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.