One of my favorite passages of Scripture is 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 which states, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
As a follower of Christ, we are also an ambassador of Christ. In this article, I will list three characteristics of ambassadorship to help us gain a fuller understanding of what it means to be “an ambassador of Christ”.
First, an ambassador represents a ruler. What he says represents the ruler. What he does represents the ruler. How he behaves himself represents the ruler. What his attitude is like represents the ruler. Therefore, we as Christ-followers represent Christ; His throne, His power, His kingdom, His heart, His love, His grace, His forgiveness, His purposes and plans, and so on. We are His hands, feet, and spokespeople.
Secondly, an ambassador is credentialed. In other words, credentials would be like a letter or certificate given to a person to show that he has a right to confidence or to the exersize of a certain position or authority. Just as an ambassador has been given a specific level of authority, Christ has given us authority (Matt 28:18-20). Our “credentialing” is when the Holy Spirit begins living in and through is at the moment of true salvation (Acts 1:8). Another of the foremost “credentials” of a Christ-follower is the clear evidence of Christ’s love in and through them; “By this shall men know that you are my disciples, that you love one another.”
Thirdly, an ambassador is protected. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not for I am with thee, be not dismayed for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee, I will help thee, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” God provides and protects!
In the year 1653 Whitelock the Ambassador of Sweden was embarking on a special mission. He came to Harwich to rest the night, a stormy night in which he could not sleep. His servant asked him, “Pray sir, don’t you think that God governed the world very well before you came into it?” Certainly! “Don’t you think He will govern it quite as well when you are gone out of it?” Certainly! “Then, sir, don’t you think you may trust Him to govern it properly as long as you live?” With that Whitelock turned over in bed and went to sleep.
You can sleep well knowing that “He will keep in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Him.” (Isa 26:3)
I’ll pick up here tomorrow.