Scripture Reading: 2 Cor. 5:20a, 4, 8-9, 14-17; 6:1a; 1 Cor. 3:9a
Ⅰ
The ministers of the new covenant are ambassadors of Christ—2 Cor. 5:20a; Eph. 6:20:
A
An ambassador of Christ is one who represents God, the highest authority in the universe:
１
God has given all authority in heaven and on earth to Christ—Matt. 28:18.
２
God has appointed Christ to be the King of kings and the Lord of lords—1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14; 19:16.
３
Today Jesus is the Christ, the Lord of all, the highest authority—Acts 2:36; 10:36:
ａ
The Lord needs some ambassadors on earth who are qualified to represent Him.
ｂ
A new covenant minister is one who has been authorized with the heavenly authority to represent the highest authority:
⑴
The apostles were commissioned to represent Christ to accomplish God's purpose—Matt. 10:40; John 13:20; Gal. 4:14b.
⑵
All the members of the Body are representatives of the Head, His ambassadors—Acts 9:6, 10-17; 22:12-16.
B
As an ambassador of Christ Paul was "the acting God"—2 Cor. 1:3-4, 15-16; 2:10; 8:5; 10:1a; 11:2, 10a; Phil. 4:15-19.
C
In 2 Corinthians 5 Paul describes the qualifications of an ambassador of Christ:
１
Not living by what we are or what we can do but by the immortal life, which is Christ Himself—v. 4.
２
Determined to be well-pleasing to the Lord—v. 9.
３
Constrained by the love of Christ to live to Him—vv. 14-15.
４
Knowing others according to Christ in the spirit—v. 16.
５
Belonging to another realm and living in that realm—v. 8.
Ⅱ
The ministers of the new covenant are co-workers of God—2 Cor. 6:1a; 1 Cor. 3:9a:
A
In His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus did the work which the Father gave Him to do—John 17:4; 10:30; 5:19; 14:10b; 5:17, 19; 10:25; 5:30b; 14:24; 7:16-18.
B
As ministers of the new covenant, we are God's fellow workers, working together with Him—2 Cor. 6:1b; 1 Cor. 3:9:
１
God is a worker, and while the new covenant ministers, God's fellow workers, are working, He too is working—John 5:17; Mark 16:20.
２
What a privilege and glory that we can be God's fellow workers, working together with God!
C
A co-worker of God is one who is bound together with God.
D
The God with whom we are working is the God of resurrection; thus, we as His co-workers should also be in resurrection—1 Cor. 1:9; 4:14.
E
If we would be co-workers of God, we need to see that God's central work is to work Himself into man—Eph. 3:14-21:
１
The principle in God's work is to gain persons and by gaining them to have a way to go on.
２
The material with which God works is God Himself, and His intention is to make Himself our inward elements.
３
God desires to dispense Himself into us so that His life can flow through us and out of us.
４
Apart from God's purpose to work Himself into us, the Christian life is meaningless.
５
Spiritual progress consists in allowing God to gain ground in us and to work Himself into us.
F
To work with the Lord we need to be mature in life, teach the high truths, and be one with the Lord, and our work must be for His Body—S. S. 7:9b-13.
G
The co-workers of God should do only one work—to make God's chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people beings in the New Jerusalem.
H
As co-workers of God we should follow the pattern of the Lord Jesus as the first God-man, whose work was His living and whose move was His being.