Ambassadors

This weekend, our family watched the movie Thirteen Days, which tells the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis. One of the movie's pivitol scenes is the showdown in the United Nations between U.S. ambassador Adlai Stevenson and Soviet ambassador Valerian Zorin about the missiles in Cuba. Stevenson was there to represent President John F. Kennedy and the United States government to the world.

In a similar way, followers of Jesus are called to be representatives to the world for God and his Kingdom.

After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to his followers on several occasions. Here is John's telling of one of these encounters...

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. (John 20:19-22 NIV)

The Father had sent Jesus into the world and for three and half years, he went from town to town teaching about the Kingdom of God through words and actions. Now, as he was preparing to return to the Father, he sent the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the living God that we receive to empower us as ambassadors of the Kingdom.

We are sent to continue the work that Christ embodied. Jesus came to make all things new, but we will not see the complete fulfillment of that work until Christ returns. Until then, you and I are called to continue the mission of ushering in the Kingdom of God. The apostle Paul describes it this way...

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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 people’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. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20 NIV)

God has entrusted to us the continuing mission of Christ and empowered us with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are called to be a part of something bigger than us, something that requires us to work together and trust in God.

We are in a battle significantly more important than any nuclear confrontation between two countries. This is a battle where we impact lives now and forever. Evil is alive and well in the world and only God's grace, mercy, and love can overcome.

And we can't forget what our Kingdom is all about. Grace. Mercy. Love.

God didn't come into the world and overcome through cohersion, violence, anger, or hate. He didn't pound people into submission or argue with them (unless they were religious leaders). Jesus loved his enemies, showed compassion to sinners, and gave everything he had, including his life.

There is much to learn from Jesus. We will not bring people to the Kingdom of God with cohersion, violence, anger, or hate. We cannot force people to our way of thinking. Rather, with an open heart and mind, we must listen people into freedom and extend to them the same grace and mercy that God has extended to us.

We aren't any better than those we encounter in the world around us; we are just more familiar with the Jesus who embodies and extends God's love. If we know him like we say we do, shouldn't we act like him as well?

shine!

Jason