I must say that people often change into another person when they get behind the wheel of a car. Their impatience rises to the surface. They tailgate, weave in and out of traffic, honk at everyone, and cut people off. The first-time my husband honked the horn of my new car he was so disappointed because the horn was “wimpy.” I laughed. I’m pretty sure you have run across drivers who try to intimidate. I’ve thought, “Who is that bully?” And then occasionally, you read their bumper sticker, “Jesus is my Lord.” And you think… well, that Christian is not a good representative of the Kingdom of God. His actions will NEVER show people their need for Jesus.
Our verse in 2 Corinthians tells us that we are ambassadors for Christ. This is a GREAT privilege and one we should take seriously. An ambassador is one who is sent to represent their country. They serve as a spokesperson for their nation’s values and policies. But they must represent their country accurately. You and I have been appointed into a prominent position – to represent the Kingdom of God. Every Christian is an ambassador.
But here’s the thing… we MUST represent the Kingdom of God accurately. We must give a careful and correct picture of the Kingdom of God. The sad reality is that there are many Christians who are careless in their representation, giving people an improper assessment of God’s Kingdom. We mustn’t be like those people. We MUST accurately describe God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We MUST give a proper description of the Gospel. What the Gospel is and what it is not.
We do this not just by our words, but also by the way we live. We are to live out our salvation by walking in integrity, treating people with kindness and respect, shepherding God’s people, showing compassion to our neighbors, and trusting God in all circumstances. It’s then we become true ambassadors for Christ. Not perfect, but true. When we exemplify the fruit of the Spirit… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, we represent God well.
Ambassadors in this world would be fired if they did not represent their country accurately. We won’t be fired, but God may choose to take us out of a ministry, shut our ministry down, or put road blocks before us to keep us from going forth. And… we will have to stand before Jesus one day and give account of how we represented His Kingdom. The good news is that we have a manual to help us… the Word of God. Let’s become students of God’s Word so that we will be the BEST ambassadors.