From my reading in 2 Corinthians 5 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

The motivation for ministry should be Christ’s love!

Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. 2 Corinthians 5:14–15

Paul share his personal motivation for ministry. I believe that the love of Jesus should push us forward into ministry. Because we have been saved by Jesus our motivation should be to live for him.

• Love for God compels us to share about him to bring him glory.
• Love for others compels us to help others get saved for their sake.

God gives us this love for himself and others. And that is the ultimate motivation for ministry.

Because we are changed by Jesus, and are tasked with telling others about how they can be changed by Jesus.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 2 Corinthians 5:17–18

Because of Jesus you are a new person. If you have been changed, God wants you to share your new life with others.

We have been given the task of telling others how they can be made right with Jesus.

For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:19–21

One of our greatest privileges in life is getting to partner with God in bringing people back to Himself!

We get to share the news of how Jesus died for our sins. Even though he never sinned he took the penalty  for our sin upon himself. And even though we are not perfect we got credit for his perfect life!  This is what many have called the great exchange!

Out of gratitude and love for Jesus we should be compelled to share this message with whoever will listen and plead with them to come back to God!

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