Today I went out to lunch with several of the guys from work because today was Larry’s last day and we wanted to take him out to lunch. As we were driving in the car to the restaurant and I was listening to the other guys, the conversation was not as vulgar as it could have been, but it was pretty salty, as conversation among unsaved men tends to be. I was watching my tongue, but I was not being as careful as I should have been and I may have said something that a follower of Jesus should not say. I am fairly sure that no one else noticed anything at all, but it suddenly occurred to me that I am an ambassador for the Lord Jesus Christ wherever I am. Sitting in a car going to lunch is no different than sitting in church singing a hymn; I am a follower of the Lord Jesus and therefore have been appointed as His ambassador, and where I go, Jesus goes, and whatever I say and do, I say and do as a representative and ambassador for the Lord Jesus.

“Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
(Other verses to challenge the believer in this regard: Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 5:27 “that he might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless”; Acts 1:8 “you shall be My witnesses”)

Here is the challenge for us as believers: After our conversion, we are ALWAYS ambassadors for Christ, wherever we are and with whomever we are, and we are therefore always to act like representatives for the Lord Jesus. There is no vacation and there is no day off. We are always accountable to represent our King to others. “We are His workmanship (Eph. 2:10).” We are the trophies in His trophy case and we are always to be living and speaking and behaving as befits one who has been redeemed by the Savior.

So when I am traveling to lunch with my co-workers, I am to let my light shine as a follower of Jesus and to let these others know that there is a difference between the redeemed and the lost. For we are members of a different Kingdom and we serve a different King. We are to walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6), so that we can adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect (Titus 2:10).

Since, then, we are ambassadors for Christ, we must live lives that are holy and blameless and undefiled, because the ambassador is the representative of the King in a foreign land and is therefore to show the foreigners the nature of the kingdom of his King.

The ambassador is conscious of the fact that he has been chosen by his King and also has been sent out by the King. So the ambassador must ask himself or herself, “What is my role as an ambassador to my King?” Since the ambassador serves the King, it is the King that gives the ambassador his assignment. And what is that assignment? The ambassador is sent out to represent the King and to carry out the business of the King. The ambassador is focused on the fame and prominence of his King. So we as ambassadors are aware that our King must increase and we must decrease (John 3:30). So we are sent out to tell of the glory of King Jesus and to tell of His deity, that He has always been and will always be.

But from the context of 2 Corinthians 5:20, the most important task that we have as ambassadors is to broadcast the Message of the King. We as ambassadors are to proclaim the message of reconciliation, a message that says that because of the sinless life of King Jesus and because of His sacrificial death on the cross and His glorious resurrection, sinners who are currently in the kingdom of darkness and who are currently enemies of the King can become citizens of His kingdom and can be adopted as sons of the living God. This message of reconciliation declares that those who are enemies of the King and who are under His wrath can have peace with the King and can themselves be made ambassadors of the King to carry the message to others. This is what it means to be an ambassador of the Lord Jesus.

SUMMARY AND APPLICATIONS:
Brothers and sisters, you and I are ambassadors for Christ, and we are always in the role of ambassador. Therefore we are always to be conscious of our role and we are to be intent on the accomplishment of our task as ambassadors and aware that we are always representing our King and are a reflection, good or bad, of our King and His Kingdom.

Here, then, are some questions to challenge us as ambassadors: (How am I doing as an ambassador for Christ?)

Do others know that you are a follower of Jesus and are a citizen of His kingdom? I am not asking if they SUSPECT you MIGHT BE a follower of Jesus. I am asking if you as an ambassador of the Kingdom have made your citizenship plain.
Based on YOUR behavior as an ambassador, do other people realize that there is a difference between those that follow Jesus and those who do not?
Do you live in a way that fits the citizens of heaven, in a way that is actively holy?
How often do you tell those outside Christ’s kingdom about your King?
Do you tell others how they can become citizens of Christ’s kingdom and how they can become beloved subjects of the King of all kings?
Do you tell people how they can be reconciled to God through King Jesus?

As ambassadors we each need to display the glory of the King by showing how He changes lives and declaring that He is able to reconcile the vilest enemy with a holy God. RMB 3/26/2015 #80