Jesus Is The Only Way To Truly Abundant Life

Trevor S Ferguson

August 13, 2015

John 10:1-10 (KJV)
¹Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
²But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
³To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
⁴And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
⁵And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
⁶This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.
⁷Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.
⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

INTRODUCTION

The word abundant means “existing or available in large quantities”; in other words, plentiful, copious, rich, or overflowing. When applied to life this means a life that is full and overflowing, a life that is rich in meaning and purpose, a life that is full of love, joy and peace, a life of happiness and laughter, a life with ample or adequate supply of the things needed for this life, but more than all, a life that is prepared for eternity. Today I want to declare to one and all that Jesus is the only One that can give this abundant life!

EXPOSITION

A look at the terminology used in some of the more modern Bible translations helps us see some of the components of this abundant life. The Amplified Bible renders this concept of abundant life as “life to the full, till it overflows”; The New Living Translation describes it as “a rich and satisfying life”; The Message Translation renders it as “real and eternal life, more and better than ever dreamed of”, and the NIV describes it as “having life to the full”. Whichever translation you use, it is clear that this life that Jesus promises is far removed from the dull, meaningless and empty life that many people are experiencing today. Indeed, for many persons today, life painful and distressing; many are without hope, depressed and struggling to find some purpose in their life.

This problem has been compounded by some who profess to have solutions to life’s problems, but many of these solutions are rooted in materialism, hedonism and escapism. The materialists suggest that if we accumulate enough money, wealth and material possession we will have everything we want and a very happy life. Nothing could be further from the truth! The hedonists on the other hand suggest that the pursuit of pleasure is the most important goal in life and therefore seeks to remove all moral and social restraints so that one can freely pursue the pleasure he seeks. This also is a deceptive lie. Hedonism often results in sexual promiscuity and lewdness, indulgence in parties and reveling, all in search of this elusive happiness. Most persons end up disillusioned. Many contract diseases sexually transmitted diseases, which ruins health and threatens life. Escapism involves the “habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine. This again involves parties and drugs - cigarettes, marijuana, alcohol, and hard drugs such and cocaine and heroin. The aim here is to forget about the stresses of life, but it merely covers or postpone the problems, often ending with complete implosion, with psychological or physical breakdown, and may result in death from physical illness or suicide.  

 

Another problem is that there are deceptive religious leaders, who offers offer all types of solace, if one joins his or her religious group. The religious leaders are often materialistic in their views and preach a prosperity gospel. In reality however the majority of their members find this prosperity elusive, while some of these leaders live lavish lives, often at the expense of their members.

The passage in St John 10 seeks to set the record straight as to how one may obtain truly abundant life. Jesus uses an allegory involving the shepherd, sheep and sheepfold to illustrate that there is only one way to enter into eternal life and that any other attempt should be seen for its falsehood, in the same way as we can see through the falsehood of thieves and robbers. He starts by making the declaration that the only true entrance to the sheepfold is through the door. Anyone who enters by any other means should be immediately recognized as a thief or robber. The true shepherd makes an open and honest entrance through the door. The sheep recognizes the true shepherd, knows his voice and will follow him. The true shepherd knows his own sheep by name, leads them, i.e. he goes before them and they follow him into good pasture.

Many of the people did not understand the allegory so Jesus had to explain it again. Verse 7-10 contains the explanation.

⁷Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.  ⁸All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.  ⁹I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.  ¹⁰The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

This says to us that Jesus himself is the door. Verse 9-10 tells us that this door is the door to salvation, eternity and abundance!

Let us look first at the door to salvation. Jesus says “I am the door by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved”. This conveys the same message as St. John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” No one can come to God but through Jesus Christ – He is the only way to salvation.  If one tries to access salvation though some other way Jesus likens them to a thief or robber.

