[0:00] This message was recorded at Vision Baptist Church in Alfreda, Georgia. This is the next message in our series in the book of 2 Corinthians, entitled, We Faint Not.
[0:14] Isn't it great that we get to worship His holy name? Isn't it great that we get to come together on Sundays and Sunday nights and Saturday nights, and we get to worship Him, and we get to talk about Him, and we get to tell of His goodness and what He's done for us in our lives and all the blessings and the promises He's given us?
[0:31] Isn't that great that we get to do that? But then yet we think about the billions and the billions and the billions out there that He died for just as much as He died for you, and they don't get to praise like we do.
[0:44] They don't get to worship Him. They don't get to sing this song. They don't get to enjoy giving back to the Creator God that gave them everything. They don't get the opportunity like we do right here. But that's why God made us.
[0:56] That's why God saved us. That's why God gave us this ministry, this job of being ambassador. And today I'd like to go a little bit deeper. We're going to find out. Let's just think these next 30 minutes.
[1:08] If you get this in your mind, I know you guys never did anything like this, but getting this in your mind, the next 30 minutes is going to be job orientation. Okay? I'm going to teach you from this text what God expects or demonstrate from the life of Paul what a true ambassador is.
[1:27] What a true ambassador is. Because if you go with me, take your Bibles. We're going to go to 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. The Bible says this. I'm just going to give you three things.
[1:38] I promise we'll be out quick and you guys will be able to get something to eat. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6, verse 1, he says this. We'll just read verse 1 right now. We then, continuation from what we just said.
[1:49] You're ambassadors. You've got a ministry of reconciliation. As workers together with him. Let's stop right there. In this job orientation, this job description of what we're going through right now, I want you guys to know that if you are ambassador, if you are born again, if you have been saved, if you've been there at that day of salvation, if you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, that you have a co-worker with you.
[2:16] That workers together, that synergy, something that Stephen Covey could never understand, we are workers together with Christ Jesus, with God in heaven. I remember when I was 19, I just got, it was like my second or third job.
[2:31] I promise I didn't get fired before the other ones. I was just laid off before one and I was a kid, you know, doing a kid job back then. I was, got a job working on construction. It was a family crew. They had brothers together and they had the son and the nephew.
[2:44] And so I was the low man on the totem pole. And you know what that means for the low man on the totem pole. They always get the less desired job. Well, it was back in Ohio and we were building a house and it was wintertime.
[2:56] It was on top of a hill. And so the dirt, brother John, you would understand this, that had shale in it. And wintertime in Ohio, there was frost on the ground.
[3:07] You'd have to dig what you call a frost footer because whenever you poured concrete, you didn't want to get it where the frost would get it and move it and change the structure. So you'd have to dig about 32 inches deep. And they gave me a spud bar in one hand and a shovel in the other hand.
[3:20] And they said, I want you to dig a footer for the, we're going to put a porch. It's going to be 10 feet out. We're going to have it 30 feet long. You can dig it. You can dig it. And so while I was out there, Cole, I was out there with a spud bar and a shovel, pounding on this ground that was rock hard.
[3:38] They were inside doing drywall work in the nice warm house. And I was left out there all by myself. And while I was out there, man, this, this, I don't know if this ever happens to you when you're alone and you're working.
[3:50] You get that, that anger in your heart and you get that frustration and you get that fear. And you're like, man, are they ever going to come out here? Am I ever going to get this job done? What am I, what am I doing out here? Why aren't they helping me?
[4:01] I want to tell you a truth today, a truth that Paul understood, a truth that Paul said in verse one, he says, we are workers with the Lord. If you are an ambassador today, can I tell you something?
[4:14] You have a coworker. You have the Lord that's working on side with you. That should ease your, your, your fears and your frustrations. You see, Paul realized something, something that Christ taught his disciples.
[4:27] If you got, if you have your Bible, you know this. If you, if you're a Bible scholar, if you know your Bible, if you've been to this church, you know this Matthew chapter 28, verse 18 through 20, the Bible says, Jesus came unto them and he spake unto them. And then he said, all powers given unto me in heaven and earth.
[4:40] Now go ye therefore and teach all nations. You're ambassadors for me. I want you to teach my words to everyone. I want you to baptize them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy ghost.
[4:54] And then I want you to teach them to observe all things whatsoever. I commanded you. And what does he ended off with? And lo, I am with you all the way, even unto the end of the world.
