GOD’S MANIFEST PRESENCE (EXODUS 40: 1 – 38)

GOD’S MANIFEST PRESENCE

EXODUS 40: 1 – 38

Lesson Prepared by: krisha of Solomon Wisdom FB page

Schedule Teacher: Sis. Nheizel A. Pascual

JUNE 17, 2018

MEMORY VERSE:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

(Hebrews 10:25)

INTRODUCTION:

In the Old Testament, the manifestation of God’s presence to Israelites  is visible. The Ark of the Covenant is the symbol of God’s presence. In verses 33 to 38 of Exodus chapter 40, the clouds abode in the tabernacle which is the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. It is very comfortable to feel that in verse 38, the Israelites were guarded by the Lord day and night; the cloud of the Lord by day which is a shield from the heat of the sun and fire by night which is a light against the dark cold wilderness night. How amazing that the love and presence of the Lord is 24/7 with them. Does it come to your mind that you want the feeling that God’s presence is always with you like what the Israelites felt? Though they were in the journey and there were struggles and problems along the away, His presence was there. There are times in our lives God’s moves are obvious but we don’t feel it. Another way of experiencing God’s presence is through worship. 

The word in the Hebrew for worship in the verb form is “shachah” and it means “to bow down, to prostrate oneself” or to “lay flat on the ground.”  We see many in the Old Testament prostrate themselves before the Lord.  The Greek word for worship that is often used in the New Testament is “proskyneō” and this means to “kiss the hand, to fall on the knees,” or to “prostrate oneself” which is similar to what it is in the Old Testament but there are other Greek renditions of the word worship like “prokeneuo” which means to “pay homage” and “sebazomai” which mean “to render religious honor.”  The word worship comes from the old English word “weorþscipe” with the root of it being “worthiness” or “worth-ship” or “worth – to give” or in its simplest form, “worth to something.” (taken from Google)

                       

In our worship to the Lord and we want God’s presence be with us, a Christian blogger wrote, “God’s moves in our lives need preparations and plans.” Worship need preparations and plans like what mentioned in Exodus 40.

Let’s ask ourselves, “Don’t you WANT God to do that in some place where you are in your life. Don’t you really, honestly, want to see His power so profoundly moving on your life, your family, your church, your community, your company – that NO ONE who stands near can attribute the marvelous presence to anything but a GOD THING in your midst?”

In our lesson for today titled, “God’s manifest Presence,” let’s see and read the preparations Israelites did in worshipping the Lord and expect the presence of God.

LESSON OUTLINE:

    1)  FOLLOW GOD’S TIMELINE (EXODUS 40: 1-2)

-      We can see in this verse that God mentioned the time when the tabernacle reared (built) up.

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.”

-      This indicates that it was a year since Israel came out of Egypt. This was an amazing year in the history of Israel. They could count the great works of God and measure their own spiritual growth. Personally, have you remembered the time you were saved by God or accepted Him as your personal Lord and Saviour? In your first year of being a Christian what kind of spiritual activity you did for God?

-       It is fair to use the passing of time to see how far we have come with God. Some Christians never grow much beyond their initial experience with God. Some who have been Christians for 10 years have only the maturity of a one-year-old Christian – they simply repeat their first year over and over again. Most of the times they just attend the set assembly occasionally.

-      Another spiritual lesson we can get from these verses is the importance of assembly. Although we know that God is everywhere, still He set a specific date and place for worship. We can see in these chapter how important this worship in the eyes of God which should be important for us also. If it’s important to us, we should set that time for Him.

      2)  ORDER AND BEAUTY IN THE TABERNACLE ARE IMPORTANT (EXODUS 40: 3-11,13-30, 33-38)

-      God tells Moses how to assemble everything: how to arrange the furniture within the tabernacle, how to arrange items in

-      the courtyard, and others. Every thing was done with order and deliberation. "Set the bread in order" (Exodus 40:4, Exodus 40:23).

-      What lesson could we get from this verses? Everything we do in order to make the church beautiful and in order are God’s will. Do you want the church smell stinky? Of course no. The YCM is in charge of the cleaning in our church and the details of the cleaning are very important. Have you remembered our pastor told us one time about checking the dust on the pulpit area? Others might see that checking is just meticulous attitude but it is a part of our worship, the preparation. Also a verse reminds me of this, "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 15:40).

