Beyond the Weekend

January 6 | Christ’s Ambassadors

January 6, 2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18-21
Listen:
2 Corinthians 5

TODAY’S MESSAGE

An ambassador is a person that represents one nation to another. A king of one country sends an ambassador to represent and speak for him when he wants to send a message to a different country. Paul tells the Corinthians that when they accepted Christ, they became citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20a). As citizens of heaven, they represent Jesus our King to the people of this world.

The same is true for us today. Paul says the message we bring is that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). God loves all people and wants a relationship with them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation to tell others so they can accept Christ and be reconciled to God. We are made new in Christ, and he has given us an incredible new purpose. Whoever we are and whatever we do, we are entrusted with the King’s message. We represent him through our godly behavior and words of truth.

God is calling us to be ambassadors wherever we are. Students can choose to represent him in the way they behave on the bus, in class or on their team. Parents represent him to their children through words and actions. We are ambassadors to our friends, neighbors and even those we interact with at the coffee shop or grocery store. In our next sermon series, “The Questionable Life,” we will learn more about being ambassadors by living the kind of life that causes people to question why we live with hope.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Pray with an open heart to see where God is calling you to step up as his ambassador. Ask your small group or a close friend to also pray for you. Remember, the Holy Spirit within you will help you live as a new creation and give you the words to share. Plan to join us for the “The Questionable Life” series to help you lean into your role as Christ’s ambassador.


2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES

Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.

January is BIBLE READING. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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