[5:06] You know what? Paul had a realization in this job that we have. When we look at the job of 7 billion people, getting the gospel to 7 billion people. Do you know this, this week they came out with, with some stats.
[5:18] The ages from 30 to 18. You know what? There's a new, there's a new category, a new category for believers. They call them the non-religious. And that's 20% of our population here in America.
[5:30] Non-believers, they don't have any spiritual views. They're not tied by religion. They have their own views. It's the second largest. We got Roman Catholicism, then the non-religious. When you think about that, 20% of 300 million people.
[5:45] 300 million people. 60 million people don't have religious views. 60 million, when you think of that. And you're like, God, how can I do that? How can I finish this job?
[5:59] He says this, I am with you. Always. In Acts chapter 1 verses 4, Jesus, Jesus was talking to his disciples. And this is something that always, always, I didn't understand why he said this.
[6:11] He said this in being assembled together with them. He commanded that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait. Did you get that word? Wait. Wait. Jesus says, apostles, disciples, I want you to stay here in Jerusalem.
[6:26] Don't go out there. I know I just told you to go and reach the world, but I want you to stay here. Wait. Why did he want them to wait? Why did he have them to wait?
[6:36] Why? These men who just saw him dead, buried in the ground. These men that just saw him on Calvary. Murdered. These men that saw him murdered and dead, and now he rose back to life.
[6:51] And these men that are full of, you've got to understand, they're probably full of joy, and they're probably full of like, yeah, let's go get them. If they can't kill him, they can't kill us. Why did he tell them to wait? Because he had a promise for them.
[7:04] They had to wait for the Spirit of God to come with them. They were waiting for that co-worker. That person that was going to help them. Paul realized that. Paul understood that.
[7:17] Paul knew that. But not only do we take this task that we're not doing it by ourselves, but Paul understood. Paul had an understanding in this line of work of being an ambassador that it was not only that God was with us, but that God did the work through us.
[7:33] You see, Jesus back in Mark chapter 4, in verse 26 through 29, he tells a story of a man that went out one day, and he took some seed, and he threw it on the ground. He just threw it on the ground.
[7:43] And after that, he went inside, laid down, slept, and in the morning, something sprouted up. Now, who did the work there?
[7:57] Was it the man that brought life to the plant? Was it the man that pushed the plant through the ground? Was it the man that maybe did, I don't know, talk to the plant, made it grow?
[8:10] No, it wasn't the man. All he did was just sow the seed. And God did the rest. You see, this week, we passed out 433 tracts, and we put it on doors, and Lord willing, by the end of this week, we'll have 10,000, we'll have hit over 10,000 houses.
[8:26] Why do we do that? Because we realize, if we just sow the seed, if we sow the seed, that our co-worker will come alongside us, and he will make something happen. You see, Paul realized that.
[8:36] In 1 Corinthians 3, verses 6 through 9, he says, I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. Didn't God do the work? Didn't God do the work? So neither he that planted, he's not anything, and he that watered, he's nothing.
[8:49] But God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth water are one. And every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor. Listen to this. For we are laborers together with God.
[9:02] You get that? When we go out there, when we go to our friends, and we go to our families, and we go to our co-workers, and our neighbors, and we desperately want to see them to get saved. We want them to trust in God.
[9:12] We want them to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And we go out there, and we seed, and we seed, and we seed. We need to realize something. It's not us that's doing the work. It's God that's doing the work. It's God that's working through us.
[9:24] And Paul had a realization in that. Now this truth is not just specific for witnessing, but isn't it truth throughout all our lives? For us to be Christians, we just don't accept Christ, and he just saves us.
[9:39] We just don't have the faith, and he just saves us. But we have that faith, and he lives through us. Paul realized that. In Galatians chapter 2, verses 20, he says, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live. But let me tell you, I'm not living, but it's not me.
[9:52] It's Christ that's living through me. Can I tell you that? In Philippians chapter 2, verses 13, Paul says this. He says, It is God which worketh in me, in you, in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
[10:04] Paul had a realization. It wasn't me that's doing the work. It was God working through me. So that means, how am I going to be a good mother? It can't be you. Excuse me. It can't be you.
[10:14] It has to be God working through you. How are you going to be a good wife? It has to be God working through you. Paul realized that. And when you realize that. Excuse me. When you realize all the work that he'd done.
