Ambassadors for Christ

Now, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we beg you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2nd Corinthians 5:20

Did you know that if you are a Christian, you are now an ambassador for Christ? If you are a follower of Christ, you are His ambassador. The Strong’s concordances for the Hebrew word for ambassador is [tsiyr], which means “an official envoy or messenger of a country or state. Today, this may be akin to a goodwill ambassador appointed by a charity or other organizations to publicize their activities or promote a specific cause. An ambassador for Christ is a messenger of Good News, for the ambassador brings healing and health to the souls of those who will listen.

As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to those who send him; for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

Proverbs 25:13

We should enjoy hearing the Good News of the Gospel, because it brings the message of Christ and reconciliation to God. In Acts chapter 3 in verse 19, Peter spoke these words, “Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” We may have missed the meaning of what Peter was saying in Acts 3:19, in that everyone should repent so that the time of refreshing comes upon us all. Having sorrow about our sins is not repentance. Even Christians need to repent from their sins and be reminded that if they have lost their standing with God, they need to confess before God instead of carrying the sorrow of sin within their heart. Repentance means to change your mind. A changed mind regarding sin, and the self-life to which only God can bring times of refreshing. Let us not be fooled in this regard about the true meaning of repentance. It follows Christ in word and in deed because he changed his mind not to be of this world.

As messengers of Christ, we must remember that our faith will be tested to prove where our mind and heart truly are. Jesus said, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God,” see Luke 9:62. We are either for Christ or against Christ. We do not look back to what we were living in, for we came out of darkness since the light has shone upon our hearts. We no longer walk in darkness but in the light of His glory. Our eyes are now open to the truth, and our minds have changed to walking on a new path. The Lord may send you out like the seventy he sent forth in chapter 10 of the Gospel of Luke. We should pray for the laborers who are sent forth into the harvest field. We are all sent out into the field knowing about the ministry of reconciliation, as is stated in 2nd Corinthians 5:18. Are we not a new creation in Christ? Hasn’t the old man passed away because of Christ?

Let us examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith of the one to whom we believe. Prove yourself that you are walking in faith, for whatsoever is not of faith is sin [see Romans 14:23]. In Luke 10:17, the seventy returned to the Lord with joy and were amazed, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through thy name.” Yes, they came back as victors in Christ Jesus, and Jesus said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” You must read the rest of the story of that wonderful chapter. About the things being revealed unto babes, the power of God. These seventy people that Jesus appointed were not elders of a church; they were babes in Christ doing the will of Christ. Will you go forth and share your testimony of what Christ has done for you? Will you go forth and heal the sick and cast out demons?

“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Luke 10:19

Jesus gives us power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over the enemy. Yet, I have not always witnessed this power in the church. However, laborers are to go out into the harvest field and gather the harvest. What if you were appointed as one of the seventy people? Does this frighten you? My husband asked the elders of the church to come to the men’s homeless mission in Seattle, Washington. To my surprise, some were afraid to go to a Christian-based homeless shelter for men. Granted, the scene sometimes in and around the shelter was not always pleasant to witness. Men were living in cardboard boxes by the mission. Some were intoxicated, some had mental conditions, and some were just rough around the edges. This was witnessing human degradation due to circumstances that happened in their life. This is where Human dignity was violated. You may think, Why would God be concerned about those who violate themselves as well as others? Why? Because God so loved the world that he gave us his only son.  Everyone needs the love of God residing in their heart.

Human dignity is lost when there is slavery, torture, poverty, starvation, armed conflict, domestic violence, racism, genocide, rape, and human trafficking. The evil power in these practices does not reflect on the goodness of men, but rather the opposite. We may not want to be reminded of such wicked or cruel acts, but they are written down in many history books for a reason. The reason is that we should not fall to such a low estate ourselves. Can we change our way towards repentance instead of seeking our own success and power? Yes, we can. Charles Colson, who was involved in the Watergate scandal under President Richard Nixon, changed his mind and was reconciled to God. He told his story in a book titled “Born Again.” Colson became the founder of Prison Fellowship, a non-profit ministry. He made a promise while in prison to remember prisoners and their families. What a change of mind and profession Colson had, and many thought he was crazy. Would you be crazy for Christ?

To walk under God’s power is the best way to walk as ambassadors for Christ if we are reconciled to God. Our minds have changed from doing wicked works to doing good works in the love of Christ. This new life gives us human dignity because His love for us is genuine and not fake. We remember who we once were, but now we walk in the light of His glory. We go where he sends us, even if it is our own backyard, because we are now ambassadors for Christ. Do not be afraid of what you might see. Share how you have changed your mind for Christ and received freedom from the burden of sin. Live in the light of His love, hope, and peace and become ambassadors for Christ.