-      The ministry which the LFCM does: beautifying the church by putting plants and flowers, hang the curtains and before that they wash them and iron.

-      In verse 13, Aaron wore a holy garment in order for him to minister unto God. We are not priest like Aaron but this verse reminds us the importance of clothing in worshipping the Lord. This is a good time for us to put into consideration the preparation on what to wear. Choosing the right garment which God pleases.

-      How about the set-up of our programs: caption, photocopied programs, in-charge of prayer, special numbers, song leaders, usherette and many more. If you’re not doing properly your part in the worship, the Lord will not be pleased. God wants us to be obedient in worshipping Him.

-      Let’s be reminded that the building we worship is just a simple building if the presence of God is not there during worship but this doesn’t mean it is okay to make it messy and not in order during simple days. Respect the place of worship is important.

 3)  HOLINESS IN THE TABERNACLE IS WHAT GOD WANTS (EXODUS 40:12, 31-32)

-      This describes the priestly use of the laver (basin for cleaning). They could not properly perform their duties without a ritual cleansing, indicating that God wanted service from pure hands and feet.

-      We can see in these verses the importance of washing of water. In order to minister in the tabernacle they need to be washed with water. Though at this church age, we don’t do this ceremonial law but we can see that the cleansing is importance in serving in the tabernacle. We cannot serve God fully if we have hidden sins in our hearts. We need to repent from our sins and worship Him (Psalms 24:3-4; Psalm 66:18)

-      In our church, we have the congregational prayer. Have you seen the importance of individual prayer before the worship service begins? In this time, it allows you to talk to God personally and ask for forgiveness.

-      Are you ready to get clean yourself. Are you willing to place yourself in the position of Divine inspection so that God can challenge every thought, every relationship, every desire – and wash it with His right ways? That is the pattern of the cleansing of 40:12

         4)  WORSHIP IN THE TABERNACLE IS VERY VITAL (EXODUS 40:29)

-      Moses set the bread in order on the table, lighted the lamps, burnt incense, etc. He offered burnt offerings and meat offerings on the altar (verse 39).

-      It’s good to go into the house of the Lord prepared and ready for your offerings. You cannot separate giving as part of worship.

Many people seem to think that the reason we have an offering during the Sunday morning service is because the church needs to pay its bills and also wants to do good things with the money that is collected. Your church does need to pay its bills, and it probably does do good things with the money you put in the offering plate … but that is not why we have an offering during the Sunday morning service.

The offering is an act of worship, an instance in which we are invited to give up something that we value—our money—as a sacrifice to God. In many ways, it is the high point of the liturgy. We come to church to worship God and at no other point in the service are we provided with so pure an opportunity for worship as this …

We are invited to put money in the offering plate on Sunday morning not because the church needs our money but because we want and need to give it. We have a spiritual need to worship God, and through our offerings we are able to express our love and devotion for God in a way that is simple and sincere. The motivation of the giver is what counts most, not the size of the gift or the degree of benefit to the recipient (see Mk 12:42–44). The good news of stewardship is that church offerings are not fund-raising rituals but acts of worship in which we are invited to express our heartfelt devotion to the God who is so good to us. https://www.biblegateway.com/devotionals/stewardship-bible/2013/11/02

-      In Romans 12: 1-2, it’s the best to give our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

CONCLUSION:

-      In verse 34, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.  Obviously, God was pleased with the obedience of Israel. This was not so much because it showed His superiority over them, but it was more so because it proved they really did believe Him and love Him. It’s good in the heart that the presence of the Lord is in our midst and this is one of the goal why we come to worship, to feel God’s presence so we can continuously live for God and serve Him.

How about the people who were not in the tabernacle? Men on distant hills had no idea that God was showing up in that tent. Midianites may have been doing laundry that day. Egyptians carried on as though nothing unusual was taking place – because they were far from God’s appearance, and didn’t observe His entry into the Israelite camp. God showed up for those who planned for His coming, and sought His presence.

-      This is why worship is very important in our lives as Christians. We won’t feel God’s presence in our lives if we don’t plan and seek for it. Bible says in James 4:8, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you…”

-      In verses 36-37 says,

³⁶ And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: ³⁷ But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up.

