AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST

2Corinthians 5:20 - Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

There are many false teachings out there on the subject of our ambassadorship for Christ, so it is very important that we understand what it means from the word of God. First, let us start off with a definition of the word ambassador. An ambassador is a diplomatic agent of the highest rank, accredited to a foreign government or sovereign as the resident representative of his own government or sovereign. An ambassador for Christ then is, one who is a representative of the Lord Jesus Christ and the kingdom of heaven here on earth. Following are six truths about ambassadors and how they relate to the biblical truths about our ambassadorship for Christ.

1. Ambassadors are chosen by their government or sovereign. We as ambassadors for Christ, were chosen by the King of Kings. John 15 is very clear about this fact, Jesus tells his disciples, “ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you”. We do not choose to enlist in the service of ambassadorship, we are chosen by the Lord Jesus Christ for this task. At the same time we were chosen for salvation, we were chosen to be ambassadors for Christ, these two cannot be separated. And not only was the Lord Jesus Christ involved in this choosing but the Eternal Godhead was actively involved as we see in 1 Peter 1:2, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

2. Ambassadors have a message to proclaim from their government or sovereign. We have been given a message by the Lord Jesus Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15). This is not our own message, not the message that we want to proclaim, not a message suited for our culture, but the message of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the same message the apostles preached in Acts 5; - 1)Jesus is risen indeed by the power of God the Father. 2) Every man is responsible for the death of Jesus. 3) Jesus has been highly exalted by the Father to be a Prince and Savior. 4)He gives repentance and the forgiveness of sins to his Elect. Our job is to sow the seed of the word of God (Luke 8:11), by calling all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30). It is the Holy Spirits job to regenerate the elect (Titus 3:5).

3. Ambassadors are to be a representative of their government or sovereign. We are called to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6), to be holy even as he is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Jesus commands us to let our light shine before men, so that they can glorify our Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16). Remember, that the apostles were first called Christians in Antioch, meaning they were Christ like, they walked as He walked, with the fruit of the Holy Spirit being manifested through them (Acts 11:26). Jesus taught us in Matthew 7; that every good tree brings forth good fruit and every corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit, a good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit nor can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit, and that by their fruits you shall know them. Many today claim to be the ambassadors of Christ yet the fruit in their lives says otherwise.

4. Ambassadors are living in a different location than their government or sovereign. We are pilgrims and aliens on this earth, we are not of this world, we are seeking a country whose builder and maker is God (1 Peter 2:11; Hebrews 11:10). Jesus in John 18, taught us that His kingdom was not of this world. This is where the first century Jews got tripped up, they were looking for a Messiah to come and rule the earth, yet it was not the appointed time. First, Messiah must come to die on the cross for His elect and bring the gentiles into the fold (John 10:16). We are just passing through this world and we have the promise of a better world to come, eternal in the heavens (2 Corinthians 5:1) . Therefore, we should not be holding onto anything in this world, as the book of James tells us, “friendship with the world is enmity with God.” And 1 John declares, “love not the world neither the things that are in the world, if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him”.

5. Ambassadors are to stay true and loyal to their government or sovereign. You cannot be a double agent, an ambassador for Satan (or self) and an ambassador for Christ. Second Corinthians 6 asks the question, What place hath Christ with Belial? What communion hath light with Darkness? Come out of her and be ye separate saith the Lord! We are to “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy acceptable unto the Lord, and be ye not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2). It is our duty, as ambassadors, to remain true to the word of God, to remain true to the church of the Living God, and to remain true to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is not an optional thing, it is a must, that can only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are to persevere all the way to the end, towing the company line, as Paul declared, I have fought the good fight, I have finished my coarse, I have keep the faith (2 Timothy 4:7)

6. Ambassadors are rescued at the sign of war by their government or sovereign. Take heart dear ambassador for Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ will come and take you to heaven, in the Rapture, before the time of wrath, comes upon this earth. 1 Thessalonians tells us, that God has not appointed us unto wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ”. In the book of Revelation chapter 4, John says, “after this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were a trumpet talking to me; which said come up hither.” God has promise to take his church to heaven for the marriage supper of the Lamb before the tribulation period begins (Revelation 19:19). Once God puts his attention back to the Jews, there will be no longer a need for ambassadors of this dispensation upon the earth.

As ambassadors, let us go forth and be about the Fathers business. Let us take the message of the gospel to this "foreign land", looking to call men to reconciliation with God. May we be a strong and faithful representative of the kingdom of God here on earth. And let us always be looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2), who will soon appear, to take us to our true homeland, to be with the HIM forever!

Bro. Pat