Scriptures: Joel 2:28-29 Power from the Holy Spirit from Heaven
2 Cor. 5:11-6:2 Ambassadors on Earth for Christ in Heaven
Math. 28: 16-20 Empowered and Authorised to represent the Father of Heaven
Intro: Today is the 2nd message I’m preaching about Heaven.
3 weeks ago I taught about Heaven by looking at the vision and experience of Heaven which John the Apostle had and is included in the Bible in the Book of Revelation. Jesus announced the Kingdom of Heaven to begin his ministry and he demonstrated the presence and reality of heaven by healing the sick and working miracles and teaching parables to illustrate what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. I said that the New Testament is ‘book ended’ by most references to Heaven in the first book Mathew and the last book Revelation and that one of the main purposes of Jesus coming was to restore Heaven to Earth.
Today I want us to consider His call and commission for us to bring Heaven to earth as well.
(1) Examples of Heaven on earth in the last 3 weeks:
Ÿ On the Alpha weekend God’s presence and power was experienced and last Wed in the Alpha healing session and my hip that went out has since been healed after prayer.
Ÿ Jinny’s sermons on the Holy Spirit and ministry and her own back was healed as she ministered the anointing oil 2 Sundays ago
Ÿ When I preached in Masterton last Sunday about our SOMA mission in India then I prayed for the Holy Spirit to come on them and they ministered to those who stood for healing.
(2) HEAVEN IS BOTH OUR DESTINATION AND OUR ASSIGNMENT
Today I want to encourage and equip us in God’s call for each believer to be an Ambassador of Heaven and so complete and fulfil our lifetime assignment and prepare us for our heavenly destination.
2 Corinthians 5:11 to 6:2 gives us 7 habits of highly effective Ambassadors of Heaven:
1. We persuade others. Yes I know the lord and He can help you. Our speech is seasoned with salt. Little reminders of who we are and what we represent. Always ready to give a reason for the hope that we have and why we are positive people not always moaning and seeing the negative. E.g. on the train when people moan about delays and poor service.
2. We boast about the Lord. We deliberately share good testimonies of healing and hope with others and this brings life and speaks to people about what the Lord can do for them. E.g. me with Philippino lady on the train and testimony about Fr John Rea cause her to ask, “Do you do healing?” and I prepared with her to have a child. Offering to pray for people for their concerns is a great way of sharing.
3. We are urged on by the love of Christ who laid down his life for us. We remember and remind ourselves how much Christ has done for us by regularly receiving communion and reading the gospels. Once I felt God say to me, ”Let me love you!”
4. We live no longer for ourselves but for Him. Gal 2:20 says, ”It’s no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me.
5. We view people from God’s viewpoint where we (by faith) are seated with Christ in Heaven, not from the human centred point of view. So we don’t fawn over people because they are rich or powerful nor do we despise people who are poor because God loves each person the same. E.g. When we were in Malawi with poor Africans I was inspired to say, ”Isn’t it wonderful that the God who created the whole world loves you and loves us just the same.”
6. We live as new creatures in Christ Jesus. E.g. Ross transformed by Christ at Alpha a year ago… now preparing to serve the Lord as a Minister in Samoa.
7. We reconcile people to God. We don’t hold peoples sins and failures against them but like Jesus we forgive people. That’s our mandate because when Jesus met the disciples after his rose from the dead he said , “As the father has sent me so I’m sending you.“ He breathed on them and said, “ Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them…” So we help people to receive forgiveness and salvation.”
(3) We are Ambassadors for Christ working together with Him.(2 Cor. 5:20-6:1)
How can we work together with God as His ambassadors as 2 Cor.5;20 + 6:1 say? Only by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven earned for us by Jesus death and resurrection, the power that was first experienced at Pentecost. Dr Derek Prince the renowned Bible Teacher was once arrogantly scoffed at by a proud religious Englishman who said to him, “That Pentecostal movement you follow didn’t it start in Los Angeles and come from America?” “No,” said Derek, “ it started in Jerusalem and came from Heaven.”
So what is an ambassador? The Oxford dictionary dfines an ambassador as ‘An accredited diplomat sent by a State on a mission to, or as it’s permanent representative in a foreign country.’
Jesus commissioned his disciples to represent Him and the Kingdom of Heaven to make disciples of all nations. (Math 28:18-20)
He commissioned them with the authority and power he had been given
1. He said, “ALL AUTHORITY and POWER in Heaven and Earth has been given to me.” Mth 28:18. He told them they were to receive this power and know it so they could take it to all nations. He promised them His presence would go with them. “I am with you always to the end of the age.” the same promise God had given to Moses and Joshua and Gideon who accomplished such great things for Him even when they knew in their own strength they couldn’t do it. When Jesus was with them he had sent them out to proclaim “the Kingdom of Heaven has come near” and to heal the sick and it worked. Now Jesus was returning to Heaven so they were desperate to receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit to be like Jesus presence with them. We must be equally hungry and thirsty for the power of the Spirit so we too can become effective ambassadors for Him. When the Spirit came on Peter he changed from a fearful denier of Christ to a bold preacher of the gospel at Pentecost and with John in Acts three by the power of Jesus name heal a paralysed man
2. The same power of the Spirit to enable us to fulfil our assignment is available for us today. Kas and I and Phil saw this power at work on our mission in Kerala last November when we prayed for people in Jesus name non Christians became believers and blind people saw. Today I’m believing for several people to be healed and unbelievers to come to Christ. May we pray.
3. As we are praying today I want to give a call to a person who is being challenged with doubts in your faith. You’d like to believe but you’ve never really committed your life to Christ. Today is your day to turn to Christ and receive faith for salvation.(2 Cor 6:2 Living) God says, “Your cry has come to me at a favourable time when the doors of welcome are wide open…salvation is being offered.” Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today He is ready to save you.
4. Words of Knowledge for healing: ask for acknowledgements.
5. Congregation stand: Prayer for Holy Spirit power to speak (trembling lips and mouth) and to heal ( anointing on hands possibly warmth or trembling use Acts 4: 29-31 prayer for boldness and healing)
6. Responders to words to stand and those near them to ask their need pray for them. YOU ARE AMBASSADORS COMMISSIONED BY CHRIST (2Cor. 5:20)
