Ambassadors for Christ

Pleading with every man to know and to serve the Lord!

Introduction: Priming the pump for tonight’s discussion.

1. What was one idea from the sermon this week that the Lord impressed upon your heart? Was there something new that you learned? Did the Lord challenge or affirm you in some way? Was there one thing that stood out to you this week?

2. Over the past few weeks we have been talking about how Paul’s principal aim was to please the Lord, even above preserving his own life. Have you been praying for a similar boldness to put God first? How is God answering that prayer in your life?

Exploration: Questions to guide our group discussion.

1. Paul and his ministry companions thought of themselves as ambassadors for Christ and co-laborers together with God. An ambassador is: a messenger or chief representative of a governing authority. How would we be challenged to advance the causes of Christ if we thought of ourselves as God’s ambassadors every day? How might this impact our interactions with our next door neighbors, our co-workers, our spouses and children, our family, and others in our lives?

2. Paul pleaded with the Corinthians not to ignore the gospel of grace that had been preached to them. Sometimes a person will hear the gospel but reject it, ignore it, or defer it. Paul was pleading with them to make a decision for Christ right there and then, and not to delay it. Why did Paul plead with them that “today was the day of salvation”…that “now was the acceptable time of salvation?” Why the sense of urgency?

3. If we are to be ambassadors for Christ, then we have to be mindful of how our life choices can impact how others see Jesus. What does it do in your heart to be reminded that people are watching you, and may be forming opinions about Christ and His church as a result of their interactions with you? How should this reality cause you to stop and think about your choices before you act, and about your Christian influence?

4. We learned that a Christian is supposed to live a life separated unto God. Christ did not save us from the pig pen so that we can continue to wallow in the mud. We realize that we are all maturing and growing at God’s pace, and that we are all still works in progress. That said, let’s talk about the power of a separated life. What does it mean to live a life separated unto Christ? How do we find a balance between living a separated life and still engaging the culture around us?

Additional Scriptures for Deeper Study:

• Ephesians 4:17-32 Put on the new man.
• Matthew 10:16-33 Sheep among wolves.
• 1 John 2:3-6 If we love Jesus, we’ll obey Him.
• Hebrews 9:27-28 It is appointed unto man once to live and then the judgment.

Application: How can I apply this to my life this week?

1. What specific situations will I face this week (work, family, gym, civic club) where I need the mindset that I am God’s ambassador? Would you share how you are planning to put on this way of thinking in a specific and practical way?

2. The Bible instructs us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. The Spirit of the Lord testifies to our spirits whether we are saved or not. If you are saved, there will be confidence in that from the Lord. If there is uncertainty or anxiety about it, is it possible that God is pleading with you in the Spirit to be saved today?

3. Think of a time recently when your reaction to a situation didn’t reflect well on Christ, or when you saw another Christian react poorly and misrepresent Christ. As you replay that situation in your mind, what would have been a better way to handle that situation? What could you/they do differently next time to set Christ in a more positive light?

4. A separated life is the calling of every Christian…to live in the world but not to be of the world. Is there an area in your life that has not yet been yielded to God? What would the Lord say about that to you as a response to Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians?