Be An Ambassador For Christ – No Matter What You’re Doing

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘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.’ (2 Corinthians 5:20) 

In all that we do, we are to represent Christ and His Word, and share the Gospel message to all we encounter.  Whether we are running for President of the United States or are simply a patron in a restaurant waiting for their meal to arrive, we need to reflect the love of Christ and shine His light outward in a darkened world. 

We are not always going to be the perfect example of Jesus or His Word, unfortunately.  We cannot suppress our feelings or emotions entirely, and occasionally our feelings will overcome facts and even the Truth.  This is the point where we sin; our feelings override the facts, the Truth of Christ, and invariably this gets us in trouble.  It is unfortunate but our Presidential candidates of both parties compromise on the precepts of Christ to gain favor upon non-Christian voters.  An example is the abortion issue, where the Democratic candidate is pro-abortion (to the point of having a mobile abortion clinic outside of their convention) with no limitations, while the Republican candidate is pro-limited abortion, with abortions limited to the first trimester and stating the Florida six-week abortion window is too strict. 

In both cases, these stances are not Godly or Biblical.  However, which stance is more favorable for the Christian, who is opposed to all abortions as life, and death, are of God’s Will and planning?  This is not the only topic for the Christian to examine, so to be a responsible voter the Christian must look over the entire policy platforms and the historical track record of both candidates, and of course pray for the discernment of the Holy Spirit, to lead to a conclusive decision on who to vote for.  As we may not always best represent the Lord in a diner (especially if the wait staff is slow or rude, or the food is undercooked, overcooked, or the order was messed up, or a hair is found in the coleslaw), neither candidate is going to fully be perfect in portraying Godly ways.

But do either of the candidates profess a relationship with Christ?  Do either have some signs that they seek God’s wisdom in their decision-making?  Who best shows Jesus in a positive light and is the best ambassador for Him and His Gospel?  I may not always be the perfect portrayal of a Christian, but I pray that my overall demonstration shows the love of Christ, that despite my flaws (which I have a lot of) my life reflects positively on cause of Jesus and His Gospel. 

Now I may not always be the cheerful, loving bubba perfect in my Christian portrayal, but I do pray that the general take people have is that I love Jesus and that I am willing to share Him and His Gospel message with others.  Seeking the same from others includes our candidates to be our next leader; not perfect, but one who best provides the opportunity for Jesus’ light to shine in a dark, secular world.

Paul in his 2^nd Epistle to the church of Corinth gives the ‘synopsis’ in 2 Corinthians 5 of what the followers of Christ (including Presidential candidates) should be like; a bit off-kilter when it comes to the world’s ‘normal’, expecting to be changed by Him into something better by our reconciliation with our Lord.  Our reconciliation should compel us to share the Gospel with others; like ‘ambassadors’ of a nation, the job of an ambassador is to represent the nation he or she has citizenship to in the best possible light, and extol the virtues of their nation and work in its best interests. 

Does Jesus need ‘good PR’?  The answer is yes, with the best PR (Public Relations) being to share the Truth.  I think of the young woman we met in a restaurant a while back; having the troubles she had throughout her entire life, it has been a lot sorrow and pain. We want to introduce her to Jesus, as we need to represent Jesus to her as His Ambassador.  No one else may have done so!  She is a single mother of a nine-year-old girl, and wants to marry her current boyfriend. 

We have no reason to brow-beat her or lay guilt down upon her but instead show her the Love of Christ by taking time with her, and inviting her to our church and to talk with our Pastor about the marriage.  This young woman has the opportunity to learn more about the Love of Christ and be introduced to Him so she can make an informed decision to follow Him through our portrayal of Jesus.

Will she accept the Gift of Christ?  Only Jesus and she can answer that, as we cannot force anyone to accept the Gospel message any more than the Mexican Ambassador to the US can force anyone of us to go to Mexico.  We can be provided all the information and then make an informed decision on our own, and that’s what we will be praying for, for this young woman – to accept the invitation to join us, without force or coercion.  It is hoped the candidate chosen to be our next President, of the two offered, is the one who best shines their light upon Jesus and His ways, to help influence -even minutely- others to come to Faith in Christ.  There are many more who need to be ‘ambassador-ed’, many that you personally know – go be that Great Commission ambassador for Him!