The bible standard for salvation is through repentance, water baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Today God has set an open door to salvation for someone reading this blog. You may have tried some other ways, and came upon closed doors or false entrances, but God has set an open door before you today. Walk through that door and receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Repent, ask for baptism in Jesus name; believe him to receive the baptism of Holy Ghost

Let me point out that the door to salvation is also the door to eternity. This life is only a temporary phase of our existence. We all must live forever somewhere. When we exit this life to enter into eternity we will be faced with only two doors – a door to heaven and a door to hell. The door to hell is broad and wide open, anyone can enter, because there are no entry requirements and no standards. The door to heaven however is open only to those who had accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. It requires acceptance and identification with Jesus Christ and living a holy, godly and sober life. This door to salvation and eternity is open everyone, but requires conformity to the word of God. We can’t create our own religion or our own gospel and expect to make it into heaven. I implore you today, to check what you have been taught to see if it is in line with what the bible teaches. If not you need to find a church where you can receive the bible standard of salvation.

Let me point out also, that this door to salvation is not focused only on eternity, but Jesus gives us a truly abundant life right now. Jesus himself said in Mark 10:29-30

"I tell you the truth … no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”  

The passage in Matthew 6:31-33 is also instructive:

“… Do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 

We see then that Jesus promises a truly abundant life to those who put their trust in him. The abundant life that Jesus promises is realistic, but full and overflowing. He promises adequate supplies for our daily needs, earthly possessions to ensure our comfort, and family and friends to meet our emotional needs. This abundant life intricately linked to promise of eternal life with Christ, and in fact forms the basis on which we can enjoy life here on earth. This, by any standard, is better than the emptiness of materialism or the blatant falsehood and deception of hedonism and escapism. Let us call these by what Jesus called them, they are thieves and robbers – with intent to steal, kill and destroy. Let us not be caught in this web of deception!

CONCLUSION

So today I declare to you that the only way to a truly abundant life is through Jesus Christ. Anything else or anyone else is merely a deception or façade and will ultimately lead only to destruction. Let us therefore put our trust in Jesus Christ, accept his free gift of salvation, through repentance, water baptism in the name of Jesus, and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Thereafter we should live a godly and sober life, as we await the soon return of Jesus Christ. Only then can we be assured of a truly abundant life here on earth and a hope for eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ.

Be Still: God is with us!

Trevor S Ferguson

July 18, 2015

Mark 4:35-39
³⁵And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side.
³⁶And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
³⁷And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.
³⁸And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish?
³⁹And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11
¹God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
²Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
³Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

¹⁰Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
¹¹The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

INTRODUCTION

Life is characterized by predictable periodic changes in natural environment. We can predictably expect that there will be morning and evening, sunrise and sunset, days, weeks, months, seasons and years. The order is set, so that morning always comes before evening, night follows day, sunrise follows sunset. The days of the week follow natural order, the seasons of the year also follow in their order – spring, summer, autumn, winter. We can count on this order. Similarly, in the human body there are predictable and progressive developments throughout the life cycle. Given a stable environment a baby will grow through the various stages from childhood to adulthood and the body will function efficiently enabling us to perform the various activities of daily living. This predictability in nature and in our bodies allows up to make plans as we go from day to day, and even for the course of our life. When life follows its expected course most of us are happy and comfortable.

From time to time however, unexpected and unpredictable events crop up in our lives, and seemingly turn our lives upside down. All of us in Jamaica are familiar with tropical storms and hurricanes. Every so often, these monster storms invade our shores, threaten life and property, destabilizing our lives, sometimes for weeks. We often worry about other natural events such as earthquakes, which have the capacity to be even more destructive than hurricanes. Then there are other events such as fire and floods, and even an unexpected shower of rain which may steer our lives off course. In the human body, our greatest fear is sickness, which often strikes unexpectedly. Added to that are the various accidents (motor vehicles, planes etc.) that can cause sudden death.

For most of us, we are at our best when life is comfortable and predictable! But what do we do when the storms of life strike unexpectedly? What so we do when life suddenly goes off course, and we are seemingly powerless to make corrections? Many of us become flustered, distressed and depressed. We live in fear that we may not make it through the storm! As a result our blood pressures go up, we experience headaches and pain, and we find ourselves unable to sleep at nights. Needless to say our fear only makes matters worse.

