Ambassadors For Christ

WHEN OUR FAMILY LIVED IN MANILA, we became friends with another American family who had children the same ages as ours. The father worked for the State Department as a liaison to our American ambassador to the Philippines.

Our ambassador friends had signed a contract, committing to a high standard of behavior. Their children were warned not to misbehave in public (although they acted up when their parents weren’t looking—just like our kids). They all had to follow strict guidelines for dress, activities, and speech. When asked how their family met the stringent expectations for ambassadors, the parents explained that from infancy, the children were instructed on appropriate behavior, and they regularly practiced how to act properly in various scenarios by role-playing at home. The whole family understood that every action and activity would be scrutinized because they were official representatives of the United States of America.

Second Corinthians 5:20 tells us that we are “ambassadors for Christ,” so we used the example of these family friends to help our kids understand our own responsibilities in that role. We explained to our children that our lives are not all about us, because we are ambassadors for King Jesus. Our purpose is to represent Him to a world that needs to know what He is like.

In order to be good ambassadors, we also role-played with our kids, but we had different goals than our friends. Our purpose was not to blend in with the people where we lived but to be lights that pointed them to our King. Our behavior needed to match the message of God’s love, so we talked about loving people just like Jesus loved us and gave His life for us (see Ephesians 5:2). Even young children understand love.

We also worked on our speech, not only to learn the local dialect but also to think about how the words we spoke reflected on Jesus (see Colossians 4:6). When we left home, we were careful to dress in a way that was appropriate for the culture, but in addition, we emphasized the importance of smiling and being kind to those we encountered. We were blessed to serve in a country where the people are so friendly that smiling came naturally, and we pointed them out as good examples. As I read and taught my children the Bible, the manual for Christ’s ambassadors, I learned and grew along with them. We all have a lifelong opportunity to grow in the grace and knowledge of our King, the Lord Jesus Christ (see 2 Peter 3:18).

Because we lived in the Philippines and yet were American citizens, our children began to comprehend that ambassadors live in foreign lands, where they don’t have citizenship. “But,” we encouraged them, “our real citizenship is in heaven, our eternal home.” Philippians 3:20 tells us, “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Even when we lived in America, we explained, the Bible’s description of believers as pilgrims, strangers, or aliens still applied to us, because we weren’t yet in our heavenly home.

When our son Robby was young, he loved to call everyone an “alien.” It took him a few more years to get the apostle Peter’s point that, as Christians, we are “aliens” who don’t make ourselves at home here on earth since we are just passing through. Later in life, Robby became an active ambassador for Christ, impacting countless lives with his energizing faith. When he moved to an area of mostly unchurched people, he planted a church in their midst. He also produced a sports-themed movie that scored at the box office; but more importantly, it creatively communicated the gospel to people who might never attend church.

We have an incredible privilege and responsibility to represent King Jesus as His ambassadors. Do we take it seriously? Does it change the way we live and alter our purpose and priorities? Or do we blend in with our world, seeming no different than the people we live among? These are questions we all must consider.

I don’t have a list of regulations about what to wear, where to go, or how to act when I get there. There’s no checklist or contract. I’m so grateful representing Jesus is not all about rules; it’s about a relationship. When our lives are transformed by Jesus, we are blessed to represent Him as ambassadors to the watching world around us.

REFLECTION

Think about the life of an ambassador to another country. How does that image shape your idea of what it means to be an ambassador of Christ? Ask God to help you make any changes necessary to represent Him more accurately to the world. Then read 2 Corinthians 5:20-21. As an ambassador for King Jesus, Paul begged people to be reconciled with God through faith in His Son. We should also be prepared to share with others how they can have a personal relationship with our Savior, the one we have the privilege to represent.