When we are seeking help to locate a product in a store, we look for someone wearing a badge signifying they are an employee.  When seeking advice when purchasing a new appliance, we look for a representative who is wearing the polo shirt with the store’s colors.  It’s a bonus if we see someone with “manager” embroidered on their shirt, right?!  It’s a confidence builder to know they have been trained if they are a manager. 

Think about it, we want a representative to tell us the truth about what we need so we can make a wise decision.  We want someone who knows what they talking about.  It’s even better when representatives tell us they bought the product we are interested in and then relate to us their experience of owning it along with testimonials of how it meets their needs.  That settles it!  We buy in because of someone “in the know.”

Who knows better than God!  Who knows better than whom God sends? God offers a new way of life when we believe in Jesus, His Son.  God wants us to love Him back. It is God’s desire that no one perish.  God wants His best for us.  So, God sent His Son, His best, to save us.  This sacrificial act of love is the Way, the Truth that gives Life.  “God settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other,” proclaims Paul.  God now commands us to be Jesus’ representatives to show and tell of the offer of new life that comes as a gift to anyone and everyone who believes!  We’re God’s employees!

Pause to prayerfully take it all in…then read Paul’s encouragement to us.

2 Corinthians 5, The Message

 ^1-5 For instance, we know that when these bodies of ours are taken down like tents and folded away, they will be replaced by resurrection bodies in heaven—God-made, not handmade—and we’ll never have to relocate our “tents” again. Sometimes we can hardly wait to move—and so we cry out in frustration. Compared to what’s coming, living conditions around here seem like a stopover in an unfurnished shack, and we’re tired of it! We’ve been given a glimpse of the real thing, our true home, our resurrection bodies! The Spirit of God whets our appetite by giving us a taste of what’s ahead. He puts a little of heaven in our hearts so that we’ll never settle for less.

^6-8 That’s why we live with such good cheer. You won’t see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don’t get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It’s what we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we’ll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.

^9-10 But neither exile nor homecoming is the main thing. Cheerfully pleasing God is the main thing, and that’s what we aim to do, regardless of our conditions. Sooner or later we’ll all have to face God, regardless of our conditions. We will appear before Christ and take what’s coming to us as a result of our actions, either good or bad.

^11-14 That keeps us vigilant, you can be sure. It’s no light thing to know that we’ll all one day stand in that place of Judgment. That’s why we work urgently with everyone we meet to get them ready to face God. God alone knows how well we do this, but I hope you realize how much and deeply we care. We’re not saying this to make ourselves look good to you. We just thought it would make you feel good, proud even, that we’re on your side and not just nice to your face as so many people are. If I acted crazy, I did it for God; if I acted overly serious, I did it for you. Christ’s love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do.

A New Life

^14-15 Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.

^16-20 Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life emerges! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.

²¹ How? you ask. In Christ. God put the wrong on him who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When we say yes to Jesus, we are given a “new life” to live.  As begin to transform from our old ways to living a newly created life, we discover the pure, unconditional love for all people that Jesus demonstrated become a part of our being. God’s Holy Spirit is changing us from the inside out.  We begin to see life from God’s perspective.  The more we realize the depth of love God has for us, our love for others deepens.  As our intimacy with God grows, we are given a glimpse of what it will be like to live with Him forever in heaven! 

As believers, we represent Jesus Christ?!  Humbling and a bit sobering, right?  Say it out loud.  “I represent Jesus in all I think, say, and do.”  It could mean the difference of life or death for anyone I meet as a rep! In fact, God’s Holy Spirit helping us, it is our work as a representative of Christ to tell others of His saving grace, great mercy, that is a gift to us all because of God’s relentless love for everyone in the world!  We must tell the world that by repenting of our sins to Jesus, He totally forgive us and sets us free from death with a written guarantee of eternal life!  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 

We are His Light in a world of darkness.  Hide it under a bushel basket? No!  Paul gives us the words to say while God’s Holy Spirit guides us with power to say them;

“God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you.” 2 Corinthians 5

Lord,

The Message is clear.  We are your ambassadors of your love, mercy, and grace.  You have miraculously saved us to tell others so they will know how to be saved by your grace and experience your great love and mercy.  Make us aware of those in need of a Savior then help us realize the opportunities you are providing to tell your story of redemption for your glory and their salvation.  Give us the right words at the right time that will be helpful to reconnecting others to you.  Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole.  I love to tell your story!  You settled it with me!

In Jesus Name, Amen