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EPHESIANS | AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
Based on the message by Chad Everett
OVERVIEW
What does it mean to live in this world while representing a Kingdom that is not of this world? Are we living according to our own interests and priorities, or are we faithfully representing the One who sent us?
In the opening message of the Ephesians sermon series, Chad Everett begins with the words of Ephesians 1:1: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.” These opening words reveal far more than Paul’s identity. They introduce a Kingdom assignment that extends to every believer in Christ.
Through Jesus, we have become new creations, reconciled to God and entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. We are no longer living for ourselves but have been commissioned as ambassadors of Christ, representing His interests, values, and authority wherever He sends us.
Jesus declared that He would build His Church, the ekklesia, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. His Church was never intended to remain confined within the walls of a building. We gather to be equipped, strengthened, and encouraged so that we can go into the world and fulfill our Kingdom assignment.
The question is not simply whether we attend church, know Scripture, or believe in the authority of Jesus. The question is whether we are actually living as His representatives, allowing His Word to shape our identity, His Kingdom to determine our priorities, and His authority to direct our actions.
HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Read → Respond → Reflect
Read each passage carefully before answering the Respond questions. Keep your Bible open and allow Scripture itself to provide the answers.
Then use the Reflect questions to examine your identity in Christ, the authority you live under, and how faithfully you represent His Kingdom in your daily life. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal where your thinking, priorities, or actions may be out of alignment with the One who sent you.
Use the final section to identify practical steps you can take this week to move beyond simply hearing the Word and begin living out your assignment as an ambassador of Christ.
This guide is designed for individual study, family discipleship, and Roads Groups.
KEY WORDS & DEFINITIONS
- Apostle — apostolos: A messenger sent out, a delegate, ambassador.
- Ambassador — presbeuō: A representative of a ruling authority or country to another.
- Citizenship: Status with its duties, rights, and privileges.
- Ekklesia (Church): A called-out assembly sent to represent and advance Kingdom values and authority.
- Will — thelēma: Determination, choice, intention, or purpose.
SECTION 1 — CALLED TO BE AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST
Focus
An ambassador lives in one country while representing the interests, values, and authority of another. As believers, our citizenship is in heaven, and we are sent to represent Jesus Christ here on earth. Our assignment is not to advance our own agendas but to live under the authority of the One who sent us.
Read
Ephesians 1:1–2; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Philippians 3:20
Respond
- How does Paul identify himself in Ephesians 1:1, and whose authority establishes his calling?
- According to 2 Corinthians 5:20, whom do believers represent, and through whom does God make His appeal?
- What message are ambassadors for Christ entrusted to communicate?
- Where does Philippians 3:20 locate our citizenship, and whom are we awaiting?
- How does understanding heavenly citizenship change the way we view our responsibilities and purpose while living on earth?
Reflect
- If someone examined my daily decisions, conversations, relationships, and priorities, whose interests would they see me representing—my own or those of Jesus Christ? What evidence supports my answer?
- Where have I allowed the values, expectations, or pressures of the world to influence my thinking more than the truth of God’s Word?
- Do I see my workplace, home, community, and everyday interactions as places where I have been sent to represent Christ? How would my behavior change if I approached each of those places with that understanding?
Further Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 5:18–19
SECTION 2 — NEW CREATIONS ENTRUSTED WITH RECONCILIATION
Focus
In Christ, we are new creations. Our old identity has passed away, and our thinking must align with who we have become in Him. God reconciled us to Himself through Jesus, not through our own efforts or improved behavior. Because we have been reconciled, He has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation.
Read
2 Corinthians 5:17–20
Respond
- According to verse 17, what happens to anyone who is in Christ?
- What does Scripture say has passed away, and what has become new?
- According to verse 18, who initiated reconciliation, and through whom was it accomplished?
- What ministry has God given to those He has reconciled to Himself?
- According to verses 19–20, what message has God committed to believers, and how does He communicate that message to the world?
Reflect
- Are there areas of my life where I still define myself by past failures, sinful patterns, or old ways of thinking rather than by who Scripture says I am in Christ? What beliefs need to change?
- Have I been approaching my relationship with God as something I must maintain through better behavior or religious performance? How does the truth of reconciliation through Christ challenge that thinking?
- Do I recognize that God desires to speak through my life to people who need to be reconciled to Him? What might be preventing me from allowing His message to be seen and heard through my words and actions?
Further Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 5:21
SECTION 3 — THE EKKLESIA: CALLED TO ADVANCE THE KINGDOM
Focus
Jesus declared that He would build His Church, the ekklesia, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. We are a called-out assembly sent to carry His truth, values, and authority into the world. The Church was never intended to retreat from darkness or remain confined within a building but to advance His Kingdom wherever He sends us.
Read
Matthew 16:13–18
Respond
- Where did Jesus take His disciples, and what question did He ask them?