[10:26] You realize that it was God's grace that did it all through you. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 10. This is what Paul says. He says, But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace that which is bestowed upon me was not in vain.
[10:38] But I labored more abundantly than they all. But can I remember you guys? Can I tell you guys again? It wasn't me. It was God. It was a grace of God which was with me. It was God working through me.
[10:50] So in this job of evangelizing. Reaching the lost. We have to realize we have a co-worker. It eases our conscience in realizing that we're not alone. It makes us realize that he's doing the work. Not only that. It puts responsibility on us.
[11:03] You know what I'm saying? Imagine this for a second, Brother Frick. Imagine you were in partnership with somebody you loved. Someone you admired greatly. How are you going to go to work?
[11:16] That person you loved. This is making sense. You're in partnership with somebody. You started up a business. And he says, I'm going to have you be over this part. Are you going to show up late?
[11:29] Are you going to take a longer lunch break? When it's time to go home, are you going to skip a few hours and go home early? During those down times, are you going to play and look on Facebook a little bit more?
[11:40] I know you probably won't look on Facebook. But how are you going to view this job? With somebody you love and you respect and you admire. I hope you say, of course, I'm not going to show up late.
[11:52] I want to be there early. I want to work harder. I want to work longer hours. I want to take this more serious because I realize who I'm with. There's somebody I love and someone I admire. I want to work harder. It's the same thing with God.
[12:03] Do you realize who you're working with? Do you realize that it's God that's working together with you to reach a lost world? And Paul says, don't take that in vain, guys. Don't take that in vain. And we have a great opportunity and a great responsibility.
[12:18] We get to work with God in heaven. You ever think about that? Today, when you go to the, I don't know, you go to the restaurant, you go home, you go to the gas station, wherever you go.
[12:31] You hand out a tract. Do you realize God's working with you? He's working through you? Today, when you go out there, or tomorrow, when you go at work and you tell somebody what you heard in the message or what you read in your Bible, do you realize God is working with you?
[12:42] He's working through you. You have a co-worker, guys. You're not left out there by yourself. But not only do we have a co-worker, I want you to look at an attitude that we have towards the job. Look at Paul's attitude in verse 3.
[12:53] Paul says this. He says, Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed. Ambassador, what's your attitude towards the work, Paul?
[13:05] What's your attitude towards your job? I make sure there's no offense in anything, because I don't want the ministry to be blamed. You see, Paul had a realization that this job that he was doing, this ministry that he's been given, this title of ambassador, this title of, hey, I'm supposed to tell other people about Jesus, is extremely important.
[13:24] He realized that he was standing between the living and the dead. He realized that his words were going to be words unto salvation or words unto death. His words were going to help bring a person to Christ, or they're going to reject it.
[13:43] And spend eternity in damnation. You know, it weighed so much on Paul, that in Romans chapter 9, verses 3, look what Paul says.
[13:55] He says this, he says, For I wish that I, for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brother and my kinsman according to the flesh.
[14:06] You know what Paul said? He says, I realize that God's given me this gift. I realize God has given me all this great stuff. I realize he made me become righteous. I realize that. And I know the ministry has given me.
[14:18] And it weighs on me so much that I wish that I could be anathema. I could be damned to hell. I could be separated from Christ for my brother's sake. Those are some pretty weighty words.
[14:38] He says, I wish I could take my salvation. I give it up and I'll give it to my friends. I'll spend eternity. I'll take their punishment. It weighed on him. Not only was it, it wasn't just a job, but it was rather his life.
[14:50] In Romans chapter 1, verses 1, he says he was separated unto the gospel. In Romans chapter 1, verses 14, Paul says, I am a debtor to all men. I'm a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians and to the wise and to the unwise.
[15:03] I have to get this gospel out to everyone. I have to be an ambassador. I have to tell them what Jesus has done. I am responsible. I have this weight of responsibility laid upon me. So then the question, the statement or the question I bring up to you is, how could someone throw away their entire life's work, the cause of being an ambassador for sin?
[15:32] Or so they could live out in comfort. Or so they could have their liberties. Paul wasn't willing for sin, his comfort, nor his liberties to put a blemish or give the cause for someone else to criticize this ministry.
