Ambassadors for Christ

30CoreCommitments-Church (Ambassadors for Christ)
White Board (write 2 Cor. 5:18 & 20),
red and black markers,
envelopes with labels saying “For the Ambassador” on outside with II Cor. 5:20 written on page inside,
Wordless book, wordless bracelet, other Gospel-sharing tools

Option 1 (teaching only)
When you read the stories of the miracles Jesus did on earth, do you sometime think – it was a lot easier for people to believe in Jesus then, when you could actually see Jesus heal someone or watch Jesus calm a storm, or listen to his words. It seems sometimes harder to believe so many years after Jesus was alive.
Why would Jesus leave it to ordinary people like you and me to continue his work? Sometimes I think – Jesus, I wish you had stayed here on earth because you can teach people so much better than anybody else. Do you ever think that too?
But Jesus knew best. When Jesus rose from the dead, and days later left this earth to go to heaven, he gave his friends a big job to do and he also promised a big helper to help along the way. The big job is using that word “reconciliation” again and the big helper is the Holy Spirit.

Look at 2 Corinthians 5:17-21
Read it and let’s look for the BIG ideas:
• We are made new in Jesus
• We are reconciled to God by Jesus and
• now we have the ministry of reconciliation
• we are ambassadors for Christ

Boys and girls, when you asked Jesus to be your Savior, you were reconciled to God! (take your 2 hands and separate them). Sin separated you from God but when Jesus forgave you all your sins, you and God were reconciled. You became friends. I hope each one of you has done this – it’s the very first step to do!

And now God gives you and me a big job to do – a job so big that it will take your whole life to do it. Now maybe some people think that kids can’t do hard jobs, but God knows you can, and that job is to be an ambassador for Him.

Let’s think about what an ambassador is. Let me give you an example.

Some of you may know that in NYC there is a big building called the United Nations. Every country all around the world sends one person to the United Nations with one job in mind – to serve as its ambassador. The United States ambassador to the UN is a woman named Susan Rice. An Ambassador has a very special job. Ms. Rice’s job is to speak what the President wants her to say. Ms. Rice cannot think – I don’t like what the President wants me to say so I’ll make up something else. No! Her job is to represent the United States to all the nations that are at the United Nation.
Sometimes ambassadors are sent by the president on important trips to talk with countries who are disagreeing with us. Sometimes those places can be dangerous. When an ambassador is sent on a trip like this, he or she is given a very clear list of instructions of what to say to try to bring peace. Hopefully, the ambassador will be successful to bring peace and reconciliation. But an ambassador cannot force reconciliation. His job is to bring the message the President has to this other country and hope that peace will be received.

OPTION 2 (DRAMA) -
Begin talk here and have someone ready to be interviewed who is pretending to be an Ambassador. Have this person dressed very nicely, articulate, and perhaps having the flag of his/her country with them. Ask them questions that open up the themes above – what does an Ambassador do? How did you become Ambassador? Is there anything dangerous or exciting about being an Ambassador? How do you know what you’re supposed to say? Can you make a country accept your offers of peace?
Thank the guest, and move on to 2 Cor. v. 18ff.


Option 1 & 2 Continue here:
This verse in 2 Corinthians tells us that God has now given his people the job of being ambassadors not for a country, but for Christ in this world. Our job isn’t to settle a war or make peace between countries, it’s even bigger than that. Our job is to tell anyone who will listen that peace with God is possible. (You might want to omit the first 2 pieces here and just go on to msg. bullet point)

• It is a great honor to be an ambassador, imagine that you represent God! And like any ambassador, sometimes we could be sent into places that can be dangerous because that is where the greatest need is to hear God’s words – come back to me! Could you imagine that God is sending you as an ambassador into your school? Or into your soccer team? You don’t have to go far away to another country!
• Here is another important piece of being an ambassador. An ambassador must not cause shame to his or her country. If an ambassador meets the president of a country and is dressed in dirty, sloppy clothes, he has shamed the United States. If an ambassador is late for a meeting for no reason, she has shamed the United States. If an ambassador arrives unprepared for a meeting, he has shamed the United States. An ambassador must realize his/her job is of highest importance
• If you are an ambassador, what is the message you must be ready to give?

Look at 5:21 to learn what it means:
Be reconciled to God!

At VBS, we are very careful that each boy and girl hears this appeal. Some years we use the wordless book to give God’s message of reconciliation (show kids the wordless book). One year we used something called a Gospel Cube. One year we used the Bridge to Life booklet in the pews. Last year we used the gospel bracelet (show the kids). Every Christian needs a simple way to speak God’s message. Otherwise, she is not a good ambassador!

So let’s quickly sum up:
• It’s a big and important job to be an ambassador, and every Christian is an ambassador for God – will you take the job?
• An ambassador’s job is only speaks the words of his/her leader. Are you willing to speak to others for Christ?
• An ambassador must be ready to speak the message entrusted to him/her. Do you know how to tell others that God wants to be reconciled with them – can you do it in a way that even a child can understand?
• It takes courage to be an ambassador. Can you be brave?
• An ambassador must not cause shame to his/her country by his/her performance. Are you willing to live in a way that honors God?

So clubbers, I want to hand you an envelope as you leave tonight with your task as Christ’s ambassador. It is found in 2 Corinthians 5:20. Please open the envelope up when you are home. God is giving you a big and important job but God will help you.