Often in these situations we find it difficult to pray and we keep asking God – Why? Why? Some of us begin to question the goodness of God, as we reason that if God was working on our behalf we would not be experiencing such turbulence in our lives!

I believe that many of us today are going through various storms, and may be wondering how we are going to get through it. Indeed, as a church we are currently going through our own storm, and many are worried because we not in control of the situation. The word of God to us today, however, is a word of encouragement. Despite the turbulence of the times, God is saying to us - Be Still! I am with you! Be not dismayed, I will not leave you! I will be your refuge and your fortress. I will be a present help, in this your time of trouble. I will ride with you through the storm and at the appropriate time, I will calm the storm. Be still, God is with us!

EXPOSITION

Let us look at the text in some more detail. The passage in Mark 4 illustrates the common reactions that we display in times of storm, and the power of God calm the storm. Psalm 46 is a song of praise, declaring the power of God to keep us and protect us we wade through the various threats and uncertainties that crop us in this life. Mark tells us that after Jesus had taught the people from a ship on the Sea of Galilee, they set out in the evening to cross over to the other side of the lake. Jesus (in his humanity) was weary after a day of teaching and went in the hinder part of the ship and fell asleep. Now the Sea of Galilee, also called Lake Tiberias is a landlocked body of water; it is approximately 7 miles wide and 13 miles long, and located deep in the Jordan valley. The lake is surrounded by mountains and its geographic properties often results in sudden windstorms. These storms result in turbulence and great waves which cause sailing to become extremely dangerous.

While the disciples were on their journey, one of these great windstorms developed, with waves battering the ship, and filling it with water.  They were in imminent danger as the boat could capsize or sink, either of which would result in certain death. While all of this was happening Jesus was still asleep in the back of the ship! The disciples therefore went to wake him, asking – “Carest thou not the we perish?”

I am sure that some of us can identify with situations like this. Our lives seems to be turned upside down, we feel like we are in the throngs of death and somehow we can’t seem to hear from God!  Job had a similar experience. In the midst of his great affliction Job declares:

^“ Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat! … Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:  On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:” (Job 23:3, 8-9)

What do we do in such situations? Job himself has some answers. In Job 19:25-26, while still in his suffering he declares:

“For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:”

 

Today we can be assured that the presence of storms does not suggest the absence of God, or that God is not on our side. It does not suggest that God does not care, or that he will sit back and let us perish. Jesus is in the ship! He will get up, speak to the winds and the waves and restore calm to our lives.

Brothers and sisters, let me remind us that in this life we are not exempt from the storms; but we are assured today, that Christ is in the vessel. With Christ in the vessel we can smile at the storm.

Psalm 46 is a powerful and assuring psalm. This psalm can give us comfort and confidence when we face the storms, tests, and trial of this life. Look again at verses 1-3

 ^“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”

I like how this is rendered in the Message translation:

“God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him.  We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, Before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us, GOD of angel armies protects us.”

The word of God today is that when we are in trouble we can hide and rest in God. Everything around may be in chaos and confusion, but God gives us peace in the midst of all this. It does not matter how big the problems are. God is bigger than our problems and he has the power to speak into the situation.

So what do we do in the storm? Verse 11 has the perfect solution – Be still and know that God is God! We can relax in calm confidence. Everybody else may be getting flustered but we can stay calm. How is it that we can be calm despite the turbulence? This calmness comes from the confidence that we have in our God. Because he is God, he has control over the Universe. Because we are his children He has our lives worked out for us. He will come and save us before it is too late. He will speak to the wind and calm the storms.

Let me stretch your faith a little further, for sometimes we see deliverance only if things worked out the way that we desired. We need to get to the point where we trust God so much that even if God does not deliver, we accept his Sovereign will and remain unshaken in our faith! Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego modeled this in their response to Nebuchadnezzar:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”      

Job also says it well: “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God”

Our confidence in God is not limited to situations where he does what we desire, but we are so confident that even if things do not work out the way we expected, our faith will not be shaken. God is God, and whatever God does is well done.

