WE ARE CHRIST’S AMBASSADORS!

By Rodney W. Francis

The Bible is full of challenges for the Christian believer. It tells us who and what we are as new creations in Jesus Christ. The Christian believer is given “exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers (“a sharer in common, a partaker, partner, companion” – Bullinger’s) of the divine (“what is God’s, especially what proceeds from Him” – Bullinger’s) nature, having escaped the corruption (“depravity”) that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). The preceding verse tells us that “His divine power (“dunamis”) has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3). Notice we have all we need through the “dunamis” of God; “dunamis” meaning “Natural capability, inherent power; capability of anything, ability to perform anything; then, absolutely, not merely power capable of action, but, power in action” (Bullinger’s). There is no room for excuses, because God Himself has given to us all we need to fulfil His plans and purposes here on this earth. We are now His representatives! His ambassadors!

 In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 we are told that we are “a new creation”; that “all things have become new”; that “we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ”; that we now have “the ministry and word of reconciliation (“a thorough change” – Young’s)”; that “we are ambassadors for Christ”, and are “become the righteousness of God in Christ” because of Jesus’ great sacrifice upon the Cross. “The Ministry of Reconciliation is not the office of teaching the doctrine of remission or expiation; but it is the office of advising, exhorting, beseeching men to be reconciled to God. For it is not God who is the enemy of men, but men who are enemies to God (Romans 5:8-10)” (Bullinger’s). Now, having experienced the love and forgiveness of Jesus, and been filled with His Blessed Holy Spirit, we are made to be His very ambassadors here on earth. What awesome privileges the born-again, Holy Spirit-filled believer has! All of these truths and promises are given to us to make us capable representatives of Jesus Christ here on earth. As His ambassadors we now carry His Message of reconciliation to a lost world.

WHAT IS AN AMBASSADOR?

An “ambassador” is one who “has been invested (already given) power and authority to speak and act on behalf of the kingdom he represents. He is a diplomatic minister of the highest rank, accredited as permanent representative to another country or sovereign; he is sent on a special mission, one of the first rank with treaty-signing powers.” For the Christian that means that you and I have been given power and authority to speak and act on behalf of the King of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth. The King’s name is JESUS CHRIST! Our calling, our task is to represent Jesus Christ in such a way that people know that He is alive and rules today in the hearts of all who will obey Him. We are called to give firsthand evidence of His living presence so others can see and know that Jesus died for them and rose again to give them eternal life in His Heavenly Kingdom. The Great Commission of Jesus (that has already been given to His disciples) is to go into all the world and demonstrate the Gospel by signs, wonders and miracles ~ living evidence that we have been sent from Jesus to represent Him with the power and authority He has invested in us (Mark 16:15-20). Christianity without the power of God will never convince people that Jesus is alive today!

So, the questions must be asked:

• What kind of an ambassador are you?

• What kind of an ambassador am I?

• How effective are we at representing the King of the Kingdom of Heaven?

• Do we function according to the power that has already been given to us?

• Are we worthy of the calling He has called us to?

We do need to be challenged on these matters, for Christianity has become far too much of a “wordy/theoretical religion” instead of a dynamic living force by the “same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus Christ from dead”. Consider this challenging Scripture: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you” (Romans 8:8-11).

Wow! If we yield our lives to the same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, there is no telling what we can accomplish on this earth! As far as God is concerned, He has done everything for us that we need to fulfil His purposes for us here below. He has chosen us, ordained us, and enabled us to be His “living witnesses” of all that He desires us to accomplish here today.

• From a Scriptural viewpoint, what else do we need?

• Why do we not more positively believe what it says about us?

• Let us make sure that we are enjoying the special privileges of being His ambassadors!

• Let us make sure we are using and demonstrating the power and authority He has given us!

And if we do feel we need more, then look again at the purposes of the nine Spiritual Gifts that are ours to use as true ambassadors of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12). There is not one of those gifts that we can honestly say are not needed today. So, why is there not more emphasis placed upon the exercising of those gifts today? Do we think we can fulfil the purposes of God by ignoring His gifts and callings? My personal testimony is that the operation of Spiritual Gifts has opened the world to me. I never “want” for invitations for places to go and minister. I have discovered that through the exercising of the Spiritual Gifts it enables us to minister “spirit to spirit”to people. Those gifts help us to “hit the mark” in enabling us to more truly and accurately represent Jesus Christ and in helping to fulfil peoples’ many needs. A true ambassador of the Kingdom of Heaven uses those gifts that represent the Kingdom of Heaven; not some earthly endowment from the hand of man. So much more happens when we use what God has given to us, rather than our relying on natural education, natural abilities, etc.

• People are hungry for the truth that will set them free!

• That truth is found in Jesus Christ, alive from the dead!

• That truth makes all the difference! (John 8:31-32, 36).

• Proclaim it, Ambassador of Christ!

As an ambassador of Jesus Christ we have already been given the power and authority to speak and act on His behalf. We do not have to pray for it, because it is already given. When we know what we have in Jesus, then we will use it to the glory of God. We have power to reconcile men and women, boys and girls to a living relationship in and with Jesus Christ. That is our mandate. We are not “Christian apologies” waiting for God to do something. (Have you ever thought that maybe He is waiting for us to do something? That He is waiting for us to demonstrate to Him our belief and faith at what He has already declared and accomplished?).

Be encouraged to look again at the promises of God for you. See, read and believe what Jesus has personally accomplished for you through His death, burial and resurrection. Jesus came to make such a mighty difference in each of our lives! Don’t let negativity rob you of who you are in JESUS! Don’t let others put you down by telling you what you cannot do. Listen to those voices that tell you what you can do in the name of Jesus! You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ! Be encouraged to function more actively in that which you already have!