We see in these verses that the Israelites wait for the presence of the Lord before they go onward to their journey. How about us? We know that a week without church is like a week without life. Going to church and worship is one way of having spiritual strength to face the coming week. This journey of life is hard without God. It’s good to go in our journey with God’s presence in our lives. Our memory for today is a good reminders for every one of us,

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

(Hebrews 10:25)

PREPARATION FOR WORSHIP (ECCLESIASTES 5:1-7)

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Lesson Prepared by: krisha of Song of Solomon FB page Lesson Taken From: Ptr.Rick Ezell of First Baptist Greer Scheduled Teacher: Preacher Ronald Picar JUNE 03, 2018   MEMORY VERSE Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God and be more ready to hear, than to give sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Ecclesiastes 5:1

INTRODUCTION:

Who among here see the preparation more difficult than the actual? For example, in doing lessons for preaching, Sunday school or anything; is it the preparation needs more time and effort? Yes, it is! How about in worship, do we need preparation? Calling on God needs preparation. One would not rush into the President's office unannounced and unprepared, neither should we with God. This lesson provides the proper procedures for calling on God.

People in a bus and people on a pew (chairs in the church) have commonality.  All are on a journey. Most are well-behaved and presentable. Some take a nap, others enter in a mindless trace, and a few look out the window. Most, if not all, are satisfied with a predictable experience.

As you enter the church you see faces inside the church some are giggly, others are cranky (irritable). Most of them are content. Content to be there. Content to sit and look straight ahead and leave when the service is over. Content to endure (just endure the flow of the worship service). Content with the normal service. Content with a "nice" service but forget to meet the proper way in worshiping God.

The destination of worship is to meet God. As with any journey we need to make the proper preparations so that we experience God rather than endure worship. We want a memorable not normal trip. What does our travel check require? Travel demands preparation.

LESSON OUTLINE:

1)       GET READY TO MEET GOD (ECCLESIASTES 5:1)

Our first point is “GET READY TO MEET GOD.” How to make yourself ready? What are the things we prepare? Personal things: Our clothes we’re going to wear, shoes, bags, bible, pen & notebook. If you go with family, you need to prepare your food for lunch and some of here they eat their lunch in the church, so they need to bring food, water, toothbrushes and many more. They stay for the Gospel Service in the afternoon. Also, you need to prepare something for your ministry; it might be your lesson, visual aids, do the cleaning, call someone to confirm the scheduled special number, song leader and many more. This is one way to make yourself ready to meet God. We can see that preparation is worship and what if you come late and not prepared?

 Solomon wrote, "Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God…" (Eccl. 5:1). One rendering of this verse is: "Keep thy foot when you go to the house of God…" The phrase “keep thy foot” means to proceed with reverence, tip toeing into the presence of God. We come with care and caution. We come with dignity and respect. We approach God with the same care as Moses when he encountered God in a burning bush and took off his shoes. He was on holy ground, and he knew it.

Let me encourage you to come to worship prepared to worship. Pray before you come so you will be ready to pray when you arrive. Sleep before you come so you will stay alert when you arrive. Read the Word before you come so your heart will be soft when you worship. Come hungry. Come willing. Come expecting God to speak. Come anticipating a memorable experience with the Creator of the universe.

2)       LISTEN TO GOD (ECCLESIASTES 5:1-2)

Last April 17, 2018, Southwest Flight 1380 had an emergency landing because the airplane had suffered damage on one of its engines. After They landed and an ambulance ready for the passengers who were hurt, and the emergency staff saw that the oxygen masks were not properly worn by the passengers. Why they wore the oxygen mask wrong?  When flying, the flight attendants share instructions before the plane takes flights. The attendants are explaining about how to use the seat belt, where the exits are, how to use the seat cushion as a flotation device, how to put on the oxygen mask if needed. Yet most of the people on the plane are talking, reading, looking out the window, getting stuff out of their carry-on luggage. They are doing everything but not listening. Those flight attendants know how God must feel, when his people come to church.

