Ambassadors of the Cross
Discouraged and confused. As I hung up the phone, I sat perplexed. The builder frequently spoke of Scripture and boldly told us of his faith. His business card even included his favorite verse. He told us he successfully built his business by years of following God’s Word. And yet, his actions weren’t consistent with his self-description.
Have you ever taken someone’s word about who they are, only to be disappointed when you discover their actions or words aren’t consistent with who they claim to be?
The builder all but called himself a representative of Jesus. And yet, as I recounted instances of the builder’s dishonesty to us, I couldn’t help but think: But what about his witness?
Doesn’t he realize he is tarnishing his witness to other people? Doesn’t he realize he is living contrary to Jesus? I couldn’t help but wish he had just kept Jesus out of the conversation. In fact, I wondered how his actions might affect someone who doesn’t know about Jesus? What would they think of Jesus when someone who claimed to follow Him was blatantly dishonest and lacked integrity?
What was I to learn through this situation? Well, several things, I think. Perhaps the most important was prayerfully considering what it means to be a representative of Jesus. As Christians, aren’t we all representatives of Christ? If so, what should that look like in our daily lives?
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, Paul writes, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us.”
So, what does it mean to be an ambassador? In Scripture, ambassadors were messengers, often messengers for the king. In 1604, Sir Henry Wotton stated that an ambassador “is an honest gentleman sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.”
Ambassadors for the United States have several responsibilities summed up as, “serving Americans with professional excellence, the highest standards of ethical conduct, and diplomatic discretion” and “speaking with one voice to others on U.S. policy and ensuring mission staff do likewise.”
One voice.
Whose “one” voice is it? It’s the voice of the U.S. government, the nation the ambassadors represent while living in a foreign country. It is this voice they are to speak with while serving Americans with excellence and the highest standards of ethical conduct.
Unity. Excellence. Honesty. Highest standards. This is how an ambassador serves. It a high honor that comes with great responsibility.
To uphold the integrity of the nation being served requires training. In fact, extensive training is required before one can even qualify for the position. Ambassadors must be trained on how to represent their nation. A great deal of both intellectual preparation and emotional preparation is essential to make sure the U.S. is properly represented. It’s the ambassador’s job to accurately speak with “one voice” on behalf of their government.
How does this apply to us? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:20 that we are ambassadors for Christ as though God were pleading through us. How can we serve “as though God were pleading through us” if we don’t prepare? If we don’t study His Word and His life?
Just as U.S. ambassadors must prepare, we as Christians must also prepare to serve with “One voice” and with excellence and the highest standards as the people who are set apart. I think it begins with a sincere desire and must include the discipline of studying and obeying of God’s Word which equips us to represent Him in His fullness to the world.
Author and pastor, Andrew Davis, writes this:
“We must keep growing in knowledge or we will cease making progress in the Christian life. All of that knowledge begins as head knowledge, concepts understood by the mind, before anything else can occur. And we must have as much of that head knowledge as possible. But woe to us, if through unbelief, we do not allow that knowledge to transform us into the image of Christ and change the way we live our lives.”
Indeed, preparation is not just intellectual. It must not be. We must allow our knowledge of Jesus to change the way we live our lives. Because it is how we live our lives, in word and in deed, that is our witness. The only way we can speak with “one voice” for Jesus is for our lives to represent Jesus and point others to Him. We should reflect the presence and values of the King we represent.
As I reflected on our experience with the builder, I realized that what I should be asking myself is:
“Are my words and deeds Christ-like? “Am I reflecting the presence and the values of Christ? “Do my words sound like what Jesus would say? “Do my actions look like things Jesus would do?”
A former U.S. ambassador boiled an ambassador’s role down to honesty, credibility and trustworthiness. Without these, he said, why would anyone give you the time of day?
I’m convinced though, that honest and integrity, while required, aren’t enough. As ambassadors we must be diligent because ambassadors for Jesus are not lazy. Jesus says to His disciples in In Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers unto His harvest.”
The Lord has given to the Church the ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18–21). I’m encouraged to reflect on my life and ask God to guide me in this role.
Lord, please equip me to be your ambassador. Please help me to study your Word and know you. Transform my life so that in word and in deed my life will reflect you and your ministry of reconciliation and so that I will joyously and wholeheartedly participate in the work of your kingdom through the love of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
~ Nicole Bryan has been a member of LIFE Fellowship for over 10 years and holds a M.A. in Biblical Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. She and her husband Callan have three children.