Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

August 16
Saturday


WALKING
BILLBOARDS

READ:
2 Corinthians 5:16-21
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We are ambassadors
for Christ.
__2 Corinthians 5:20
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Pete Peterson's first contact with Vietnam was in the Vietnam War. During a bombing raid in 1966, his plane was shot down and he was taken prisoner. Over 30 years later he returned as US Ambassador to Vietnam. One press article called him "a walking billboard for reconciliation." He realized years ago that God had not saved his life for him to live in anger. Because he believed this, he used the rest of his life and his position to make a difference by pushing for better safety standards for children in Vietnam.

It is a great responsibility and honor to be appointed as a representative of your country to another. As followers of Christ we are "ambassadors for Christ" (2 Cor. 5:20). Just as God sent Christ to reconcile us to Himself (v.18), we now have the ministry of "reconciliation" (v.19). Our message is that all can be redeemed in Christ because God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (v.21).

In response to the reconciling love Jesus offers us, we can share that love with others. Let's take our role seriously. Wherever God places us in this world, He can use us as walking billboards of reconciliation for Jesus Christ. __C. P. Hia

`````````````````````````I am a stranger here, within a foreign land;``````````````````````````
`````````````````````````My home is far away, upon a golden strand,``````````````````````````
`````````````````````````Ambassador to be of realms beyond the sea,`````````````````````````
`````````````````````````I'm here on business for the King! __Cassel``````````````````````````
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Good news kept silent is no news at all.

************************************Today's Bible Reading __ 2 Corinthians 5:16-21*******************************

16 Therefore, from now on,
we regard no one according
to the flesh. Even though
we have known Christ
according to the flesh, yet
now we know Him thus no
longer. 17 Therefore, if
anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things
have passed away; behold,
all things have become
new. 18 Now all things are
of God, who has reconciled
us to Himself through Jesus
Christ, and has given us the
ministry of reconciliation,

19 that is, that God was in
Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not
imputing their trespasses to
them, and has committed to
us the word of
reconciliation. 20 Now then,
we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were
pleading through us: we
implore you on Christ's
behalf, be reconciled to
God. 21 For He made Him
who knew no sin to be sin
for us, that we might
become the righteousness
of God in Him.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

The Christian life is one of transformation. This is described for us
in verse 17 of today's text. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a
new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have
become new." We are reconciled with God and have become new
creatures__His ambassadors. As His ambassadors, we are called to
present Christ to the world around us because of the wonder of
what He did for us: "He mad Him who knew no sin to be sin for
us" (vv.20-21).