We show up to our houses of worship after a mad dash from home. When we arrive, we possibly say we met a traffic on the way to church. We turn into the sanctuary and find our seat. "Whew, no one took my seat this morning." We start looking around to see who is present. We proof the bulletin for misprints or errors then we go to restroom. The service has started and we still in the restroom. And before we know it the preacher is preaching, and we are wondering why we didn't sing any songs we preferred this morning. Before we know it, the serve is over, but minds were somewhere else. We were not listening.

Solomon offers further instructions for experiencing God in worship. “…and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice to the fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore, let thy words be few." (Eccl. 5:1b-2). God - who has one agenda to meet with us. When we come to meet with God we would be well advised to let him do the talking. God wants to communicate with us.

3)       HUMBLE YOURSELF BEFORE GOD (ECCLESIASTES 5:2)

Solomon continued, "For God is in heaven and thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few" (Eccl. 5:2). In actuality, this is a statement of perspective (viewpoint), not distance. God is in the realm of the infinite. He hears the inaudible and sees the invisible. God penetrates that which is inaudible to human ears and peers into what's invisible to human eyes.

Here's the point: God is God and we aren't. God is in heaven and we are on earth. God is Lord and we are his slaves. As we prepare for worship, remember that we are to approach God in a stature of humility. We bow before him. We fall before him.

Like Isaiah when he experienced the presence of God, he bowed before God and said, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple" (Isa. 6:1). To see God reigning in power, wisdom, and love produces only one response: awe.

One of the great benefits of gaining a proper perspective (viewpoint) of God is that we not only gain a view of the throne of God, we gain a view from the throne of God. Once we have entered God's presence, we look down on our world from his perspective. We find that what we thought was a mountain was a molehill. What seemed great and mighty in the world's eyes turns out to be small and insignificant in God's eyes. On the other hand, when we thought we were weak, we became strong because we were in the presence of God. Or, what we thought was foolish actually became wise from God's vantage point.

Have you looked at every one of your personal struggles and frustrations from God's perspective?  Worship is a time when we come into God's presence, so we can see our difficulties and our rewards from his perspective. That can make all the difference in the world.

When we encounter the very presence of God we begin to see life from his perspective. When we worship we gain a view of the throne of God.

4)        MEAN WHAT YOU SAY TO GOD (ECCLESIASTES 5:4-5)

Solomon wrote, "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou has vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay." (Eccl. 5:4-5). In other words, keep your word. Words may not mean much to us, but they mean a lot to God. In God's eyes, a promise is a promise. You vowed it, you keep it.

Consider for a moment the promises you made to God when you were in worship? "Oh, God, if you'll get me out of this predicament, I'll serve you." "Lord, if you'll just help me do this one thing, I'm going to start coming to church more often." "Yes, Lord I promise to give you ten percent of all my earnings." "I do promise and covenant before God and these witnesses to be your loving and faithful husband, in plenty and in want, in joy and in sorrow, in sickness and in health, as long as we both shall live." "Lord, I rededicate my life to you. I promise to spend more time with my family." "I promise to remain morally pure for my marriage partner." "I pledge before this congregation with my baby in my arms to rear that child God's way." "Yes, Lord, I will be a missionary and give my life to you on the mission field." What promises with your time, your commitments, your life, your money have you made to God and not kept?

When we make a commitment to God, we must keep it because God believes it and doesn't forget it. Making commitments to God is like flying on an airplane, once in the air there's no turning back. We are committed. We can't change our mind. We can't say, "I don't really want to go. Can we turn back?"

When you go to worship, it would be better not to vow at all, than to fail to keep your word with God.

5)        TAKE GOD SERIOUSLY (ECCLESIASTES 5:7)

Solomon concluded this section, "For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities: but fear thou God" (Eccl. 5:7). To fear God does not mean dread or terror; it means holy awe and respect. In other words, we take God seriously.

Pastor Rick Ezell wrote in his sermon blog, “I once saw a church sign that advertised one of its worship services with a statement that read: "Casual Worship 9:30 AM." I know that they were trying to communicate that their worship service was casual dress and informal. But from Solomon's writings, and, I believe, all of scripture teaches, that nothing is casual about worship. Far too often, we take God too lightly. We approach him in a trite (common) and casual fashion. We think of God as our buddy or our pal. But this is the eternal God of the universe who has a claim on our lives because he has placed eternity within our hearts. We're to approach him with respect and reverence.

