2 Corinthians 5: Ambassador for Christ Where God Sends You

Introduction

"Today you are in church, but tomorrow you walk out the door." Pastor Roger of Toulouse International Church continues a series on a practical question: how do we reach our neighborhoods, our workplaces and our schools?

He warns from the start that the passages read that morning are familiar ones. His hope is that the Holy Spirit will "flip the switch" so that you see them differently when they are put side by side. The common thread: Jesus did great things in the synagogue, but many of his miracles happened outside, in homes, at celebrations, in public places and at work.

The starting point is 2 Corinthians 5: if you are in Christ, you are a new creation, and you are an ambassador for Christ. The message ends with a simple approach for blessing others and a prayer for open doors.

Message outline

1. A new creation, sent as an ambassador

It all begins with Abraham in Genesis 12: blessed to be a blessing. In Christ, you are blessed by what he has made of you so that you, in turn, become a blessing. Your identity does not come from what you have done: "everything comes from him".
"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). The pastor testifies: "I know who I was, and I know who Christ called me to be."
God reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. "We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20). He asks: how many of you know you are ambassadors for Christ? How many of you would like to be better ambassadors?
As a child, he did not like church at all. People from the church lived out Jesus in front of him, with joy, love and enthusiasm, and he saw what Jesus looked like. Since then, church life has built him up, even though it has never been perfect. He asks forgiveness from those who have been hurt in a church: "That is not who God is."
Church can be a refuge, but it is not a place to escape. We gather there to be strengthened by God's presence, by our brothers and sisters and by the Word, and then to be sent out. Almost no one in the congregation is paid by the church: everyone goes back to their job or their school as a representative of Christ.

2. Jesus' miracles outside the walls

Jesus loved the synagogue and the temple. He taught and performed miracles there, such as healing the man with the withered hand. But he did not act only inside the building.
His first miracle, at Cana (John 2), took place at a wedding, during the reception. His mother asks him to act, and he does, out of love for her. And that is where his disciples believe in him: "It was not a sermon followed by an altar call."
After leaving the synagogue, Jesus goes to the home of Simon and Andrew and heals Simon's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-34). That evening the whole city gathers at the door, "not from the church, but from the house", and he heals many who are sick.
The previous Thursday, the Bible study group had been studying the raising of Lazarus, which happened not in a synagogue but in Bethany, the village of Martha and Mary. "If he can do miracles in homes, can he do them in your home? Can he show up at your workplace? Yes, he can."

3. The Samaritan woman: a deliberate detour

In John 4, Jesus leaves Judea for Galilee and "he needed to pass through Samaria". For the pastor, it was not on the way: it is as if, to drive from Toulouse to Paris, you had to go through Bordeaux.
Jesus makes this detour on purpose, for one woman. He knew that once her life was changed, she would go and testify and her village would be touched. Tired, he sits down by Jacob's well around noon and asks her for a drink. He is real with her, full of care, and tells her who she truly is.
Many Samaritans believe, not in a place of worship but in the public square. And the story continues at verse 41: "Many more believed because of his word."
"Jesus is not going to go to your workplace tomorrow. By the power of the Holy Spirit, yes, but he will not be there in the flesh with you. That is why he sends you."

4. Matthew: called at his workplace

Jesus sees Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth and says to him: "Follow me" (Matthew 9:9). Soon afterward, he eats at Matthew's house with many tax collectors and sinners.
Jesus speaks to Matthew at his workplace. The pastor believes he wants to speak to you at yours, and to speak to your colleagues. Are you listening? Are you open to it?
The first thing Matthew does is gather those around him: "You have to meet the one who changed my life." If you are an athlete, bring other athletes to Jesus. If you work in aerospace, bring your aerospace colleagues.
Many people are waiting for their purpose to arrive. "No, your purpose is now." God placed you where you are to make a difference: be faithful in small things.
In an international church, many people stay only a few months or a year. Some followed their spouse without wanting to be here. The pastor does not ask them to pretend, but not to settle into sadness: "I do not want to be here, but I know it is good for my spouse. What do you have for me? I do not want to waste this time. Can I bear fruit where I am?"
How many of you pray as you walk into your office? How many could pray more? The pastor suggests that, on your drive or your commute, you take out your earbuds or turn off the music: "God, I am going to the place where you have put me today. Use me."
He even suggests arriving early, with humor: "I know you live in Toulouse and you do not know what early means." Then go from desk to desk to pray over your colleagues' chairs, and in the hallway: "God, let your kingdom come here. Use me as an ambassador."
To see fruit, you need to pray and do something different from what you are doing now. Ask yourself: do I want to see an impact where I am?

