Ambassadors for Christ

In all of the foreign countries I have lived or worked in, I have always loved getting to learn new things, eat new foods, and experience new traditions and cultures. But, let’s face it: when you are on your own and away from home, sometimes you simply get homesick. You long for the taste of a real American hamburger or to hear someone speaking English properly. I still remember the day I was feeling very homesick (and slightly lost) in Berlin, Germany, when I came across the American embassy. It was great to see the Stars and Stripes flying overhead, to see American Marines, and to know that that there was a little beacon of hope for me in a big, confusing place. It offers us a little piece of comfort and home.

In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul calls each of us an “ambassador for Christ.” He reminds us that our goal is to offer comfort, safety, and witness for Christ all around the world.
“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 are called to be ambassadors for Christ, to spread God’s agenda and initiative throughout the world. We are called to be his presence, his shelter in the storms of life. We stand as a beacon of hope and home for those who feel lost in the world.

Why are we Christ’s ambassadors? Well, if Christ has changed our lives and made us new creations, then we should want the same for other people. Our mission is to share the saving grace that we have received through Jesus to everyone we meet. Our job is to make God’s appeal to their hearts, to draw all men to himself. What an amazing task we have been given!

So, Ambassadors, get out there and make a difference! God would have us do no less...