Let's stop playing games with God. Make no mistake about it: God loves fun and laughter. He delights in people who have a sense of humor. But, worship is serious business. We approach God with respect and awe. Again, it's like flying on a plane. I remember one trip with a group of students long before the tragedy and subsequent restrictions of 9/11. One teenager in a good natured, playful way, as she was going through security, humorously said, "Do you really think I have a gun in my bag?" In a flash she was whisked away, searched (no gun), then scolded. She walked away from that experience, knowing that she would never walk through an airport security making jokes about guns. Like taking a flight in a plane is a serious trip, entering God's presence is not a joking matter. It is serious business.

(INSERT YOUR OWN TESTIMONY IF POSSIBLE)

CONCLUSION:

Worship is not an endurance contest, but a marvelous adventure into the presence of the God of the universe. It is not business as usual, but a wonder-filled ride into a new dimension of life. It is not a normal trip, but a memorable trip. And on that journey our reaction will not be simply, "nice service" or "nice trip," but rather in the words of a child who has flown in a plane for the first time, "AWESOME."

GOD'S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE (Acts 5:17- 42)

GOD’S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE

acts 5: 17-42

Lesson Prepared by: krisha of Solomon Wisdom FB page

MAY 27, 2018

Scheduled Teacher: Sis. Nory Pascual

 

MEMORY VERSE:

And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ

(ACTS 5:42)

INTRODUCTION:

When you say “God’s invincible presence” it means in tagalog language “walang makakatalo sa presensiya ng Dios.” Have you experienced sharing the Gospel which you feel you speak in vain? It feels like God’s presence is not there with you. Let’s remember that without God we can do nothing in the ministry even we are talented and knowledgeable in that area of ministry. That’s why prayer is important in everything we do in God’s vineyard.  

We already know our mission on earth, sharing the Gospel, but most of the times we fail doing it. This is what Satan wants us to do; don’t share the Gospel. Let’s remember that the heart of God is in sharing the free gift of His salvation. This would make us closer to our Savior.  There are times God the Holy Spirit talks to us to share but we just make Him grieve. In our lesson today, some of the apostles were commanded not to teach in Jesus’ name but they were still boldly shared even this caused their lives into danger.

lesson outline:

      1)     GOD’S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE CAN OPEN DOORS (ACTS 5:19-23)

-         In our story when the high priest and religious leaders saw that apostles got more attention than them; they got jealous. They rose up and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in prison but the angel of the Lord by night open the prison doors and brought them forth, and said “Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.” We can see in verse 23 that the doors were shut hard and there were guards outside but they unnoticeably saw the apostles went out. This was the way higher powers and officials can’t do because only God can. No one can hinder God’s way in sharing His word.

-         Personally, we can see in this verses that if God commands you to share His salvation to specific people or someone, He’ll lead you the way. God’s ability to open doors for all of us is something of great strength. Even there are struggles, He still there and lead you; we just need to be obedient and be sensitive in His commands.

-         Are we struggling in sharing the Gospel? Most of us feel that way, maybe we just need to give time and be prayerful for His guidance.  If we struggle so hard, remember God can open doors for us!

-              

2     2)    GOD’S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE CAN  PROTECT YOU FROM HIGHER OFFICIALS (ACTS 5:24 – 39)

-         The high priest, councils and the guards knew that the apostles were still in prison and they were surprised when they were told that the apostles were there in the temple early morning teaching in Jesus name. The apostles were brought in the councils and asked. They were asked why they kept on preaching in Jesus name and His doctrine which was their ultimate command for them not to do but they said, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” When they heard this, they were angry and took counsel to slay the apostles but God did not allow them to do that. God used Gamaliel to persuade the councils not to reach that point. In verses 38-39 he mentioned that if the apostles work in sharing the words of life in Jesus name is for people only it will come to nothing but if this is from God, it prospers therefore let them do it. If you refrain them, you found yourself fighting against God. This is one thing that gives encouragement to all of us here. If what you do is for God, it prospers. AMEN!A reminder for all of us to always do everything for our God.  We also see that no higher authorities can hinder God’s word to be shared in all people.

