Growing up, I was always one of the last people to be picked for a team in gym class. I was never offended because I have never been the most athletic, but I always felt a little bit embarrassed being the last person chosen. Even when it is for something as low-stakes as a kickball team in your PE class, being chosen last or being a “back-up plan” is never fun. If you can relate, I have good news for you today. When it comes to Jesus’ plan to spread His message throughout the world, we will never be chosen last. In fact, we are Jesus’ first choice when it comes to making Christ known throughout the world. As His followers, He has chosen and called us to continue His mission and ministry that He began while He was on earth.
The apostle Paul teaches us that we are the ones whom Christ calls to make Christ known all over the world in 2 Corinthians 5. He explained in this chapter that Christ came to reconcile people back to God. He came to earth so that anyone who places their faith in Him can have new life in Him (verse 15). That was Jesus’ purpose for coming: to save the world from sin, death, and separation from Him. Once we place our faith in Christ, we have a job to do. Paul continued his teaching by explaining that reconciled people reconcile people. He wrote, "God has given us this task of reconciliation" (verse 18). Paul concluded his teaching about reconciliation, saying, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making His appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!’” (verse 20). This assignment to be Christ's ambassadors is the most crucial assignment we will ever have. It is an assignment we must take seriously. We get to call people to turn back to God. We get to share with them the message that God offers them the invitation to turn back to Him. We get to share with them the hope that Christ offers for all who turn to Him.
Friend, you and I have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. How are we carrying it out? Are we pointing people to Christ? Are we sharing with them that Christ gives them the invitation to be reconciled back to Him? Let’s commit today to the ministry of reconciliation. After all, eternity is in the balance.
How are you doing when it comes to making Christ known all around you? What is going well? What needs improvement? Take a few moments to answer these questions, then write down one way you can grow when it comes to sharing your faith this week. Ask God to help you as you seek to take steps to make Christ known to everyone around you.
1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 2 We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. 3 For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. 4 While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 5 God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.
6 So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 7 For we live by believing and not by seeing. 8 Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 10 For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
11 Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 12 Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 13 If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 14 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.
16 So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
18 And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 19 For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 20 So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
