Sunday 10:28:12

V. 14 - Spiritual leaders are compelled by Christ's love. So moved by Jesus' heroic and loving self-sacrifice that it controls or rules their behavior now. They were once ruled by other motivations, but now that they have understood that Jesus died for them, they have a new direction in life. V 15 - So changed that they no longer live for themselves, but for Christ. V. 16 - missing Christ's glory. V. 17 - the distinction between life before and after Christ. Like brand new life versus old life. Life forever changed. "Reconcile" means to exchange, like money or prisoners. Our relationship with God has been reconciled from enemies to sons and daughters. We were reconciled "through Christ" who took on the punishment of death we deserved so that our sins before God are washed away. V. 18 - God gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Spiritual leaders have a message, "be reconciled to God." He released us from the prison of our sins and then gave us the keys to set other prisoners free. V. 19 - In Christ, God canceled the debt of sin we had because the debt was paid by Christ. V. 20 - ambassador is elder or presbyter - a representative acting on behalf of an authority. "Appeal" is parakaleo, or called to testify on behalf of God and his intentions. Spiritual leaders are Christ's ambassadors, no longer representing themselves, but Christ.