        3)  GOD’S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE CAN GIVE YOU JOY IN THE MIDST OF PAIN (ACTS 5:40-41)

-         In verse 40, the councils agreed to Gamaliel’s words but before they let them go, they were beaten.  And commanded them not to speak in the name of Jesus. And in verse 41 says, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.”

-         Have we experienced beating like the apostles had? Try to personalize this verse and think of your spiritual life. Sometimes we just have simple problems but we easily stop from attending church services and if we stop from attending, of course we stop from doing God’s greatest commissions, sharing the Gospel. This is just simple thing compare to the sufferings the apostles had. Remember they were in pain but still rejoicing. They rejoiced from suffering in Jesus’ name. A good verse to remember in 1 Peter 3:17 “For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.”

      4)  GOD’S INVINCIBLE PRESENCE KEEPS YOU GOING (ACTS 5:42)

-         Have you experienced persecution? Most of us here are free in sharing God’s word but sad to say that even we’re free from doing it, we seldom doing it. After suffering from imprisonment, questioned & warned by higher authorities and beatings, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”

-         Take note of the words on this verse, “daily they went to the temple and every house.” Most of us it takes weeks and months before we realize we need to share the Gospel to someone. At the end of this verse says, “Ceased not” and this verse might remind us that we need to keep on going in sharing the Gospel because this is the great commission God has given and before Jesus went to heaven, He reminded the apostles to be “witnesses” in Acts 1:8.

conclusion:

Even in the face of persecution, punishment and warnings the apostles did not stop teaching and preaching Jesus Christ; they rejoice after they were beaten. These experiences of apostles are good reminders for us about our ultimate goal in the ministry and on how to respond to our problems. Above all of these, we can see that without the Lord presence in our lives we can do nothing therefore let’s continue reading His word, praying and do the ministry.

AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST (2 Corinthians 5:17-6:2)

MEMORY VERSE

2 Corinthians 5: 20

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 - 6:2

May 13, 2018

Lesson prepared by krisha of Solomon FB page

Scheduled teacher: SIS. LIZA F. BIADO

INTRODUCTION:

-         An ambassador is a diplomatic representative that attends international meetings, banquets and parties and acts as a figurehead for their country of origin.

-         Ambassadors are subject to a wide range of responsibilities dealing with foreign relations. Each task is carried out in a diplomatic manner that's engineered to meet the needs of the ambassador's home country while maintaining a positive relationship with that country.

-         One of the primary responsibilities of an ambassador is to notify their home country of economic and political developments in the host nation. They write formal reports in order to communicate foreign development, especially in the area of trade policies. Because of their unique and inside experience with the host nation, ambassadors are able to aid in the development of foreign policy with that nation. All of these actions seek to protect their home country's interests within the host nation.

-          Another responsibility of an ambassador is to act as a representative of their country of origin. They attend social functions, political parties and banquets with the intention of smoothing relationships between nations. As a representative, they also offer up their home country's position on numerous political, social and economic platforms. Additionally, ambassadors meet with important political leaders and greet or host other diplomats. https://www.sokanu.com/careers/ambassador/

-         Jesus thought of his disciples as brothers in a great task. He called them his friends. Jesus placed himself among his disciples as a fellow servant of God. Jesus issued his commission to his disciples as if they were soldiers in Matthew 28:18-20.

-         In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul gives a beautiful picture of a compassionate and gracious God and a graphic and forceful portrayal of the service we are to render: “We are the ambassadors for Christ.” An ambassador is an envoy or minister of a state sent on a mission by one sovereign or state to another. An ambassador is a spokesperson or representative of one state with authority to speak to the authorities of another state.

-         As ambassador for Christ, we have been authorized and clothed with divine authority and power to speak his reconciling message of love to the unsaved world. We are the representatives of the King of Kings. We are the stand in the courts of human conscience authoritatively representing the authority of our King.

LESSON OUTLINE:

1)    AN AMBASSADOR MUST BE CITIZEN OF HEAVEN (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17)

-         You can’t be an ambassador of a certain country if you’re not a citizen in it. Just the same with an ambassador of Christ, we should be a resident of heaven. The hymnal song “This World is not my home” is a good reminder of our residency.  The time we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour was the time we have become the ambassador of Christ.

