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Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friend,
This week we are considering the amazing implications of a powerful statement the Holy Spirit of God led Paul to write in his second letter to the Christians, in the wild and crazy city of Corinth, in the first century. That statement is “We are therefore ambassadors of Jesus Christ as though God is making His appeal [to the world] through us.” (2 Cor. 5:20)
You may recall in his first letter Paul really took them to task for the painful reality that some of the Christians in Corinth were living lives no different from the pagans. Therefore much of that first letter was a chastisement and challenge to question the validity of their salvation, if their lives were so similar to people who knew nothing about Jesus. If their salvation was authentic, then their lives should reflect the fact that they are “New creations in Christ, the old has gone and the new has come” (2 Cor. 5:17). In this his second letter, Paul now challenges them to live impacting their decadent society with the power and presence of Jesus their Savior, and the Holy Spirit who lived in them.
Yesterday we looked closely at Matthew 9 and considered how we “Ambassadors of Jesus” should SEE the people of our world the way Jesus sees them… both the obvious needs they have, but also the deeper needs. And we should see who they could become if Jesus set them free and the Holy Spirit changed them into ‘new creations in Christ‘, and authentic ‘Ambassadors of Jesus”.
Today let’s look at some ways Ambassadors live, which set them apart from most everyone else.
First… they live faithfully representing the one who sent them, thus they prioritize getting to know all they can about the one they are representing. Ambassadors need to know the values, priorities, lifestyle, history, decision making process, communication pattern… everything essential everything, about the one they represent.
They need to be able to look into any situation and discern how the one they represent would view the situation, how they would feel in the situation, and what they would likely say and do. If there is any question, they need to contact the one they represent and get instructions.
Ambassadors live as though their life and the lives of all those they love depends on their effective representation of the one who sent them. Can you make the application to you and me being Ambassadors of Jesus Christ to our world? Do you know Jesus well enough, His values, His priorities, His passions, His non-negotiables… so you are confident you know how Jesus would view, speak or act in the situations which are facing you this turbulent year of 2020?
Consider Paul’s statements in Philippians 3:7-14 about how his pursuit of knowing God became the primary focus of his life.
Second…Ambassadors keep in close communication with, are always available to, and obey with confidence and integrity, the guidance/instructions of the one they represent.
Fortunately with modern technology that means global ambassadors can remain in the countries of their assignment while staying in very close touch with the Heads of State they represent. For you and me, what are our techniques for staying in close touch with Jesus, so we can be confident we know what He wants us to be doing to effectively represent Him? How often do we meet with Jesus to assure we are in lock step with Him? When we need guidance from Him, what is our pattern for seeking and receiving that guidance?
Perhaps you can imagine one of the great challenges for every Ambassador is this: “what do I do as an Ambassador, when I disagree with the position my superior assigns me to represent?” Has that ever happened to you as a Christian? You find yourself knowing the position the Bible instructs you to take on a particular issue, but your personal desires are in disagreement, in conflict with God’s Word, and thus you feel you cannot be true to your own personal desire and be faithful to Scripture at the same time. What have you done in that case my friends? In what circumstances might we find ourselves yielding to the peer or political pressure and doing something contrary to what we are confident Jesus wants us to do and therefore violating the trust of our Ambassadorship?
How confident is Jesus our Sovereign, that He can fully trust us to always do what He guides us to do? In the world of politics, if an Ambassador is found to NOT be trustworthy to speak or act in alignment with the leader they represent, likely they will be called home and relieved from the privilege and responsibility of Ambassadorship. So what do you think God should do if we fail in the high integrity and alignment with Jesus, required to be an Ambassador of Jesus Christ?
One very interesting instance in the amazing life of the Apostle Paul is found in Acts 16:6-10. Paul was determined to live his life as an obedient, faithful “Ambassador of Jesus” and thus he regularly sought guidance from Jesus about all he did, including traveling to new places to bring the Gospel there. As you know much of the New Testament is the result of Paul’s amazing missionary journeys of obedience to Jesus’ leading. But for a period of time Jesus was NOT allowing Paul to press on into Asia, where he very much wanted to take the Gospel. As I read the account, I can imagine Paul was frustrated with delay.
But friends it is vital for us to trust our Sovereign God and HIS full understanding of all that is happening in our world. Have you learned God’s timing of circumstances is always perfect? How well do you handle delay or lack of clarity from God? Do you remember Abraham, Sarah and Hagar made a real mess out of their impatience with God. (Gen. 16) And what about the 10 spies and how they broke trust with God and frightened the people in their reluctance to move forward with God’s leading into their new land? (Numbers 13,14) On the other hand there are countless Biblical examples of God honoring the obedient faith of His people. Have you proven to God that you can be trusted as His Ambassador?
Being an “Ambassador of Jesus Christ” is a high and holy privilege, my friends. As we begin a new month together, may I ask that you consider the integrity required in the ‘ambassadorship assignment’ God has given you? Who are the people to whom God has sent you to represent Jesus? Is there any area of your life which is not in full alignment with Jesus? May I invite you to ponder every aspect of your life and consider how well it does or should represent Jesus? Anything the Holy Spirit is wanting to help you refine to better represent Jesus to your world? Remember this closing verse of Psalm 139 “Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Oh Lord Jesus, may that be true of every one of us!
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Click to read today’s chapter: Philippians 3:7-14; Acts 16:6-10. (At the top you can choose a different translation.)
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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