Some are hoping to hunker down and try to isolate from this world scarred by sin, but that’s not the posture to which Christ is calling us. Jesus came to bring heaven to earth, not to just extract us from the world. The Lord launched a “rescue” plan by sending Jesus to come and die for us to ensure we could be in heaven forever; he never had an “escape” plan for us to leave before it’s time.
Yesterday the sky turned orange and ash rained down on our city. It reminded me of the first day of the Camp Fire and the emotions were running high, for sure. As I watched the city come unraveled, I knew that this was an important day to reflect Jesus to a very stressed-out world.
My opportunities to do that started right away as the people in line at Starbucks began spontaneously sharing about evacuating and how afraid they were. I decided to love them by listening, asking good questions, showing empathy and speaking a short blessing over them before they walked off with their coffee. I created a small embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven in the coffee line, and it felt good to speak peace and comfort over such fear-soaked people.
“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 5:20
The posture of an ambassador is one of engaging with a foreign culture to reflect the values and priorities of your homeland (Heaven). We are supposed to be representatives of the King to a watching, dying world. Part of our job is to bring people to a place of deciding to surrender to Jesus as their King and join the Kingdom of God.
One of the ways that we help others move toward being reconciled to God is by modeling the values of God’s kingdom with our lives. Often people need to see “a way” before they find “their way.” While we are not perfect people, we work toward living lives of love, hope and peace that reflect the ways of our Heavenly Father. As we forgive others and choose to show mercy, people will see what the Kingdom looks like and become hungry for the things of God.
Another important way we help others grow closer to God is by sharing testimonies of God’s goodness and grace in our lives. When we tell the stories of God’s power working, they become the fertilizer in the garden of faith. Paul said, “Faith comes through hearing,” (Romans 10:17) and it is as if a door of possibility opens in a heart when they hear that God is moving and caring for his people in changing hearts and lives. The stories of miracles become signs that point to the existence and love of our Heavenly Father.
As ambassadors, we start with our circles of influence where we already have some pre-existing relationship. In our home, at our workplace, even if we are traveling – wherever we are can become an “embassy of heaven.” Embassies are places where the rules and laws of your homeland are in place, and the soil is considered part of the sovereign kingdom of your homeland. It is a place where the ambassador has the highest authority and sets the culture and the atmosphere for that location. As Kingdom Ambassadors we take the Holy Spirit wherever we are, and we have authority to steward the presence of God in that place.
This week I encourage you to consider how you might reflect and model the values of The Kingdom.
If you missed last Sunday's message, "The Kingdom" Week 4: Ambassadors and Embassies, click here to view the video and listen to the podcast.
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