[15:47] Does that make sense? Paul says, this thing is so important. I view it that I would give my own salvation away. I view it that I am separated. I am a debtor. I owe a debt to somebody.
[15:59] So therefore, I'm not going to let anyone cause blame. I'm not going to let anyone criticize this ministry. I'm going to work harder. I'm going to make sure my testimony is pure. I'm going to make sure that I would go certain things so that I can get this message out.
[16:14] It's important. You see his attitude towards it? It's extremely important. I've got to get it done. Look at what he says. This is what he tells Timothy. He tells Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 3, verses 2, and then verse 2, chapter 3, verse 8 through 10.
[16:25] He says this. He says, a bishop must then be blameless. In verses 8, verses 10, he says, likewise, the deacons, not only just the bishop, the deacons, they must be grave, not double-tongued, not given much wine, not greedy, for a filthy lucre, not holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience, and let these first be proved, then let them use the office of a deacon being found blameless.
[16:53] He tells Titus the same thing. He says, I left you in Crete. I want you to put preachers up there. But I want you, whenever you're picking out the guy, make sure he's blameless. Make sure he's blameless. Verse 7, he says, for a bishop, Titus 1, 7, he says, for a bishop must be blameless.
[17:09] He tells the women in Titus chapter 2, verses 3, or Titus verses 2, verses 5, he says, to be discreet, chaste, keepers of home, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
[17:23] Paul realized that what he had, what he had been entrusted with, there was a huge standard in his life, that he wasn't going to let sin creep in and cause so someone else wouldn't hear.
[17:34] Does that make sense? And it's the same in our life. What sin is worth the soul of a person? But not only was he not allowing sin, but Paul says this, he says, I won't be a stumbling block.
[17:50] In Romans chapter 14, verses 13, he says this, Let us therefore judge one another. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore. But judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or occasion to fall in my brother's way.
[18:04] Paul loved mankind, or loved his church, loved people so much, he says, I'm not going to put something in their way that they're going to stumble and cause them either to criticize me or criticize the ministry or criticize whatever.
[18:19] He says this, and he goes to this extreme. In 1 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 13, he says this, He says, In the church of Corinth, they would be eating meat that was offered to the idols.
[18:40] And the new believer, if he saw an older person, an older Christian eating meat that was offered to an idol, they might fall back into the idolatry of worshiping idols. And Paul says, let me tell you something, guys.
[18:51] You guys can eat it. It doesn't matter. All things are lawful. Let me tell you this, though. If me eating meat causes my brother to offend, while the world's still in motion, while the world's turning, while the world's orbiting the sun, while we're still here, let me tell you something.
[19:06] I won't eat meat. Because Paul knew something. That this ministry was super important. He wasn't going to let his liberties get in his way. He wasn't going to let his sin or sin get in his way.
[19:19] Not only that, but look what he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 12. This is something dumbfounded. I'm dumbfounded by this statement. Listen to what he says. If others, 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 12.
[19:31] He says this. If others be partakers of this power over you. A quick background of this. Peter came to the church of Corinth, and the Corinthian church would take care of Peter, and they'd take care of his wife, and minister him to them, give him physical things.
[19:48] And Paul says, Paul's talking here. He says, if others, like Peter and them, are partakers of powers over this, whether, I mean, they're getting money from you. Nevertheless, we, and he says this in verse 1.
[20:01] Are we, or not we rather? Nevertheless, we have not used this power. Okay, so Paul was basically saying, hey, I led you guys to Christ. I was your pastor. I took care of you.
[20:13] I watered. I planted. I watered. God gave the increase. I was there for you guys. I ministered unto you guys. I was beaten for you guys. Shouldn't I get a part of this? But nevertheless, I didn't do that.
[20:24] Nevertheless, I didn't do that. Nevertheless, we have not used this power. I didn't use that power, but we suffered. We suffered all things. We didn't get money. We didn't get the material stuff from you guys like you guys were supposed to give to us.
[20:37] We gave you, we sowed to you guys the spiritual things you guys were supposed to give us, the material stuff. But we didn't get any of that. But we suffered all things. Lest we should, what?
[20:48] Hinder the gospel. You know what Paul was saying? He was saying, to keep this ministry pure, to make sure there's no criticism, no blame, no somebody come up here and criticize what God has done, what me working for God.
