Be Ambassadors

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the service module is to teach the children what service looks like in their lives. For fifth graders, it's important to develop their relationship with God and to make the Lord very real to them. Every week of this module will focus on relating their action to the words of the Lord: week 1 -- Be Salt, week 2 - Be Light, week 3 - Be Leaven, week 4 - Be Ambassadors and Apostles. Help them realize how their actions are a service to those around them.

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 10 Minutes

Please review the previous lessons in the module and check for understanding

Imagine that you were chosen by Earth to be the first to communicate with life from another planet. What would you show them that best represents human life and experiences? You would be an ambassador for the whole world, so the way you act needs to accurately reflect the ideas and beliefs while you are there. God is asking us to be ambassadors and apostles to those living on earth before we go to our true home in heaven.

Pass out Handout in appendix below and ask students to define in their words what it means to be an Ambassador. They can work in pairs or individually.
Discuss their answers, which should resemble: An ambassador is a dignitary whose full-time job is to live for a period (usually years) in a foreign land, intentionally building relationships with the people native to that land and purposefully representing to those people the desires of the king/president

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Read the first two Bible passages below together with open Bibles. Refer to the 3rd passage as needed during discussion.

Ephesians 4:11-13 - "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"
2 Corinthians 5:20 - "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."
Philippians 1:27 - "Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel"

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 10 Minutes

Refer to notes attached about the Apostles and discuss background with students. As you explain key characteristics of Ambassadors of Christ have students use the chart to fill in one-world examples:

A Dignitary
- Like ambassadors who are dignitaries of their king; we are dignitaries of God. We are children and heirs of the Most High God (Romans 8:16-17), We are His chosen children.
- We live in a foreign Land. An ambassadorship is a position that requires the individual to relocate to the foreign land where he is assigned. The ambassador establishes a residence in the foreign country.
- This earth is not our home. Often in the Bible, we are called strangers here (1 Peter 2:11). This earth is where we are to live for a period, but it is not where we belong; it is not our final destination. Whether we have a long stay here or a short one, it is only temporary (Job 14:1-2). We have a job to do while we are here, but that job will eventually end, and we will return home.
- The ambassador must build relationships with the people in the foreign land to be successful. We must build relationships with the people here (Matthew 9:10). By building solid relationships with them, we will better be able to complete the next step.
Represents The Desires Of The King
- Ambassadors represent their king. When we become ambassadors for Christ, we are to be doing the same thing. We should be Godly in all of our conduct as we discussed in the "Be Light" Lesson

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 5 Minutes

Ask students to share what they learned from that lesson as it all connects.

What traits should an ambassador exemplify (both in government and spiritually)? Others will know where we are from by how we act - they will know we are Chritsians and "not of this world" by how we treat others and carry ourselves. You may be someone's only experience and exposure to Christianity; do you represent Christ accurately?

LIFE APPLICATION (Action) - 5 Minutes

This week, try and embody Christ in your actions. If faced with a hard decision, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?". Think about your relationships with your family, your peers at school, your teachers, and evaluate if you are an ambassador of Christ.

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Have students share answers that they put in their chart on finding characteristics of Apostles and Ambassadors.
Discuss their answers.
Announce Homework and pass out handout (see Appendix). Explain that they will read the verse below and write how they can have Godly conduct
- 1 Timothy 4:12 - Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Have students consider each of the categories named in 1 Timothy 4:12. Give examples of how you demonstrate being Godly Ambassadors of Christ in each of those areas. Recall all of the characteristics discussed in the three previous lessons.

PARENTS CORNER

Discuss with your children how they can demonstrate Godliness, being Apostles and Ambassadors of Christ based on the following verses:

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians4:11-13)
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. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1:27)

Explain to the children how this Godliness can be demonstrated in all aspects of their lives:

In their Speech
In their Love Toward Others
In Their Faith
In Their Purity

APPENDIX

Important Background Information on Apostles

Who were Christ's Ambassadors?

The Apostles
""And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)
The original word for apostle was a generic Greek word (apostolos) that meant ambassador, or "a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders"

"Who Were the Apostles?"

From Luke 6:13-16, we learn that Jesus, during His earthly ministry, chose twelve men to be His apostles. According to Matthew 9:9; 10:1-5; Mark 2:14; 3:13-19; Luke 5:27-29; 6:12-16; Acts 1:13-26; and I Corinthians 15:7-10, the complete list of Jesus' apostles consists of:
- Simon, who was called Peter,
- Andrew, Peter's brother
- James the son of Zebedee
- John, James' brother
- Philip
- Bartholomew
- Thomas
- Matthew, the tax collector
- James the son of Alphaeus
- Thaddaeus
- Simon the Canaanite and Zealot
- Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and fell by his sin
- Matthias, who replaced Judas
- Paul (not one of the original 12 but very notable)

What Was the Work of the Apostles?

The nature and work of their office is best described by Jesus in His commission to them:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
"... you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
From Mark's parallel account, we learn that the apostles did just that.
- "And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs." (Mark 16:20)
"And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all." (Acts 4:33)

The Bible calls you to live as an ambassador for Christ. But how can you do that?

As a Christian, you are an ambassador for Christ.
That is: one who represents Christ. The earthly things pass away (are temporal), but the heavenly things are eternal.
An ambassador represents and communicates the desires and will of the head of state that sent him or her, so are you to represent and communicate the desires and will of Christ to others.

"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ ..." 2 Corinthians 5:20

Whom does your life represent? Christ or you? Are you living for your own self-interests, or living for Him? It may be easy to live for Him some of the time, but the rest of the time are you just living for yourself and your own interests? Whom are you representing when you sit down at the computer or use social media? Is your role as ambassador for Christ part-time or full-time?

You are an example

The truth is that our actions speak volumes more to people around us than what we say. We can think that we are representing Christ if we are often speaking of Him to others. But it is our life -- our decisions, what we do, and what we don't do in the daily situations -- that truly speaks to others the most.
You are an example to others, no matter how you live. The question is whether you are a good example, or a bad example. We can say it another way: Your life is at all times representing someone -- the question is "Whom?"
Jesus said that you will always know the tree by its fruit. People always taste the fruit that comes from your life in daily situations.