Foundations (Session 00): What Is Christian Ambassador Training?

Welcome to episode 0 of Christian Ambassador Training. I’m calling this episode 0 because this is the prequel so to speak. It’s the introduction to what we are about to get into.

On this channel/podcast/whatever my plan is to put out lessons on topics that will make the case for the Christian world view, strengthen your trust in God, and help you more clearly articulate what it is we believe as Christians.

This is Ambassador training. We’ll get into what that means in the next lesson. But, for now, just remember that once you start following Jesus, you are now one of his representatives. We represent Jesus to every non-Christian you run into. We represent him to our kids, our co-workers, our spouses – everyone we engage with.

Now, if you’re not a believer yet, and are looking to explore who Jesus was and what he taught, there’s room for you here, too. We are going to explore these topics in an easy to understand way and do so with gentleness and respect.

In these lessons we will be examining what Christians believe as well as giving reasons for why they ought to believe it. We should want to give reasons for why we hold things to be true. And, our trust in Jesus should be no different.

Mission

The mission of Legati Christi is to equip ambassadors for Christ. This mission statement is where the name “Legati Christi” comes from. Legati Christi is Latin for “Ambassadors For Christ”. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors; we are the King’s representatives.

We get our mission from two mandates in Scripture. The first is that we need to be ready to give a defense for what we believe when people ask us (1 Peter 3:15) and the second is that we need to go out and make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20).

Now, “make disciples” doesn’t just mean evangelizing. The goal isn’t to get a person to say the sinner’s prayer and then move on to the next person. A disciple is also a learner, a follower, and an emulator of the one whose disciple they are. We want to become life long followers of Jesus Christ, and, in turn, help *others* to become life long followers as well.

Equipping Ambassadors

This class started when one of my kids texted me one day and said she wanted to do a Bible study. I knew she had already done “Bible studies”, so I jumped on the opportunity to teach something I had become passionate about and that is theology. Specifically systematic theology – which seeks to answer the question of what the entire Bible has to say on a given topic. So, I started creating lessons for us to go through these topics. And Christian Ambassador Training was born.

Early on, I realized that most Christians lack a lot of the foundational knowledge on what Christians believe and why they should believe it. They also can’t articulate very well what it is they believe.

It would be easy to take a scolding tone, wag my finger, and say, “Shame on you. You ought to know these things”. But, I get it. Life is busy. And, we don’t all have time to pour through theological tomes or hours of lectures to learn all we need to know. But we still need to learn and know certain things about who God is and what his plan is for humanity.

The good news is It’s never been easier to learn.

Class Overview

Over the next several months, I will be releasing the lessons that I have developed through the class I’ve been teaching. The class is essentially a study of systematic theology mixed with apologetics (being able to give reasons for what we believe) and philosophy.

Each lesson will consist of a short video, a written article, and a downloadable slide presentation. If you are only listening to the audio I will encourage you to also check out the videos. You’ll see more of a presentation there.

These lessons will be ideal for any Christian who wants to learn more about what they believe, but don’t have time to take a formal class. Or maybe your church doesn’t offer any classes like this. Maybe you’re a Sunday school teacher and are looking for material to teach your class doctrine. Maybe you already have a solid theological foundation, but don’t have the time to prepare resources to give to others.

Don’t be turned off by terms like systematic theology or philosophy or apologetics. If you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll quickly see that my writing isn’t academic in nature. My articles are written for the person sitting in the congregation – the lawyer, the plumber, the nurse, the farmer – who are looking to have their questions answered, people who are looking to go a little deeper into what they’ve been hearing or reading, people who have lives and jobs and families.

These lessons are meant to introduce the various topics and hopefully encourage you to dig a little deeper on your own. My writing isn’t academic. These aren’t peer reviewed articles. I’m also a guy who has a regular job. But, I love going deep on these things and I want to help others go deep as well.

I get that these topics can be intimidating. But, these are things that every Christian can – and should – understand. We are the vast majority of Christians – not those with bible or theology degrees. And that isn’t to disparage those who pursue those degrees. We need them, too! I’m just saying these topics aren’t just for the academics.

Why Should You Care?

So far I may have made this sound like a purely intellectual pursuit but it’s more than that. The end goal isn’t to fill our heads will more knowledge. While gaining more knowledge is certainly part of it, knowledge not put to use is just wasted time.

Embarking on studies like this is actually a form of worship just as much as prayer or winging songs to God are forms of worship. One of the ways that Jesus commands us to love the Lord or God is with all of our minds. Getting to know God is worshipping God.

These types of studies are fulfilling for us as well. I look around at what a mess the world is in and I know the impact studying these topics has had on my life; how it has brought me clarity when the world seems crazy, comfort when I am at my weakest, and hope when things seem hopeless.

Life doesn’t suddenly get easier when you become a Christian. I would argue it gets even harder because you’re swimming upstream of the culture now. Having a firm grasp on who God is and what his plans are should bring us a lot peace and encouragement though when things become difficult to navigate.

The theological and Biblical state of the church is not good right now. Only 6% of people who profess to be Christians live a life consistent with the Christian world view.1 And by Christian world view, I’m not talking about what they believe about baptism or worship music or communion – I’m talking about core doctrines. We should want to move closer to 100%. If the church is Christ’s bride, and he is the bridegroom, the bride isn’t presentable today. And I hope to change that.

If you’re already thinking “Dave I know this stuff” then awesome. A lot of people know this better than I do. I hope you can take the work I have put into these topics and add them to the materials you already use

So, if you have questions, if you want to go deeper in your knowledge of God, if you would like to have resources to help you study these topics with others, if you want to build a strong foundation that will withstand the challenges you are facing, then please sign up for the newsletter, subscribe to the podcast, and subscribe on YouTube so you won’t miss out when they are released.

I’m excited to share these lessons with you. And, I hope you are equally as excited to dig in and become a better equipped Ambassador for Christ.

[1]: Barnes, Dr. George. American Worldview Inventory 2021 Release #6: What Does It Mean When People Say They Are “Christian”? https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/CRC_AWVI2021_Release06_Digital_01_20210831.pdf . Accessed 23 Oct. 2023.