[21:04] I'm willing not only not to sin, I'm willing not to eat meat. I'm willing not to take a paycheck from you guys. Unless the gospel be hindered.
[21:19] Paul realized that this was something extremely important. And he wasn't going to let his liberties, his sin, or even his comfort of having a paycheck, cause other people to say, hey, that guy's not really in for the real stuff.
[21:38] Paul said, that's not true of me. Paul didn't want to bring blame and reproach to God's ministry. You guys remember the story of Samson.
[21:48] It's too old testament. Stories they got. How Samson, how God, his mom, mom and dad didn't have a kid. God, an angel came to him and said, you're going to have a son. Samson was a judge.
[21:59] God gave him power. God gave him, God gave him, he was a judge over all of Israel. He had, he had a position that was just incredible. How he constantly continued to sin. Didn't listen to his parents.
[22:11] Didn't listen to his, to his oath. Didn't obey it. Didn't obey it. Didn't obey it. And then one day he was in that room with the harlot Delilah. You guys remember that story? And she asked for a secret, you know, what, what, what happened?
[22:23] And finally Samson told her, it's in her hair and she cut his, cut his hair. And God took his strength away from him. And the Philistines bound him.
[22:34] And this time Samson couldn't break free because the spirit of the Lord left him. Do you realize what they did when they took his body and they put him up there on that, that platform, on that stage, on that, that, that, that porch.
[22:50] You realize what they were doing? Judges 16 verse 23 tells us, it tells us. Then the Lords of the Philistines gathered together for to offer a great sacrifice unto Dagon, their God.
[23:01] And they rejoiced and they said, our God hath delivered Samson, our enemy, into our hand. And when the people saw him, they praised their God. What were the people over in Palestine?
[23:12] What were they doing? Those Philistines? What were they doing? They were praising their God for they said what? Our God hath delivered our enemies. Our God hath delivered into our hands our enemies.
[23:23] And the destroyer of our country which slew him in. You know what Samson's sin did? It caused the world to praise their God. It took praise which was due to our God.
[23:36] And they started praising their God. He caused reproach. He caused blame. He caused, he caused a problem with the ministry. Samson was given such a great responsibility, such a great, great opportunity that he had.
[23:52] And the people down the road from Jerusalem were out there praising their God. You remember the story of David too, right? It was the day when the kings went forth to war.
[24:04] And David decided to stay back. He didn't do his job. And David was up there. He was on the porch. It was about nighttime. And he was looking out. And he noticed in the distance the lady that was bathing.
[24:15] Remember Bathsheba? And he looked on her and he desired her. And he told his servants to bring her to him. And he knew that she was married. She had a husband. Because when he asked who is that, they said, oh, that's Bathsheba.
[24:27] You know, the wife of Uriah, one of your mighty men. And he committed adultery. And she found out that she was pregnant. And then David had Uriah die or killed. What was Nathan's indictment?
[24:41] What did Nathan say to David when he said, okay, you're the man. Thou art the man. You're the man that took that lamb. You're the man that did that. What was it? Nathan said unto David in 2 Samuel 12, verses the end of 13.
[24:56] Nathan said unto him, David, the Lord hath put away thy sin. And thou shalt not die. What a merciful God right there. How be it? Because by thy deed thou hast caused or thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.
[25:15] Don't you guys realize that the way you live, you are an ambassador. You are a representative of God in heaven. The way you treat your family.
[25:26] The way you treat your wife. The way you treat your husband. The way you treat your kids. The way you act. Represents not only you and your family. It represents the creator God.
[25:37] Do you realize that? We get upset. Can I say something? We get upset when our representative, when our president goes and he commits adultery in the Oval Office. We get upset when our speaker of the house commits adultery and his wife has a terminal disease.
[25:49] We get upset when the secret agents go over to Columbia and they do what they do. We get upset because they're representing us. Don't they know that? They're representing our country. We're not immoral people. We're not pagans.
[26:00] We get upset when that happens. How much more upset do you think the Lord is when we act like the world? When we don't constrain our sin. We don't constrain our liberties.
[26:10] We don't constrain our comforts. And do what he's called us to do. Don't you realize that? We've been given a job. Have an attitude that I'm going to do whatever it takes.
[26:22] I'm not going to give cause to blame this ministry. Because I know it's extremely important. I am the man that's between the living and the dead.
