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/ Church / Evangelism / Sharing Christ with a World That Couldnt Care Less
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Brian G. Hedges
Sharing Christ with a World That Couldnt Care Less
While modern people may recoil at the imperialistic imagery, the metaphor of ambassador is a helpful picture of the Christians role in evangelism. Pauls description of himself as Christs ambassador in 2 Corinthians 5:20 and its surrounding context, teaches us at least three things about evangelism.
Our Assignment
The basic assignment of an ambassador is to represent the one who sent him, faithfully delivering the message with which he is entrusted.
Our Message
This passage also teaches us something about the gospel we share: the message of reconciliation (5:19). The message includes both the historical events of the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the theological explanation of those events.
The historical events are implicit in the text, for example in verse 15b: him who for their sake died and was raised. Paul explicitly defines the gospel in terms of these events in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4. But he also explains these events theologically, showing us how God has accomplished reconciliation through the death and resurrection of Christ.
The author and initiator of reconciliation is God himself: All this is from God (5:18a). In fact, as John Stott notes, God is the subject of seven verbs in verses 18-21. God is the great actor in salvation. All is of God, said William Temple. The only thing of my very own which I contribute to my redemption is the sin from which I need to be redeemed.[ii]
If God is the author, Christ is the agent, the one through whom God works to accomplish reconciliation.
· Christ has died for us: For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (5:14-15)
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...so your responsibility ends.
You cannot judge someone's heart or even their life. To act as if you can supersedes God. And yet most Christians act as if they are a representative of God's judgement.
This and this alone is the problem with Christians today. Christians were told by Jesus that it will not be an easy path to follow him. It has never been easy for Jews and yet those who remain faithful to God seem to do all right. They function within the cultures that they inhabit and are not "judgey" except among themselves.
We are a nation of Christians, not a Christian Nation. Immediately, I receive painful threats from people on this site every time I say it. I'm accused of being a communist, a liberal and any number of things. It doesn't change the facts, I have been to court many times and I have never been accused of the following:
(1) Apostasy
(2) Heresy
(3) Non-conformity related to offenses against the religion as practiced by the established church.
(4) Blasphemy could include profane scoffing of the Holy Scriptures and the blasphemous use of the name of God. Such was punishable by fines, imprisonment, and corporal punishment.
(5) Swearing and cursing were considered a lesser offense than blasphemy but, nevertheless, they came under the punishment of the common law.
(6) Witchcraft, conjuration, enchantment, and / or sorcery.
(7) Religious impostors. Those falsely claiming extraordinary commission from heaven were punished by the temporal courts with fines, imprisonment and corporal punishment.
(8) Simony is the practice of using religion for personal profit. This too was severely punished.
(9) Profaning the "Lords Day" (Sunday). This included the practice of conducting secular business and such transactions on the first day of the week. Work was also prohibited on Sunday and offenders were fined.
(10) Drunkenness
(11) Lewdness
Under the umbrella of a Christian Nation, one could be charged for many of these sins.
Here are the laws that don't exist in any state, therefore proving that we are not a Christian Nation.
Oh and by telling people that can't buy alcohol on a Sunday, doesn't make you Christian anymore than not drinking on Sunday. These are myths created by loony tunes in the good ole' USA.