Question: "What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?"
Answer: In a letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul discusses the ministry of reconciliation, and he uses the term “ambassadors” for Christ: “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” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, emphasis added).*
* to read this article in its entirety, check out GOTQUESTIONS: What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?
The word in Greek, as used in the New Testament definition is pretty much the same as above. The two references used to express this word are found in:
2 COR 5:19-21
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. 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. 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.
and in EPH 6:19-20
And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, (G.O.S.P.E.L. G.od's O.mnipotent S.alvation P.roclaiming E.ternal L.ove) For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Sometimes as believers we can get confused as to who the enemy is; Paul stated that we "wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers," etc. Those are spiritual ranks of satanic powers, various demonic overlords all the way down to the 'Gehennan grunt' soldiers. Satan is our real enemy. That human being you encountered today that you wish you hadn't? They are ones that Christ died for, and loves eternally.
As ambassadors we truly are representatives of our Father's heavenly kingdom . . . or ARE we? I know that all too often, I am hardly at times a proper representative for heaven. Ambassadors are supposed to exemplify all that is good and admirable about the country that they represent.
As ambassadors we're to be skilled in tact, diplomacy, a keen mind that earnestly seeks a means of mediation; whereby we will be enabled to bring together those who are at times hostile towards the ambassador's home country, to our King and thus induct yet another citizen into the kingdom, via the born again experience, granted by the blood of our King, Himself!
I pray this day, and perhaps you might care to join me, that we will be empowered by the Lord to conduct ourselves as proper examples and representatives of His Kingdom, and of He, Himself. To be called an Ambassador of the Kingdom of God is a very high honor! Thus, may we honor our King indeed by exuding all those qualities that are most admirable and good in the Kingdom.
Oh! Incidentally, getting these issues clear, we then know who are real enemy is, that is Satan, and all them nasty principalities and powers who will be actively seeking to thwart our purposes in seeking those who are lost, and getting them reconciled to God. Interesting that in Ephesians chapter six, Paul discusses being an ambassador, an agent of peace, and yet in the passage just before that, he talks about the armor of God, and being a soldier of Christ.
As it says in my "KNYHT" profile: "To wage War and Peace is my mission!" War upon the kingdom of darkness and its authorities, Peace upon those souls of man that our LORD yearns to release from their sin and usher them into new life, boundless love, and eternal peace and joy!
Soon I think I will address the other side of this coin more fully, that is, being soldiers of Christ, and our spiritual warfare. NIKAEO AIONIOS AVRAS!
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