Last week, this blog space addressed the issue of walking away from divisiveness. The top reason for that assertion is that believers are ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven with a priority mission.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,
2 Corinthians 5:20a
But what does that really mean? This post will look at the traditional definition of an ambassador and then use the Apostle Paul’s teaching to the Corinthian church to posit how we can be ambassadors to our communities during this pandemic and the resulting civic unrest.
What is an Ambassador?
As usual, a browser window is opened to dictionary.com so the word can be defined easily.
The first definition serves well.
An ambassador is a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative.
The sending sovereign state in the sense of believers is the Kingdom of Heaven. Now let’s look at what it means to be diplomatic.
To be diplomatic means to be skilled in dealing with sensitive matters or people (in other words, tactful). We need this more than ever in today’s easily-offended climate.
An ambassador for Christ is a tactful person sent by the Lord to the world to live and represent what it means to be a citizen of Heaven.
Now that we have a better sense of what an ambassador is, let’s couch it into specific terms for Christ-followers:
In the truest sense, the fourth definition from dictionary.com – an authorized messenger or representative – serves Christians just as well. Christ has authorized us to represent Him by spreading the message of the Gospel.
The Mission Christ Gives His Ambassadors
It’s time for us to represent Christ. But what is the purpose for our ambassadorship?
No need to look further than 2 Corinthians chapter five, although you can. If you do, you’ll find plenty of other scripture to support and elucidate the topic.
We serve a King –God—who has reconciled us to himself through the work of Jesus Christ on Calvary (2 Corin. 5:18). Furthermore, God has given us the SAME ministry: one of reconciliation.
To reconcile with the sinners on Earth, God could not hold them accountable for their trespasses, and the only way a perfect, holy (sinless) God can do this is through the perfect sacrificial offering of Jesus Christ.
Once a person is no longer His enemy (at the heart of what being reconciled to God means), God says, “Here you go. Now I’m drafting you to help with this big job of reconciling the world to me” (2 Corin. 5:19).
That’s it. That’s the mission—Paul calls it a ministry—that God gives to everyone who accepts Christ as savior.
This isn’t about a religious affiliation or a genetic background. This has nothing to do with the lifestyle a person lives.
The question to ask, “Are you reconciled to God?” The message of ambassadors for Christ is “Be you reconciled to God” (2 Corin. 5:20d).
How are you doing as an Ambassador for Jesus Christ during these turbulent times?
A Pew Perspective 