Did He Really Mean That? // Living Life as an Ambassador of Christ, Pt 2

Many a Christ follower has this feeling that something is missing. Oh – they may well be warming a pew on Sundays … but is their life really making an eternal difference here on earth? Jesus said something outrageous - He said that we would end up doing things even greater than the things He did while He was on the Earth. Question is – did He mean that about thee and me? Hmm?

I know of people, people who believe in Jesus, people who go to Church Sunday after Sunday and they sit there in the pews, they sing the songs, they listen to the preacher but they're not flashy up front performers or musicians or speakers or leaders.

Every now and then perhaps they make morning tea or contribute somehow to the life of the Church. But because they're not high profile, up front people, because they're more people who blend into the background, they have decided in their hearts of hearts that they have nothing to contribute.

The worlds been telling them and subtly the Church has been telling them, "You have nothing to contribute". Lots and lots of people suffer from low self esteem. Lots and lots of people have come to the conclusion they have nothing to contribute.

Lots and lots of people have stopped trying to live out their faith in Jesus, a faith that used to beam so brightly and gradually, little by little, the flame within has grown dim. It's almost gone out. And yet still, for some reason, they can't quite put their finger on it, they toddle along every Sunday hoping, no surely there's no more hope, secretly hoping perhaps, hoping in a way that they wouldn't even admit to themselves let alone anyone else that Gods going to come along and do something powerful in their lives. I wonder, I wonder if you know anyone like that.

Well if you do, if perhaps there's just a little, even a lot of that going on inside you, if perhaps you've been waiting and waiting and waiting for God to do something powerful in you and through you to give you some part to play in His plan, that's custom made for who you are, I believe then today with all my heart the wait comes to an end.

Today it's over because He has a word for you, His word not mine, that will set you free to be what He always planned you to be. An ambassador of Christ. Not in the same way as anyone else you know because you're not the same as anyone else you know. But in a unique way that fits with who you are.

We're talking this week and next week as well about living our lives out as ambassadors of Christ. That means two things. Firstly that:

Our citizenship is in heaven and it's from there that we're expecting a saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's Paul, Philippians chapter 3, verse 20.

In other words we may well be in this world but we aren't of it. We are, when we put our trust in Jesus, citizens of heaven, citizens of the Kingdom of God. And not just citizens but, as Paul also writes, "Ambassadors in a foreign land". 2 Corinthian, chapter 5, verse 20:

So we are ambassadors for Christ since God is making His appeal through us, we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

And as ambassadors our role is to allow God to make His appeal to this world through us. As I said not the way He does through other people but through us, the way He made each one of us to be. Each disciple of Jesus Christ is an ambassador of Christ with a role to play, a part to play in His plan of reconciling countless people, countless souls to Him, here and now and for all eternity.

Now, I know, I know without any shadow of any doubt that there are countless people listening to this message right now today who simply can't believe that this could possibly be true. Because the flame, the flame's almost gone out.

That's why I'm going to share with you a powerful word from God, in fact from Jesus own lips. Anyone who's sp