We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
—2 Corinthians 5:20
The mission of the Church is the same whether we are speaking of the local church or the global Church. Jesus came to this earth to establish the kingdom of God in a way that could never be shaken or lost again. With His own life, He paid the awful penalty of the sin Adam had introduced into our existence. Jesus is now exalted to the highest place in heaven and sits enthroned as the ruler of the kingdom He protects. We have been sent as His diplomats and ambassadors to the world with the mission of advancing the kingdom of God. That’s the mission of the Church and its individual members.
We as individuals and as the Church are to continually advance the kingdom of God. We do this first in prayer. Every good ambassador is in contact with his home country and is constantly receiving orders and guidance on how to respond to the changes in his arena. During our times of prayer, we also do battle in heavenly realms against the powers and rulers of this world that would come against the kingdom we represent. As ambassadors, we have been given great authority from the One we serve in the land where we’ve been sent.
Our mission isn’t necessarily to make our presence known. In reality, our primary objective is to make His presence known. We are to display His grace and salvation to those around us. We should be ambassadors and diplomats who display miracles, signs and wonders. Scripture declares that we are temples of the Holy Ghost. He lives inside of us. We haven’t received some half-strengthened version of God. No, inside of us is the very one who raised Jesus from the dead. As His ambassadors, we are to demonstrate the power of God, the faith of God and the love of God as we make Him known in all the earth.
The Church’s mission isn’t to acquire land or to build buildings. Our mission isn’t to control political arenas. The mission of the Church isn’t to accumulate great wealth. Our mission is to represent Christ to people. We are to take Jesus to them. We are to minister His love and power to those in need. We are to bind the wounds of the injured and feed the ones who are hungry. We are to keep those whom He has drawn around us safe and protected from the enemy’s attacks. Our mission is to teach those who have ears to hear about His grace and the righteousness He longs to impart, as well as the authority He wants to share. The Church and its members have been given a great and rewarding mission. It’s a mission of people. I pray that you’ll take your place and fulfill your part in the mission of the Church.
Scriptural Context
2 Corinthians 5:11-21
Concept Reinforcement
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
—Matthew 28:18-20
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
—Romans 8:11
Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
—Ephesians 6:19-20
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name...
—Philippians 2:8
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