So while the storms rage and the tempest blow, we will be still, because we know that God is with us. The Lord of host is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge!

APPLICATION/CONCLUSION

I challenge us today to lift our faith and rest in calm confidence in God. Though we pass through the storm, God is with us. Though we pass through the fire we shall not be burned. Let us trust in God completely. Be still, God is with us!  

Ambassadors and the Ministry of Reconciliation

Trevor S Ferguson

April 18, 2015

** This message was delivered at the opening ceremony for the 45^th Annual Convocation of the Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic) on April 6, 2015.

2^nd Corinthians 5:18-20

¹⁸  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
¹⁹  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
²⁰  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

INTRODUCTION

It is with a spirit of humility that I stand today in this the 45^th annual convocation of the Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ. God has called us together in another “General Assembly” as we reflect on the theme “Ambassadors of Christ: Manifesting Kingdom Authority and Power.

I would like to make some preliminary comments on the importance of this convocation or “general assembly”, because I think that sometimes we miss out on what God desires to do through us, because our focus is off target.

In the Old Testament Jewish system there were seven prescribed feasts or annual convocations.  These were:  (1) The Passover; (2) The Feast of Unleavened Bread; (3) The Feasts of the First Fruits; (4) The Feast of Pentecost; (5) The Feast of Trumpets; (6) The Day of Atonement; and (7) The Feast of Tabernacles. For at least three of these feasts, it was specifically required that the entire nation (specifically, all the men) appeared before God in a general assembly; these were for the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. Now, one may ask, what was the purpose for these convocations? Why should an entire nation gather before God in a general assembly? A careful study of these feasts will provide some answers.

The first reason was commemoration. Several of these feasts (e.g. the Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles) marked significant events in the history of the Jewish nation, and the celebrations served as a reminder, so that they would not forget what God has done for them. The second reason was thanksgiving. The Feast of first fruits and the Feast of Pentecost celebrated the beginning of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest and were days of joy and thanksgiving. It was important that the people pause to give thanks to God! The third reason for the general assembly was purification and atonement. All Israel came before God on the Day of Atonement in a day of fasting and sacrifice. On this day the high priest offered up a sacrifice for all the sins of the people. It was an occasion to make things right with God.

    

I suggest to all of us, that as we are gathered in this holy convocation we keep these purposes in mind. We are here to celebrate and commemorate. We commemorate the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as is appropriate in this Easter season. We celebrate the institution of this organization, the Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ (Apostolic), and the significant role it has played in the saving of souls and serving as an embassy for the kingdom of God. We give thanks to God for souls saved, lives that have been transformed, miracles, healings and deliverance. We give thanks to God for leaders past and present – Bishops Dunn, Watson, Penman, Thompson, Brown and Hewitt. We give thanks for all the workers who have made the work of the ministry possible and for all the blessings we have received over these 45 years. And finally we draw close to God in purification and atonement. It is folly to come and celebrate, if our lives are not right with God! It is selfish to only participate in the celebration, when there are several persons in our midst who are in need of salvation. Let us participate therefore in the prayer sessions, the altar service, and the children’s sessions, so that while we secure or own salvation we help as many as possible also find their way back to God.

Let us turn now to the theme for this year’s convocation. I would like to use as the subject for today’s message “Ambassadors and the Ministry of Reconciliation”. Let us read again for emphasis, three verses from our text – 2^nd Corinthians 5:18-20  

¹⁸And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. ²⁰Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

As we read through these verses, it is clear that the emphasis is on the ministry of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ, but the focus is not on the position of the ambassador, it is not on the ambassador’s privileges or authority, but rather it is on the purpose, mission or ministry of the ambassador, which is reconciliation. Therefore today, we will talk about the ambassador and the position and privileges of the ambassador, but our focus is on the ministry of reconciliation. How can we as ambassadors assist in reconciling men to God?  

