According to Google, an ambassador is “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country.” Vocabulary.com defines an ambassador as “an official representative for his or her country, stationed in another nation. Ambassador usually describes the official diplomatic envoy who represents one country to another.”
I have to say that being an ambassador seems like one of the most interesting jobs in the world. Live in a swanky embassy. Participate in fancy state affairs. Host lavish dinners. Dress in glamorous clothes. You know, like the movies.
But did you also know that, once I accepted Christ as my Savior, I became an ambassador? Not as an American representing American interests. Not as an Irish woman, or a Swedish woman, or whatever other pedigree I own. But as a Christian, a Christ-follower. And did you know that, once you became a Christian, a Christ-follower, you also became an ambassador? Because, as Peter writes, you and I both, from the moment of our salvation, became members of a new nation. Peter says that we are now “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, A HOLY NATION, His own special people, that [we] may proclaim the praises of Him who called [us] out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God…” (1 Peter 2:9-10). Paul even writes that our very citizenship has changed: “For our citizenship is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20). How amazing is that?!
So, the awesome truth is that I actually get to be an ambassador…every day of my life! In fact, I am constrained to be an ambassador. I am compelled to be an ambassador. According to Paul, I am “an ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:20). I no longer have a choice in the matter….because it is now my God-given duty, my God-given responsibility, to represent my country (Heaven) while living in this foreign nation. And the same can be said for every believer who has ever walked this earth. I am chained to this responsibility, this duty….this gospel…. and I cannot walk away from it, not if I want to fulfill my God-given purpose on this earth.
So what are my duties as an ambassador of Christ? Simple. I am to represent Christ. I am to represent the kingdom of Heaven. I am to “make known the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:20). I am to “implore” the unsaved to “be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). I am to love my neighbor as myself (Mark 12:31). I am to “preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). I am to “visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (James 1:27). In short, I am to be the hands and feet and heart of Jesus to a lost and hurting world…to a world in desperate need of a Savior.
This is where I am today…wrestling. Wrestling with how to be an ambassador in a practical sense. Wrestling with how to accomplish all of those “simple” tasks I described. Wrestling with how to represent Christ in a world, and even an occupation, that shuns the presence and power and very Person of God more and more. Yet the call remains…for each of us. We have no choice…not if we want to represent our heavenly kingdom and please the Lord.
So what, practically, can we do? Volunteer somewhere….nursing home, hospice center, pregnancy care center, soup kitchen. Show hospitality….visit a neighbor, invite a neighbor over for tea or a meal, deliver a meal to someone in need. Engage in random acts of kindness….buy someone flowers, send a card, take someone out for coffee. Listen to your “neighbor.” Pray for and with your “neighbor.” Love your “neighbor.” We are surrounded with innumerable ways we can show the love of Christ to those around us. Pray about it. Ask God to show you what you should do. And then be obedient. Above all, be obedient! Then watch God move! Because as we step out in faith and in the love of Christ, as the world sees Christ in us, those around us will glorify our Father in heaven. The Bible tells me so! “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mark 5:16).
What are some of the ways you have found to be an ambassador for Christ? I would love to hear from you with your ideas!