When we take the time to read and consider the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18ff), we understand that we are part of His plan. His plan is to change the world; redeem it. He worked through people in the Old Testament and His plan remains the same in the New. He had His "chosen" in the Old and He has His "chosen" in the New; Physical Israel in the Old and Spiritual Israel in the New.
His people were to be His presence, His representatives on the earth. His people are to be His presence on the earth. His people are to be His representatives on earth. God could have chosen any number of ways to accomplish His will here, but the way He chose was to change people, give them the responsibility to tell others and then change them and they are tell others and on and on.
Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 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. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:11-21)
Paul reminds the church in Corinth that once they accept Jesus, once they commit to being His disciples, they were to no longer regard others from a human point of view; now they were to have His point of view. We are no longer our old selves... now we are a "new creation". The old has passed away and everything (everything) has become new. I like that! And this new self, this new life is to be a life of ministry. We are to be busy telling others about Him. That is His plan. If we don't tell it, it won't be told. Paul puts it this way...entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. God chose and chooses to reach the world through those that have been reached with His message.
What an honor. We get to participate in God's plan of redemption. No, that's not right, we are God's plan. Sure He sent His Son. Sure His Son died on the cross to pay the penalty of my sin. Sure all that is true... but His plan is now in our hands. Paul puts it this was... we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. God has selected us to be His representatives here. Our citizenship is in Heaven and we are His emissaries to planet earth. (Eph 2:18-20) We speak for Him. What an amazing privilege God has bestowed upon us.
Is that how we see it? Do I get up each day and say... "I am His ambassador, today I speak for Him"? Do we see it as an honor to be able to speak on His behalf? Am I willing to tell my neighbor that God has dealt with his sin problem? Am I will to say to him, without Jesus, he is without hope? Am I willing to teach him about the Savior? Will I tell him how to accept God's precious gift of His Son? Peter told it this way... "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." (Acts 2:38ff) If you are His ambassador, get busy telling the great news of eternal life that is available to everyone (John 3:16).
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