For the past month, if not longer, a certain truth has been heavy on my heart. For too long, the church has ignored this valuable principle and not understood the necessity of living it out. We are called to be ambassadors, working out the ministry of reconciliation.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

An ambassador is a diplomatic emissary of a ruler in the court of another. Not only are they tasked with a great responsibility, but they are given authority with that governmental standing. We have been told that we are not of this world, to be separate. Yet, that phrase always confused me. What is the gravity of living in a world without being of it? I could understand the grammatical explanation, but when it came to walking it out, I had trouble with not sliding into both gullies of extreme. I never went into the deep end, but I did sometimes compromise my character. I never walked out an example that would make fellow heads in the church turn and mourn, but the bitter roots of the old man would sometimes take hold. But the imagery laid out by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians made it finally click. We are in this world to serve and represent a Kingdom that we claim citizenship in. Yet, we are not to succumb to the governing of the new where we are assigned.

We come from a Kingdom, not of this world. One of light and truth, yet we live in one of darkness. How do we balance that out? Through Holy Spirit guiding and abiding in us, we remain in the Kingdom from which we have come. We stand in representation through the Spirit guiding us and abiding in our meager fleshly vessels. A light standing in the darkness, entrusted with the responsibility and authority of the sacrificial atonement made for the citizens of our Kingdom.

We have grown to accept the desensitized normality and immoral conditioning of this world. The prince of the power of the air in this world is allowed to rule and reign for an appointed time, and during that period, he is doing his best to dwindle and attack the powerful working of the King he bows to. Convincing us it’s okay to compromise, arguing that others’ truth is their truth and we don’t need to rock their boats. We have been assigned to stand in the place of our King in this world. We have been chosen to represent the beauty of that Kingdom. We have been entrusted with both the responsibility and authority.

As an ambassador, we aren’t merely called to represent but to maintain diplomatic relations, promote trade and commerce between the two, negotiate agreements, protect citizens, and many more. These fall under the Biblical descriptions of the commands we are given. Be peacemakers – this would fall under diplomacy. Spread the Gospel – this falls under promoting trade and commerce as reconciliation is a picture of exchanging currency. Stand for the truth; educate about morality/Biblical standards – falls under both negotiating and protecting. Sometimes, we fall into cowardice and compromise with the nation we are in. We become more concerned about the opinion of society and the culture than we are about being held accountable to the King who sent us.

Throughout the Bible, we find men and women in different roles and areas of life. Some were in governmental positions, while others were in the fields and blue-collar positions. Yet regardless of their societal status, they set aside their pride, embraced humility, and chose to serve the King in the way He had called them. Some were martyred; some were killed; some were exile; some experienced great heartache. We are not called to a life of ease but one of holiness. We cannot stand on our strength but by abiding in Him and surrendering to His will working through us. We are called to stand in the gap. This means some form of light is required if we truly are citizens of the Kingdom of Light and Truth. We are not given the option to sit on the sidelines and allow compromise to take root. We have taken a backseat in our responsibility. We are to take a stand for the truth if we are to ever be fruitful.

All this world offers is a counterfeit appearance of what the Kingdom we represent offers. They desire the real thing, not the fake, manufactured, processed form of it that is provided. When we sit in indecision and lack the conviction to stand for our morals, we are not allowing the Gospel to transform our lives and drive us to a deeper relationship with Jesus. If the good news of Jesus Christ changes us and we allow it to have the power to lead our lives, then our lives are more susceptible to aligning with His will for us. When we let Him work through our surrender, we become radically and wholly abandoned to His wild love and compassion which is such a stark contrast to this numb, lethargic world.

He didn’t come to set up a religion but to reestablish the relationship between us and God that we broke. God sent Himself in the flesh to repair the covenant that He never broke so He could love us in intimacy again. When we allow that covenantal and sacrificial love to rule our hearts and unify our minds with Christ to drive us to His will for us, we cannot help but be warriors on the frontlines of the spiritual battle we contend with. We cannot help but be intercessors and know the heart of God for this broken world. Just as He is outside of the nation we are assigned to, this world doesn’t understand the overwhelming but contrasting beauty He brings. They become scared and confrontational, building up walls to protect themselves from the strange but magnetic pull of His character of Truth. But when we do not let the Gospel change us, we compromise with the culture we are assigned to and become dull tools of His Kingdom.

We have been given one command. ONLY ONE. Yet, we fail to even obey it.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20

We are called to be on the offense, on a mission of love but fueled by purpose. We are here to bring people to the truth of the Kingdom we represent. Yet, we allow the prince of this nation to convince us it isn’t needed. Will we listen and obey the voice of the one we are assigned to or the One who has assigned us and holds us accountable?

Our life is not for our enjoyment only but to be fulfilled in serving our King. In servitude, we become satisfied and have a greater joy than we could’ve had focusing on our wants. We are each equipped with tools/gifts to serve who He has assigned us. Yet, if we don’t step over the threshold of obedience and embrace the awkwardness of surrendering to our fleshly agendas, then we miss out on blessing the body of Christ, Jesus who is the head, and those who may become family through our ministry.

(Ministry? What ministry? I thought we were only talking about roles and responsibilities. Not quite.)

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 also says we are to be ministers of reconciliation through the avenue and calling of ambassadorship. Our calling in the Kingdom is not something to be belittled or excused. Laziness is not an option. God’s grace abounds, yes. But do not abuse it by not fulfilling what He has assigned you to. Don’t get wrapped up in the goal; focus on the purpose. Be a willing ambassador and a true light in this dark world. Be open to serving while also standing for the truth. Truth must be accompanied by a servant’s heart. If we do not surrender our pride and choose to not have a servant’s heart, then we miss out on not only blessing our King in our ambassadorship role but also miss out on the opportunity of blessing others into the Kingdom.

A body does not function if one member chooses to not work. If the mouth decides to not open, the body misses out on the blessing of nourishment, taste, and sharing what the mind is learning or what the heart is burdened for. Do not take a backseat. You are needed in the Kingdom. Even if you are behind the scenes, you are still an essential piece – the organs are below the surface but necessary. You were created on purpose, for a purpose. Do not allow this world and the powers of darkness to hinder the power and reach of His love through a willing vessel. No matter how small the effort/impact, remember that you represent a Kingdom, and anything you do is Him working through you.

Just as Stephen was willing to stand and be martyred for the faith, so too must we stand in our day. His life was cut short, but his death fueled the expansion and preparation of churches for the Apostle Paul. Do not belittle what you do for the Kingdom. Even a few loaves can feed thousands. Even a small army, with God on its side, can sing its way into victory or shout its way through the dark night.

Be a willing ambassador that we may bless not only the King we are accountable to, but the body we are a part of. Our responsibility is to be obedient vessels to the One who lives in us (Galatians 2:20). When we surrender to the Spirit and die to our flesh, we can become beautiful blessings to those who are suffering from the counterfeit form of what our King offers. When we ignore the King, we are not being responsible. We are not to be here to be a tourist in a foreign country, but to bring the good news. You may be able to enjoy those things while sharing the truth, but make sure the ambassadorship is the purpose of it all. Don’t go for the enjoyment, but allow the enjoyment to be a by-product of your representation of a Kingdom far greater than yourself. Great responsibility comes with knowledge. But don’t be a hearer only, be a doer.