Divided by a common language
Why is it that humans have such difficulty communicating with each other? A while back, I was in Droitwich, England, working with some great people. After I repeatedly asked an Englishman to repeat himself, he said, “We are divided by a common language.” He was correct. He struggled as much as I in our conversations.
Even at home, communication is difficult. My wife says that when she asks me to look at something, it’s like a painting; she’s looking at the image while I’m looking at the frame. No doubt, wars have been fought over misunderstood words. Our communication failure makes this passage that the apostle Paul wrote even more challenging than it may appear.
We are Christ’s ambassadors
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:20
It isn’t just the original twelve apostles or the one-hundred and twenty disciples (Acts 1:15) that Jesus intended to be His ambassadors. If that were the case, then Apollos (Acts 19:1), Timothy and Erastus (Acts 19:22), Priscilla and Aquila (1 Corinthians 16:19), and countless others would not have been able to bring Jesus to their mission fields. Therefore, we are ambassadors of Jesus, missionaries to “the people, the place, and the purpose” that Jesus has called us. We don’t choose to be ambassadors, we are ambassadors.
Expressed Through Me
Our office, ambassadors of Jesus, brings up a profound and sobering truth. When we share our salvation testimony with others, in our hearts, we are seeking Jesus to express Himself through us to our audience, be it one or many.
How trusting Jesus is towards us. He creates these divine appointments for us to meet with people that He has scheduled an appointed time. It is their time to hear the words of Jesus, to learn the impact Jesus made in our lives, and for the Holy Spirit to call and convict them. We have a delightful yet profound assignment.
As ambassadors for Christ, we get to implore others on behalf of Christ to people to be reconciled to God. Our heart’s cry is for Jesus to express Himself through us. Our good news is that some will respond – we need to prepare for this. Others may go away with our words percolating in their hearts and minds, and some will ignore or outright reject the Gospel.
Tell the good news
All these responses are okay. It’s not our assignment to save people. We are to tell the Good News of reconciliation through Jesus Christ. If we do our part, then we have fulfilled Christ’s command.
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14) We are Christ’s instruments for proclaiming the Gospel. How wonderful is that!
Photo by Transformation Films from Pexels
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