- How did Peter answer Jesus’ question, “Who do you say that I am?”
- According to Jesus, who revealed His identity to Peter?
- What did Jesus declare that He would build, and what would not prevail against it?
- How does Jesus’ declaration about His Church establish confidence in His authority rather than in human strength or ability?
Reflect
- Do I primarily think of church as a place I attend to receive teaching and encouragement, or do I understand myself as part of Christ’s ekklesia, called to represent His Kingdom? How does that understanding affect my participation in the Body of Christ?
- Have I allowed fear of opposition, rejection, or the influence of the world to keep me from openly representing Jesus? What does His declaration in Matthew 16 reveal about where my confidence should come from?
- Where have I become comfortable remaining within Christian environments while avoiding opportunities to bring the truth of Jesus into places that desperately need Him? What would it look like to move beyond that comfort?
Further Scripture Reading
Matthew 16:19
SECTION 4 — THE KEYS OF THE KINGDOM: OPERATING UNDER HEAVEN’S AUTHORITY
Focus
Jesus has given His Church the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. As His ambassadors, we operate under His authority, not our own. Our assignment is not to establish our will and ask heaven to support it, but to align with what heaven has already established and bring the influence of His Kingdom into the world around us.
Read
Matthew 16:18–19; Philippians 3:20
Respond
- According to Matthew 16:19, what did Jesus promise to give?
- To which Kingdom do these keys belong?
- What does Jesus say concerning binding and loosing on earth and in heaven?
- How does Philippians 3:20 help establish the source of a believer’s citizenship and authority?
- How does Jesus’ promise of Kingdom authority connect with His declaration that the gates of Hades will not prevail against His Church?
Reflect
- When I face difficult circumstances, opposition, or decisions, do I respond primarily according to what I see and feel, or do I seek to understand what God’s Word has established? What does my usual response reveal about the authority I trust?
- Have I confused exercising Kingdom authority with pursuing my own desires or expecting God to support my personal agenda? How can I better distinguish between representing His will and advancing my own?
- What situations in my family, workplace, relationships, or community need to be approached with a greater understanding of my responsibility to represent heaven’s values and authority?
Further Scripture Reading
2 Corinthians 5:20
SECTION 5 — GET OUT OF THE LOCKER ROOM: LIVE YOUR KINGDOM ASSIGNMENT
Focus
The Church gathers to be taught, encouraged, equipped, and strengthened, but we were never meant to remain in the locker room. As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to take what we have received and put it into action. Jesus has defeated the enemy and sent His ekklesia into the world to represent His Kingdom. IT’S TIME TO GET ON THE FIELD!
Read
2 Corinthians 5:17–20; Matthew 16:18–19; Philippians 3:20
Respond
- According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, what new identity has every believer received in Christ?
- What ministry and message has God entrusted to believers according to 2 Corinthians 5:18–19?
- In 2 Corinthians 5:20, whose interests are we called to represent, and through whom does God make His appeal to the world?
- What does Jesus declare about His Church in Matthew 16:18–19, and what authority does He promise to give?
- How does Philippians 3:20 establish the citizenship that should direct our priorities, decisions, and actions?
Reflect
- Whose interests am I representing? When I examine how I spend my time, make decisions, handle relationships, and respond to challenges, what do these things reveal about my priorities? Are there personal ambitions, preferences, or worldly values that I have allowed to take precedence over representing Jesus?
- Am I living from my new identity in Christ? Are old patterns of thinking, past failures, or personal struggles still influencing how I see myself? Have I been trying to earn God’s approval through religious performance rather than living from the reconciliation accomplished through Jesus? What truth needs to reshape my thinking and actions?
- Am I ready to get on the field? Have I become comfortable receiving teaching and encouragement without consistently putting God’s Word into practice? Where has He positioned me to represent His Kingdom, and what fears, distractions, or personal priorities have kept me from stepping into that assignment? What specific action will I take this week?
Further Scripture Reading
1 Samuel 17:26–29
FINAL ENCOURAGEMENT
“Brothers and sisters, everyone listening to me, you are an ambassador for Jesus Christ. And when you walk out these doors, it’s game time.” — Chad Everett
You have been made new in Christ, reconciled to God through Jesus, and entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. Your life carries a purpose that extends beyond personal accomplishments, religious activities, or simply attending church.
You belong to the Kingdom of Heaven, and you have been sent into this world to represent Jesus Christ.
The Church is not called to hide from the world but to carry the truth, values, and authority of God’s Kingdom into it. Every gathering should strengthen and equip us for the assignment that continues when we leave the building.
As you go into your week, remember whose ambassador you are. Allow His Word to renew your thinking, His authority to direct your decisions, and His purposes to shape your actions.
The Church has been equipped. The enemy has been defeated. It’s time to get on the field and live as ambassadors of Christ.