EXPOSITION

Let us look then on the position of an ambassador. Who is an ambassador? According to the Webster’s Dictionary, an ambassador is a diplomatic agent of the highest rank, accredited to a foreign government or sovereign, as the resident representative of his or her own government or sovereign. From this we can see that the ambassador is a high ranking officer; he or she is the representative of their home country to a foreign government; and lives in the foreign country for the period of assignment. The roles of the ambassador includes the following: (1) representing the head of state or government of his home country; (2) relays policy positions from the home country to the foreign country; (3) negotiate trade and security arrangements between the two countries; (4) protect the citizens of the his home country who are living in the foreign country to which he is assigned; (5) manage the embassy of the home country and its staff. The ambassador must be a person of impeccable character and must have the full confidence of the head of state whom he represents. The ambassador must be intimately familiar with the policies of his government and must communicate those policies even if it is different from his personal opinion. The ambassador must be acceptable to the foreign government and must become familiar with the people and culture of the country to which he is assigned. The appointment of the ambassador is for a limited time and may be recalled by his home country if diplomatic relationships between the countries have been terminated.

What can we learn from these roles and responsibilities? As Christian ambassadors we are representatives of our head of state, who is Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 (NIV) tells us that “… our citizenship is in heaven”, therefore we are strangers or foreigners here on earth. Verse 17 of 2^nd Corinthians 5 tells us that when we come to Christ we are a new creation. We are born again, born into a new country and a new kingdom. We serve a new master and are governed by a new constitution. As such our citizenship is in the kingdom of heaven, our sovereign is our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ and we are governed by the word of God. However, we have been appointed as ambassadors on earth, and represent the cause of Christ to the people on earth. As such we are required to live on earth, to become familiar with the culture and practices here on earth, so that we can effectively communicate the policies of heaven to the people here or earth. But, not only do we communicate the policies of heaven, we must actively negotiate – i.e. persuade the people on earth to accept the policies of heaven and so become a part of the kingdom of God. Additionally we must protect or look out for the other citizens of heaven here on earth and must manage the embassies of heaven – i.e. our churches. 

Let’s turn now to the ministry of reconciliation. The Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines reconciliation as the “bringing together of two parties that are estranged or in dispute”, similarly, the Webster’s dictionary defines reconciliation as “the act of causing two people or groups to become friendly again after an argument or disagreement”. Reconciliation in the theological context, speaks to bringing man back into harmonious relationship with God.

The advent of sin brought enmity between God and man so that the relationship between God and man was broken and man was destined for eternal death. Note that in this relationship, man was the offender. It was man that sinned and created the separation. Under normal circumstances it would necessitate that man would approach God in penitence and as such seek to restore the relationship. The amazing thing about this message of reconciliation is that God is the reconciler! God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself. The great God of heaven, robed himself in flesh, came to earth as the man Christ Jesus, suffered all the perils of human existence, subjected himself to death on the cross of Calvary, before rising again in victory over death. Through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, he obtained pardon for all humanity and opened the door of salvation to one and all.  Whosoever therefore accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior becomes a new creation and becomes a part of the kingdom of heaven. This restores right relationships with God, thus accomplishing reconciliation.

The second amazing thing is that the reconciled now becomes agents of the reconciler. Note the sequence of events in verse 18 - God has reconciled us unto himself, and then gives to us the ministry of reconciliation. This ministry of reconciliation speaks to the responsibility, or the task of bringing others back into harmonious relationship with God. This is slightly different from the “word of reconciliation” which essentially refers to the gospel message that we preach. God was in Christ … not imputing their trespasses unto them (verse 19); God made Jesus Christ to be sin for us … that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (verse 21).

It is on the foundation of this ministry and message of reconciliation that we are made ambassadors! We were not made ambassadors so that we could profile here on earth! We were not made ambassadors so that we could become immune to the stresses and trials of the people on earth. We were not made ambassadors so that we could access the riches of heaven. We were made ambassadors so that we could communicate the message of reconciliation to all the people here on earth.