5. A tree does not eat its own fruit

"I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit" (John 15:5). Our calling is to bear the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control.
"It is not about trying harder. It is about being more connected." When you are joined to the true vine, the fruit comes through the power of Christ.
Who eats the fruit of an apple tree or an orange tree? Everyone except the tree, unless you are in Middle-earth. A tree does not eat the fruit it bears. The same goes for us: the fruit of our lives is for others.
Many keep this fruit for themselves, stuff themselves with it and end up "puffed up", as Paul puts it. Your work may be important and you may have great achievements, and that is good. But your true calling is to bear fruit and to be an ambassador for Christ, "because he is worth it".

6. BLESS: five ways to bless others

The pastor summarizes a book called Bless, in which each letter gives a step (in English).
B, begin with prayer. Without him, we cannot do anything that has eternal impact. Praying is also listening to God, so that he directs us to the doors he opens. We get frustrated when we try to open them ourselves.
L, listen carefully. Talk less, ask questions. Listening well helps you know where to start with the Gospel. With someone hurt by religion, he would not start with hell, a subject that will have to be addressed one day, but with reconciliation and God's love. With someone who has always had an easy life, he would remind them that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and that "there is no one righteous. No, not one."
E, eat together. "That does not mean eating them." Often we slow down only to eat: suggest a lunch. He notes that churches serve coffee for the same reason, and that pubs, bars and cafes provide this pretext: holding a drink gives a certain sense of safety and an excuse to stay and talk for a long time.
S, serve. If you have listened carefully, you will know how to serve the person in a concrete way.
S, share your story. Like the man born blind in John 9: "One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see." You know your story; practice telling it clearly. "You do not start with your story, but you share it."

7. Looking for the doors God opens

Paul stays in Ephesus until Pentecost, "for a great and effective door has opened to me" (1 Corinthians 16:8-9).
Sometimes we knock on a locked door. In Luke 10, Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples (many other versions say seventy): go in and say "Peace be to this house." If a son of peace is there, stay; if not, shake off the dust and go to the next house.
Sometimes we talk so much that we do not see the open door. "Sometimes we need to close our little mouths", stop forcing things, pray and watch how God opens doors in the lives of people he has already prepared.
Two prayers for the week: ask the Holy Spirit for eyes and ears to see where Jesus is leading you, and then: "Lord, when I see an open door, give me the strength to walk through it and make me obedient wherever the Spirit leads me." All for the name and glory of Jesus Christ.

Key takeaways

In Christ, you are a new creation and an ambassador: you represent Jesus everywhere you go, not only on Sunday.
Jesus did many of his miracles outside the synagogue: at a wedding, in homes, at a well, at a tax collector's booth.
Your purpose is not for later: God has placed you where you are right now, even if only for a few months.
Fruit comes from staying connected to the vine, and it is meant to be tasted by others.
Pray, listen, share a meal, serve, then tell your story, looking for the doors God has already opened.

Personal application

Do you see yourself as an ambassador for Christ at your work, your school or in your neighborhood, or only as a church member on Sunday?
Are you waiting for your purpose to arrive later, or are you looking for what God wants to do through you right where you are now?
How could you pray this week on your way to work, and for your colleagues, by turning off the music for a few minutes?
The fruit God produces in your life, do you keep it for yourself or do you let others enjoy it?
With whom could you share a meal this week in order to really listen to them?

Verses quoted

Frequently asked questions

What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ according to 2 Corinthians 5?

If you are in Christ, you are a new creation, and God has entrusted you with the ministry of reconciliation. Pastor Roger draws a simple conclusion: you represent him everywhere you go. Jesus will not be there in the flesh at your workplace tomorrow, which is why he sends you.

Why did Jesus perform so many miracles outside the synagogue?

Jesus loved the synagogue and the temple, but his first miracle took place at a wedding, he healed Simon's mother-in-law in a home, met the Samaritan woman at a well and called Matthew at his tax booth. Pastor Roger sees a pattern in this: God wants to act where you live and work.

What is the BLESS approach to sharing your faith?

Taken from a book called Bless, it follows the letters of the word: begin with prayer, listen carefully, eat together, serve in a concrete way, then share your story. For Pastor Roger, you do not start with your story, but you share it.