-         Personally, have you feel blessed upon reading in the Bible that you are a resident of heaven? Most people have the difficulty of getting a permanent residency in a certain country like for example in USA but for being a resident in heaven is free. It was all paid by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

-         Another thing is when we suffer trials and problems on earth, it’s comforting that these won’t take long because our permanent residency is not on earth.

2)    AN AMBASSADOR IS A REPRESENTATIVE

-         One of the responsibilities of an ambassador is to be representative. An example of this is the news reported last 2016; USA television reported that President Trump ordered the US Ambassador in the Philippines, Sung Kim, to report back in the country because they were reliably informed that the ambassador had been working with De Lima. He was ordered to report back because this might cause problem against the program of the Philippine government against drugs. An ambassador represents the country he is belong and he should represent properly the country he represents to.

-         Spiritually speaking, we are the representatives of the King of Kings. We are the stand in the courts of human conscience authoritatively representing the authority of our King.

-         We represents Christ on earth. We must guard against the peril of misrepresenting the Christ.

We must be diligent to represent Christ properly and adequately by being genuinely Christian.

-         Have you seen and felt the responsibility of being a representative? You should speak and act as representatives of our Lord. The Bible says in Matthew 5:16 “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven”

3)    AN AMBASSADOR HAS THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION (2 Corinthians 5:18)

Did you notice how many times the word “reconciliation” (or its variation) was used in this passage? Our sin and infidelity with the world has caused separation between God and us. However, God offers to forgive our sins when they are atoned for by the death of Christ (verse 21).

But remember, God has done us no wrong. He has no faults that we need to overlook and forgive. This is why Scripture never speaks of God being reconciled to us. It only speaks of us being reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:12 – 16).

Here’s another key idea about “reconciliation”: the heart of the word in Greek is “change” or “exchange”. When we are reconciled to God, we are not just forgiven and accepted as is. There is a metamorphosis on our part. We begin growing from a stance of resisting God to honoring and obeying Him. The creation of a new heart is the result.

So when we “evangelize” or “share our faith”, we are to act as His representatives; helping others come to peace with their Creator. But the concept or activity of “evangelism” or “sharing our faith” are not the totality of our “ministry of reconciliation”. And the goals are not just getting people to clean up their lifestyle, adopt a certain set of doctrines (rules) or to attend worship services.

The solemn responsibility (and result) is encouraging a rebellious soul and heart to be re-united to God.

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4)    AN AMBASSADOR IS A MESSENGER (ACTS 8:35, 38)

-         God wants to speak through us to a lost, wayward, and guilty world

A)     We are messengers of the pleading Christ.

B)    We are messengers of the beseeching God.

- Jesus prescribing one of our functions as being that of a witness.

a.      By this commission our Lord intends that each of us should be communicators of the message of redemption to both the eyes and ears of those who live in our world.

b.      Acts 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

-         The message of the ambassador of Christ (v. 21)

a.      Our message is a revelation of what God has done in Christ so as to save people from sin.

b.      God has promised a Savior who knew no sin

Heb. 4:15 “…but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”

c.        God has placed our sins on the sinless Savior.

Isaiah 53:6, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

d.      The Sinless One suffered for the sinful - 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ hath also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit” 2 Cor. 8:9 “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.”

e.       It is now possible for the sinful to be saved from sin and to be treated as if they were righteous (Romans 3:23-25)

(Contributed by Baptist man named, Carl Allen)

-         As ambassador of Christ, we should speak only or give the message what Christ wants us to say to people.

CONCLUSION:

In Acts 21: 10-13, some Christians wept because they saw the possible persecutions & suffering of Apostle Paul may encounter in preaching the Gospel. Then Paul answered in verse 13, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem FOR THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.” We can see in this verse that Paul was willing to be bounded and died for Christ and let’s try to see our soul winning life; for us in church age with no persecution at all have seldom shared the Gospel. For the worst, weeks and months pass without sharing is a sad situation right?

The need of our world for the message of God’s love is indescribably great. God will use and bless each of us as we yield ourselves to become communicators of his love and ambassadors for Jesus Christ. Let’s try to go out and strive to tell at least one person about our Savior.