God gives his disciples the awesome authority, privilege, and responsibility to speak for him when we share the gospel.

You see, we are not like those hucksters—and there are many of them—who preach just to make money. We preach God's message with sincerity and with Christ's authority. And we know that the God who sent us is watching us. 2 Corinthians 2:17 (NLT)

It is our responsibility as Christ’s representatives to share the good news of salvation accurately and completely while maintaining a proper attitude.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NASB)

Ambassadors speak with the authority of the nation or person they represent. They must accurately communicate what they have been commissioned to speak. Ambassadors are not free agents who can make up their own rules or words on the fly. They are servants who are under authority who must behave wisely and speak exactly. Jesus was just such an ambassador for his Abba Father.

So Jesus told them, “My message is not my own; it comes from God who sent me. 17  Anyone who wants to do the will of God will know whether my teaching is from God or is merely my own. 18  Those who speak for themselves want glory only for themselves, but a person who seeks to honor the one who sent him speaks truth, not lies. John 7:16-18 (NLT)

When we share the good news, we invite our hearers on behalf of God to be forgiven and reconciled to Him.

The gospel is the most wonderful offer the world has ever known, even though the unsaved may reject the message and the messenger as false or worthless. Ambassadors are never responsible for how their message is received. Their job is simply to relay information back and forth between parties and to behave in such a way that will prevent unnecessary complications. Ambassadors are supposed be part of the solution, not instigators of additional problems.

When sharing the gospel, we should strive to avoid causing offense by speaking or acting unwisely or unlovingly.

The gospel is often offensive to us who do not yet know Christ because it addresses our sin and need for repentance. Unless the Holy Spirit brings us to a place to accept it, the gospel is a hard pill to swallow. If our hearers are going to repulse God’s invitation to reconciliation, let us strive to make sure it is because of the nature of the message and not because of something offensive in us. We never want to be a “stumbling block” in the path of person’s coming to God.

One way we can “stumble” people is by pretending to be something we are not. Sometimes we pretend to be better than those to whom we speak. This is a common pitfall for those who have been believers for a long time. We tend to forget that everyone completely depends on the mercy and grace of God. Unsaved people usually see through such hypocrisy. A good friend of mine tells people upfront in the conversation that he is a follower of Christ, but not a very good one. This defuses any suggestion that he is behaving like a hypocrite right from the start. A mountain preacher once invited a neighbor to come to church with him. The neighbor asked why would he want to be with a bunch of hypocrites? The preacher responded, “One more won’t hurt.” Sometimes humor coupled with honesty can work wonders.

An ambassador is backed up by the military power of the nation he or she represents. To mistreat an ambassador is the same as mistreating his or her sponsoring nation. Showing respect to an ambassador is to show respect to his nation.

When we preach the gospel, we are backed up by the authority and power of God and His kingdom.

Even though we have no personal standing with those to whom we speak, our being God’s representatives makes us very significant.

At times it may be appropriate to use our authority as ambassadors to call upon God’s power as we are directed by the Holy Spirit.

An example is when Paul confronted Elymas the sorcerer while preaching the gospel on the island of Cyprus.

But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing. 9  Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. 10  Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord? 11  Watch now, for the Lord has laid his hand of punishment upon you, and you will be struck blind. You will not see the sunlight for some time.” Instantly mist and darkness came over the man’s eyes, and he began groping around begging for someone to take his hand and lead him. 12  When the governor saw what had happened, he became a believer, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Acts 13:8-12 (NLT) 

Elymas did not attack Paul as a person. Instead, he sought to keep the governor from believing the gospel. Paul pronounced judgment upon this man which God enforced, which convinced the governor that the gospel is true. A rule of thumb might be that we should only do such things at the direction of the Holy Spirit to further the gospel and not simply to protect or avenge ourselves.

We are also authorized by God to pray for healings, miracles, and deliverances to confirm the authenticity of the gospel message.

When Paul preached the gospel at Iconium, the disciples used their authority as God’s representatives to heal in Christ’s name to validate the message.

Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.  Acts 14:3 (NASB95) —

When we share the message of salvation, let us remember that we are God’s ambassadors, which is both a privilege and a sobering responsibility. Our authority to offer forgiveness and reconciliation comes from Christ Himself. After his resurrection, Jesus taught his disciples.

It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ Luke 24:47 (NLT)

As Christ’s representatives, let us use our God-given authority to share this message carefully with great boldness.

Click here to see the other articles in this series.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion

1. Do you believe it is still important today for God to confirm the gospel through signs and wonders?
2. Have you ever asked God to heal a person with whom you were sharing the gospel? If so, what happened?
3. Do you feel competent to properly communicate the gospel?