• Delegated authority equips believers to confront spiritual opposition.
• The ambassador’s tone is urgent love: plead, don’t pressure.

Response

• Internalize your identity: declare the ambassador refrain daily.
• Start each morning in Scripture, asking for the day’s assignment.
• Stay alert to Holy Spirit nudges—then act immediately.
• Speak and post only what honors the One you represent.
• Plead lovingly with friends, family, and strangers: “Come back to God.”

Closing

The world does not need more casual Christians; it needs Heaven’s diplomats in every hallway, home, and health-club sauna. Chosen by the King, armed with His authority, we move through ordinary moments carrying an extraordinary appeal.

“Come back to God.”

Prayer

The pastor led two prayers:

1. A dedication for believers—asking God to keep them in close communication, to prompt them throughout each day, and to use their gifts to bless others.
2. A salvation prayer in which newcomers confessed sin, asked Jesus to save and make them new, and pledged to live as His ambassadors.