Let me point out as well that unlike earthly ambassadors we have not been granted diplomatic immunity.  So while we teach and preach we have to be careful, and respect the laws of the land, or at least be prepared to face the consequences. The absence of diplomatic immunity however does not absolve us from the responsibility to preach and teach this message. Paul instructed Timothy to the preach the word; be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke with all longsuffering and doctrine … It is noteworthy that Paul wrote this while serving as a prisoner in Rome. He had to face the consequences of the message he preached, but this did not stop him or stop the message. Earlier in Ephesians 6:20 Paul described himself as an ambassador in bonds – he did not have the pleasure of diplomatic immunity, but that did not stop the message then, and it will not stop it now.

APPLICATION AND CONCLUSION

Having said all of this, what is it that we ought to do in order to ensure that we fulfil our mandate as ambassadors with a ministry of reconciliation? I will propose a five-point action plan that I believe will assist us in fulfilling this mandate.

Action Point #1: Draw close to our sovereign – As ambassadors we must become intimately familiar with the principles and policies of heaven. God must have the full confidence in us so that he can fully trust us as ambassadors. Many Christians today are lacking in their understanding of God and his word, and many cannot be trusted. We will say one thing today and a sing a totally different song next week. If we desire to be true and effective ambassadors, let us draw close to God. 

Action Point #2: Develop a better understanding of the people to whom we are assigned – We recall that ambassadors are required to live in the country in which they are assigned. One reason for this is that they become familiar with the people and their culture. They must be able to speak the people’s language. Some of us as Christians do not understand the sinner. We do not understand their culture and we don’t speak their language. But if we are to be effective ambassadors this must change. Paul again provides us with a moving example in 1^st Corinthians 9:19-22

¹⁹For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.  ²⁰And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; ²¹To them that are without law, as without law, … that I might gain them that are without law. ²²To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Just as Paul was willing to adjust his strategies to suit the persons to whom he ministered; in a similar way, we need to adjust our strategies to effectively communicate to the persons we seek to reconcile to God. 

Action Point #3: Enlarge the embassy staff – A frequent shortcoming among us in ministry, is that we try to do too much with too few people. This results in spiritual burnout and many of our workers end up frustrated. If we are to be effective ambassadors, we must have adequate embassy staff, to ensure that the work of the ministry can be done efficiently. Jesus himself said that the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. Let us pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers. Right now I am placing a public notice – WANTED: LABOURERS FOR HEAVEN’S EMBASSIES! Apply immediately through your pastor. No qualified applicant will be rejected. 

Action Point #4: Develop negotiation and persuasion skills – Another challenge that we face in this ministry of reconciliation, is that we sometimes conclude that we have fulfilled our responsibility once we have delivered the message. A close look at verse 20 reveals that the ministry of the ambassador goes beyond simply relaying the message. The text in the New King James version says this well – “… as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.” Our responsibility goes beyond sharing the message, its more than opening the church doors and keeping service. There is a need for us to develop a clear strategy that will persuade the reluctant sinner to come to God. As skilled ambassadors we not only share the message, but we skillfully negotiate so that we can close the deal.

Action Point #5: CLOSE THE DEAL! For people in sales and marketing closing the deal, is the ultimate aim of each client encounter. In the church however many pay scant regard to this vital part of the ministry. We often get the people to church, have them stay and listen to the message but many will leave without making a decision. The skilful ambassador closes the deal. What I mean is that we will not be satisfied until our prospects makes the decision to accept Jesus Christ in baptism and receives the gift of the Holy Ghost. This means that we must put great emphasis on our altar services – allowing adequate time and getting everyone to participate. We must have good visitor follow up programmes where we can encourage, answer questions to allay doubts and fears and ultimately lead persons to a decision to follow Christ. Only then will we have completed our task as ministers of reconciliation.

Final Word … So in this 45^th Annual Convocation we are being challenged as ambassadors of Christ to fully embrace the ministry of reconciliation. There is a world out there that urgently needs to be reconciled to God. Let us fulfill our mandate as ministers of reconciliation.