It is easy to see that the sermon theme for today comes directly from the words of Paul in the text. Paul is remembered as a tireless missionary and a caring shepherd, but his path into public ministry was not exactly traditional. Originally, Paul was a pious Jew who went by the name of Saul. Saul took his faith seriously. In fact, he was so zealous for the Jewish faith that he took it upon himself to persecute this new Christian religion, these followers of Jesus who were threatening to destroy Judaism. He even traveled to other cities to bring these troublemakers back to Jerusalem for trial.

But on one of these trips, everything changed. While Saul was on the road going north to Damascus, Jesus miraculously appeared to him. Even though Saul had been a Pharisee, a sworn enemy of Jesus’ followers, probably one of the men who nodded approvingly when Jesus was sentenced to die, God handpicked him to carry the good news of salvation to the Gentiles. What appeared to be a total mismatch was the perfect choice as far as God was concerned. In his infinite wisdom, Jesus called Paul to be his servant.

At its very heart and core, the call you have extended to me is no different. My resume does not say that I hunted down Christians in the past, but I am still a wretched sinner like Paul, unworthy to act as God’s representative on your behalf. The Lord did not appear to me directly or cause me to go blind when he called me into service, but the call that I have is equally valid and divine. The Holy Spirit led the people of St. John’s to call me through the assignment committee of the Wisconsin Synod, and the same Spirit led me to accept that divine call. I ask you to pray for me as I assume the duties of this office.

The duties of a pastor are many and varied, but his primary responsibility can be summed up in three words: Preach the Word. Paul recognized the importance of this work. When he wrote these words, he was under house arrest in Rome. As he wrote from his cell, what did Paul ask the Ephesians to pray for? Did he ask for a speedy trial and a not-guilty verdict? Did he want protection in prison? Did he tell the Ephesians to get revenge against his enemies? No, his only request was for the courage to preach the Word boldly.

By this time, Paul was already a veteran missionary. He had traveled thousands of miles and brought the Word to many different lands. He had faced more than his share of adversity: stoning, beatings, hunger, cold, apathetic audiences and angry mobs. He had seen everything and lived to tell about it. But Paul refused to rely on his own experience and survival skills because he recognized the true source of his strength. The ability to stand up for God’s truth does not come from within. It comes from above.

Paul may have been feeling the pressure to change his message in order to save his life, the pressure to hide his faith in order to assure his personal safety. Therefore, he asked the Ephesians to pray that God would allow him to declare God’s Word fearlessly regardless of the consequences.

In the same way, you have called me to preach the Word. That preaching includes the whole counsel of God, not only what is popular, not just what will win friends and influence people. Preaching the Word means preaching everything that God reveals to us, everything he wants his people to know and believe. God supplies powerful tools, the Law and the Gospel, the tools that we need to convict people of their sin, and then to console them with the comfort of forgiveness in Christ.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul wrote: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Christ’s sake" (4:5). A couple verses later, he described the relationship between the message and the messenger. It is like a treasure stored in jars of clay.

That comparison became more vivid to me last month in Israel where I participated in an archaeological dig. On the first day, I got excited whenever I unearthed a piece of pottery. As the dig progressed and we dug further and further down, the initial thrill soon wore off. Why? Because broken pottery pieces were lying all over the place. By the end of the second week, our group was throwing away potsherds by the bucketful. In Paul’s day, clay pottery was not very valuable. It was weak and brittle. The cheap vessels were easily broken and just as easily replaced.

As Christians, we are jars of clay that hold a valuable treasure. If the message we have is powerful and effective, and it is, then why are often reluctant to share it? When the Holy Spirit doesn’t work according to our timetable, why are we so quick to doubt the Word’s power? When our faith is challenged, why do we instinctively shrink back into our shell to avoid an uncomfortable situation? Because we are sinful, we often fail when our faith is put to the test. It does not take long to see just how weak and fragile we are.

As messengers, we may be of little value, but the message we possess is priceless. Sin shattered our relationship with God into pieces, but Jesus has brought about a complete restoration. By God’s grace alone, Jesus came and lived a perfect life on earth for us. By grace alone, Jesus died and rose again for us. By grace alone, God allows us to share that message with others. This is an awesome responsibility, but it is also a tremendous opportunity. With that as our common goal, I ask you to pray for me.

Paul called himself an ambassador of God, and that is a fitting way to describe an evangelist. An ambassador is someone who speaks for someone else. Today, the term is commonly applied to international diplomatic relations. Ambassadors represent nations, and they are given the authority to speak on behalf of the government they represent.

Paul’s situation, however, was different. He was an "ambassador in chains." Because he was a prisoner in Rome, he could not come and go as he wished. He was not free to visit the churches in Asia or Greece or Judea.

Even though his movement was severely restricted, Paul still considered himself an ambassador. His imprisonment did not hinder to the work of the gospel. He actually saw it as a blessing. The situation gave Paul new opportunities to witness to his guards and attendants in prison. Paul’s imprisonment even became an encouragement for others. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul wrote that his example gave his fellow Christians the courage to preach the Word boldly in his absence (Ph 1:12-14).

Paul’s example also motivates us to be God’s ambassadors today. St. John’s has been given a tremendous opportunity. We live in a country that allows us to worship as

we please. We have been blessed with beautiful facilities where we can praise God and give glory to his name. Our congregation is made up of dedicated Christians, men, women and children who use their gifts gladly and willingly in God’s service.

Sharing God’s Word with the community is obviously important to this congregation. The very fact that you called me to be your outreach and evangelism pastor demonstrates that St. John’s is committed to the Great Commission. But none of these blessings mean anything by themselves. An ambassador is only as good as the message he brings. His authority comes from the one he represents.

As Christ’s ambassadors, we speak with authority because we carry an important message. Paul called that message the "mystery of the gospel." Why did he call it a mystery? Is it because it is something dark? something murky? something hard to understand? Not exactly. Without the gospel, it is still possible to know that there is a god. You don’t have to pick up a Bible in order to tell the difference between right and wrong. Your own conscience can tell you that something is not quite right in your life, that you have sinned and deserve to be punished.

It is impossible, however, to find relief from that guilt on your own. No one can believe the good news of forgiveness if they have never heard it. In that sense, the gospel is a mystery. It is something that needs to be explained. The Holy Spirit works only through the Word. He touches hearts and creates faith through the preaching of law and gospel.

That is where we come into the picture. God has called us to be his ambassadors. He reveals the mystery of the gospel through us. Isaiah reminded us in the Old Testament lesson (Is 55:10-11) that the Word is powerful. God’s Word always accomplishes what he desires. The Lord has given us everything we need to carry out that work. It is my privilege to do this on a full-time basis as your pastor. It is our privilege as Christians to be God’s ambassadors every day of our lives by what we say and what we do.

If you had to measure by earthly standards, it would be difficult to find a more successful Christian missionary than the apostle Paul. He is responsible for writing roughly half of the books in the New Testament. When he began his work, Christianity was a small sect confined to the area in and around Judea. By the time of Paul’s death, dozens of Christian congregations had been planted all over Europe.

If Paul, the great missionary, saw the need to ask for constant prayer and encouragement to preach the Word fearlessly, we would do well to follow his example. As a fellow servant of Christ, I ask you to pray for me today and throughout my ministry. Pray that God would give me the courage to preach the Word boldly in your midst. Pray that I may remain faithful to the Word of God, without adding to it or subtracting from it. Pray that God would give me the strength and patience to carry out this awesome responsibility. Pray that God would bless our efforts to make the most of this wonderful opportunity. Amen.