[26:34] I've got to get this gospel to them. And so I'm going to make sure my testimony is pure and perfect. When it comes to our lives, we are representing the King of Heaven.
[26:46] We are representing God the Father, Yahweh, holy, holy, holy. We are representing Him. I'll start living it. Paul says, I won't cause. What does he say?
[26:57] Verse 3. He says, giving no offense in anything, that the ministry be not blamed. Not only do I realize that I'm working with Him, I realize that I'm not going to cause. I'm not going to give those worldly people.
[27:07] I'm not going to give them. I'm not going to give them room to mock my God. No, not me. Not me. And in doing that, not only Paul says his attitude, but I want you to look how he proved himself as a minister.
[27:24] Paul was a proven minister. A recommended servant. It was his life that commended him. In other words, he passed through the life's test.
[27:36] And he did it the right way. Look at verse 4. Paul says this, but in all things, approving ourselves as ministers of God. He was saying, whatever test God sent my way, I proved it, that I was a minister.
[27:54] Can I say something? We're going to have to prove ourselves too. God's going to send you through some trials and tribulations and different things. And you're going to have to prove yourself. But right now, I want you to focus in on what Paul did.
[28:07] How did Paul recommend himself? Paul could recommend himself because he went through testings and trials. And he passed them. Which ones did he pass? Look what he says.
[28:17] In patience. In much patience. And then he starts listing different things. He says, in much patience. In afflictions. In necessities. In distresses. In stripes. In imprisonments. In tumults.
[28:28] In riots. That's basically what it means. In labors. In watching. In fasting. All these different things. Paul was afflicted. He was not only afflicted spiritually. But he was afflicted physically.
[28:40] He talked about it to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians chapter 4. We learned about that. How he was troubled on every side. But yet not distressed. He was perplexed. But not in despair. He was persecuted.
[28:51] Paul had many trials. He went through many different things. If you would take your Bible. And I want to show you what Paul went through. And he talks about it later on in this letter. 2 Corinthians chapter 11.
[29:02] And we'll start in verse 23. This is what Paul went through. This is what he wants to tell him. We're closing up here. He says. He's talking about these Judaizers.
[29:13] These legalists. He says. Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more. And labor is more abundant. And stripes above measure.
[29:26] And prisons more frequent. And deaths oft. Of the Jews. Five times I received 40 stripes. Save one. Thrice I was beaten with rod. Once I was stoned.
[29:38] Thrice I suffered. Three times I suffered a shipwreck. A day and a night. I have been in the deep. And journeys often. I travel a whole bunch. In perils of water.
[29:51] Different storms that come up on his ship travels. In perils of robbers. In perils of my own countrymen. In perils by the heathen. In perils in the city. In perils in the wilderness.
[30:01] In perils. In the sea. In perils among false brethren. In weariness. In painfulness. In watchings. In not being able to sleep at night. In hunger. In thirst.
[30:12] In fast things often. In cold. In nakedness. Paul says. You know what. How I proved myself. You know how I proved. That I was an ambassador. That even though I went through all this stuff.
[30:25] I went through. I was in a shipwreck. I was beaten. I was almost dead twice. Beaten with a rod. 39 times. Five times. I had all these terrible stuff happen to me.
[30:38] Can I tell you what? I went through it. And I kept on doing my job. Look what he says. He says. He says. Not only did I go through this stuff. And all this stuff. What's he say? In verse six. He says.
[30:48] I tell you how I did it. I did it by pureness. By knowledge. By long suffering. Second Corinthians chapter six. Verses six. By the Holy Ghost.
[31:02] By love unfeigned. By a love. A genuine love. By the word of truth. By power. By the power of God. By the armor of righteousness. On the right hand.
[31:13] Can I tell you. That when I went through this. I had the right attitude. The attitude that Christ would have. Didn't Christ have the same thing happen to him? Didn't Christ.
[31:27] I mean Paul saying. He was saying. I've been through a whole bunch of junk. I have problems with my eyes. I got problems with people trying to kill me.
[31:37] I have problems with people trying to find me. I'm a proven minister. It's going to take some work people. And if you're going to be in this job of ambassador. Jesus says this. Jesus. Jesus doesn't hold anything back.
[31:48] He says. Hey. Hey. You guys aren't above your master. You realize that right? John 15 20. He says. He says this. He says. You're not above your master. And. Yes.
