Ambassadors for Christ

“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.”  - II Corinthians 5:20

What a great call and responsibility that God has bestowed on his followers!  We have been called to be Christ’s ambassadors; to be his representatives to the world around us.  The idea is more than just being a messenger.  Certainly we are called to share the message, but as an ambassador for Christ, we are both the messenger for and the representative of the one who sends us.  We represent Christ to those with whom we come into contact.  Who knows . . . we may be the only “Jesus” someone ever experiences.

Sometimes, in our zeal to present the message of Christ, we fail in our responsibility to accurately represent the Christ of the message.  I’m reminded of a quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi (whether he actually said it or not . . . who knows?).  Here’s what he is believed to have said:  “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians.  Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”  Reminds me of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day – the ones who were supposed to represent God to the people.  Rather than bringing people closer to God, they actually created barriers that prevented people from coming to God . . . hmmm . . . which actually brings to mind the ritualistic religious of today . . . but I digress.

As I consider this quote, I can help but wonder what Gandhi’s perception of Christ was at the time and in what way these “Christians” he met were so unlike Jesus.  I suppose we’ll never know for sure, but it does give me reason to pause and take inventory of my life in relation to the life of Christ presented in the Gospels.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a work in progress for sure, but I know that scripture teaches me that I am to be conformed to the image of Christ; to have the mind of Christ; to live as he lived and love as he loved.  In fact, love has to be the key motivating factor as we live out our faith as ambassadors for Christ.  Jesus emphasized this throughout his ministry.  He taught his followers to “love one another” (John 13:34) to “love your enemies” (Luke 6:27) and to “love your neighbors” (Matthew 22:39).  So, as we share our faith in Christ and represent him to those around us, we must do so out of genuine love for all people.

                I’m reminded of a youtube video of Penn Jillette of “Penn & Teller.”  In this video, Mr. Jillette, a self-professed atheist, tells of an encounter with a believer at a "meet-and-greet" after one of his shows.  The believer handed him a small bible in an attempt to genuinely and unobtrusively share his faith.  Mr. Jillette saw the sincerity of this man and truly respected him for his willingness to share his faith.  In the video Mr. Jillette says, “If you believe there is a heaven and hell and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life . . . how much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them?”  Good question.

What about you?  Are you telling them . . . speaking the truth in Love . . . representing Christ as his ambassador?