Ambassadorship: How well are you representing Him?
Did you realize that if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, having accepted Him as your Savior, YOU are a personal representative of Him? Whether you have been conscience of it or not, you are! Questions: How pleased are you with your representation of Him? How much attention have you been giving this? Do you represent Him well, or have you even thought about it? Well, good or bad, the Bible tells us we as believers are all His personal representatives.
II Corinthians 5:20
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. [Emphasis added]
What is the heart of the message we’ve been given in our representation of Him? The answer to that is provided in the next verse of that same passage.
II Corinthians 5:21
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
In the times before the present Dispensation of Grace, God had another plan and message for those representing Him.
Matthew 28:19-20
19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
It is no wonder our Lord doesn’t get represented well when so many don’t even know their commission. Or maybe you’ve been thinking that was your commission. Let’s take a look at the Apostle Mark’s account of that commission. You’ll find that there’s some additional information about it given there.
Mark 16:15-18
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. [Emphasis added]
Did you notice anything different or additional? Yes! He mentions the requirement of water baptism. Let’s see what else He mentions about this commission given on that same occasion.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. [Emphasis added]
Do you know people who claim they can do these things? Well, whether you do or not, those people are around. But do their claims represent reality? They do not! Talk is cheap! Anyone can make claims. People do not have such abilities today! But if that’s the case, what are we to think about this passage of Scripture? What are we to think about our Lord’s clear statements on this? Was He not stating words of truth? Yes, He certainly was! But what you have to understand is that this commission we just looked at is not our commission. It belonged to the Twelve Apostles and to Israel. It does not belong to us today as members of what is called the Body of Christ in this present Dispensation of the Grace of God. That is why these miraculous things aren’t going on in our time, regardless of what you may have heard otherwise. If they are, why aren’t these people clearing out some of our hospitals and more with healing? The answer to that is simple. They can’t! And I don’t fault them for that, but I do fault them if they’re making false claims. To get more information on this subject, I refer you to another article available on this website entitled Healing: How should we respond to physical illness?
Ambassadorship IS something that relates to each of us. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are one of His personal representatives. We are the ones God wants to use as a mouthpiece, representing Him. He wants each of us to tell people in our part of the world about the death, burial and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. But exactly what is the message we are commissioned to deliver? It is found in the writings of the Apostle Paul. Here is the passage that presents clearly the commission and message that’s been given to us today, not the ones I mentioned that are from Matthew and Mark.
II Corinthians 5:17-21
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
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.
21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
This is a passage with which we all need to be familiar. How everyone we know responds to this truth regarding what God has done to provide a way of salvation for us will determine where and how they will spend all eternity. So, that includes your family and everyone with whom you have contact. Are you pleased with what you’ve done to get this message out? Who is going to be in heaven because you were a part of the team that let them know about God’s love and His provision to give them a chance at eternal salvation? In other words, how have you been functioning in your role as an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ? What a wonderful opportunity you have to present this life-changing information to the people in your life. If you’re not one who has been addressing this, I hope you’ll begin now.