[31:59] John 15 20. If you go there real quick. This is the words of Christ. When he was. Praying for his disciples. John 15 20. Remember the words that I have said unto you.
[32:10] The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they persecute me. They will also persecute you. If you've kept my sayings. If they have kept my sayings.
[32:21] They will keep yours also. You know what Jesus was saying? I went through junk. Now you're going to go through junk. And Paul was saying here. Job description time for the ambassador. I've proven myself.
[32:32] In the ministry. By what I went through. Because I realized this thing was real. I realized this thing was work. I realized that I was going to have to.
[32:43] I was going to have to get up. Off the couch. I was going to have to. To tell other people. I was going to have to worry about. My life. How I represented. Did I represent God well? Did I represent God well?
[32:56] Am I causing blame to this ministry? But he proved himself. Through all the different trials. And you know what? When he went through every one of those trials. He said. I did this by.
[33:07] By pureness and knowledge. And long suffering. And kindness. And the Holy Ghost. And love unfamed. By the word of truth. And the power of God. And all these different things. He says. I did this in the right attitude. I had the right spirit. I was kind.
[33:18] I had genuine love. I did it through the word of God. I did it through the word of truth. I wasn't lying. I did this the right way. You as ambassadors. You're going to face some trials. You're going to have problems in your life.
[33:29] You're going to have certain things. People are going to mock you. When you witness to them. You realize that right? And Paul says that later on. He says. He says. By honor and dishonor. By evil report and good report. You know what?
[33:40] What happens when you give the gospel. When you are a true ambassador of the Lord. There's some people that's going to accept it. There's some people that's going to accept it. Other people are going to reject it. Some people think it's going to be a good report.
[33:51] Other people are going to think it's going to be evil. Some people are going to honor you. And what you say. And other people are going to dishonor you. They're going to talk behind your back. But the question is. Are you going to keep on going? Are you going to work for it?
[34:03] Are you going to work? Don't receive the grace of God in vain. Don't receive this grace which you've been getting. Don't receive it in vain. Realize that you are ambassadors for Christ.
[34:14] And then Paul as he ends it up. He says this. He says in verse 11. He says Paul reminds the Christians. Of the love that he's shown to them.
[34:27] Verse 11 he says this. Oh you Corinthians. Our mouth is open unto you. Our heart is enlarged. Paul was saying to them.
[34:37] He's saying. When I came to you. I spoke the words of truth. I came to you. My heart was enlarged. I loved you. I preached the gospel to you. Now I just want you to remember. I can't.
[34:47] I can't force you. I can't. I can't restrict you in doing stuff. It has to be your own desires. But in exchange for what I did. Can I ask you as my children. Would you enlarge your hearts?
[35:00] Would you take up on this same ministry. That God has given you. Would you take it the same way that I did? Would you realize that God is with you. And he's working with you. Would you realize that you can't let this ministry be blamed guys.
[35:13] We can't let this ministry be blamed. Would you realize that you're going to have to prove yourself. Go through trials and tribulations. But you had to have the right attitude like I did. Please enlarge your hearts.
[35:26] Enlarge your hearts. And so tonight. Or today. This morning. Afternoon. I'm asking the church. Vision Baptist Church. Would you guys enlarge your hearts? You realize the ministry that God has given us.
[35:41] You realize that you're working together with God in heaven. Would you take that serious. And check your own liberties.
[35:53] And check your own comforts at the door. It's going to cost something. It's going to cost us to go across the road. And talk to our neighbors. Of course.
[36:04] They might mock us. And they might make fun of us. That's the evil report. That's the dishonor. But there might be some out there. That accept. And that will be honoring unto you. And that will be a good report.
[36:15] And they'll love you. And they'll cherish you. Tonight church. God has given you a ministry.
[36:28] You are an ambassador for Christ. He has made you the righteousness of God. Can I remind you. All the things that he told you. You are a new creature. And he made you an ambassador.
[36:40] Can we start. Living like one. Can we start living like one. Like we're truly representing the king of kings. And the Lord's the Lord. Can we really.
[36:51] Start living like it. This message was recorded. Vision Baptist Church. In Alfred, Georgia. For more information. Log on to.
[37:02] www.visionbaptist.com Where you can find our service times. Location. Contact information. And more audio and video recordings. Do. www. Meister mommy speak.
[37:19] Come on. Do you.