Ambassadors for Christ

Over the last week or so my mind has been in constant thought of the scripture that says, Now then we are ambassadors for Christ...2 Corinthians 5:20 KJV. In order to truly understand what this scripture is saying we have to understand what the word ambassador actually means. According to Webster's dictionary an Ambassador is a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative. Our whole identity and purpose is found in this one word, ambassador.

When Paul says, we are ambassadors, he is speaking directly to our identity in Christ. Ambassador is what we are when Christ views us. If I am truly an ambassador then that means that I am viewed by Christ as an official representative of highest rank. It is so difficult for us to comprehend the value that Christ places in us. The battle that I face on a daily basis is the thought of what I truly am in Christ. So many times we feel unworthy of our salvation, let alone the calling of being an ambassador of highest rank. When we view ourselves as unworthy of being Christ's ambassador then we minimize the work that Christ did on the cross.

I noticed something very impacting in this scripture as well because it says that we are ambassadors FOR Christ. This coincides with the word ambassador in the fact that we have been sent by Him as his mouthpiece and resident representative. We are in this world, but we are not of this world. We reside in this world yet we are not citizens of this world. We have all of the authority to operate on behalf of Christ in this alien land. As a church we must understand that it is not only our right, but it is our obligation to work on behalf of Christ in this earth, for this is the purpose of our existence on this earth. Christ would have immediately translated us into heaven at the moment of our New Birth if He did not have a mission for us to do as His ambassadors on this earth. If we do not operate as his ambassadors then Christ will not have a representative on this earth! Although God could easily do the work by himself, He has chosen men and women to propagate His work on this earth. So, go be an ambassador for Christ! Be His Representative today and know that God is not only with you, but he has empowered you to operate on His behalf. You are Sent as a High Ranking Official by Him who is Sovereign.

The Intercessory Prayer of the World

In the story of Jonah we find a very insightful picture of where I believe the church could be living in this moment. As we set the stage we find that God has called a missionary to go into the city of Ninevah, Jonah 1:2 Arise,go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it.... We notice several things from the outset, first of all, it was God that called Jonah, it wasn't his desire to go. Secondly, we find that God called Ninevah a great city, I believe it is the will of God for us to not shirk away from our responsibility to evangelize our metropolitan areas, but God wants us to move with his calling into the underchurched areas of our world and forge an opportunity for everyone to have a chance to hear the gospel.

As we continue the story we find that Jonah flees from his calling, which is a pretty common thing that we find in the scriptures. Jonah didn't try to talk God out of the calling like Moses did though, instead he just ran away with all of his might. The scripture says in Jonah 1:4 But the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. Notice that the scripture says that God was the one that sent the tempest into the sea. The sea represents the culture around us. The Culture that we constantly are dealing with is the sea that we have to navigate through as a christian. I believe God allowed this tempestuous storm to arise because of what happened in verse number 5. Jonah 1:5 says Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god.... but Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep. You will not find anyone more hardened by the cares of this world than a mariner. They represent the toughest of the tough. I believe that in this story the mariners represent the world and Jonah represents the church.

If my assumptions are correct then we find the story completely reversed! Jonah should be in the bottom of the ship crying and interceding before the Lord for the mariners life as they head through the boisterous sea, but we find the opposite is happening. The mariners began to cry unto their gods... politics, education, money..... because the culture around them was about to destroy them, and we find Jonah, or the church, fast asleep in the most critical hour that the church could be involved in.

You see, I believe that this unprecedented time that we are living in is a chance that God is giving the church to stand up and make a difference in this world! If their was ever a moment to live passionately for God, then today is that day! The stage has been set! God has called the church, God has allowed culture to place people in a place of hunger, the world is crying out for an answer! The scriptures promise that, Whosoever hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be filled! My friend, there is nothing that can stop the church, but the church themselves. We can allow the culture around us to rock us into a deep apathetic sleep, or we can allow the moment to invigorate us and stir us at the place of our calling as we forge ahead and realize that if God be for us, who can be against us! The World is Crying, Will The Church Awake?

From Spectator to Participator

The United States has now completed an election that has seemed to have lasted for two years. During the campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama there was constant fundraising going on for one purpose, to clearly articulate the vision of their campaign. In America we have the freedom to vote, yet the fact of the matter is, when election day rolls around, there are always a large number of Americans that do not vote. The strategy of the politician is to articulate a message clearly enough that will move people from becoming spectators to becoming participators in the process. I read yesterday that Obama literally spent billions of dollars just on his campaign to ensure that people would be moved enough about the vision to move from viewing something happen to become a part of the agent of change.

One thing that concerns me is that many people never have a vision compelling enough that will move people from spectators into participators. It is the desire of every individual to make their life count in a significant way, but the truth of the matter is, we must engage our culture if we are going to make a difference. If not careful, we become spiritual spectators, expecting God to perform all of the work. Although this sounds noble, it is not biblical. When the children of Israel needed delivered from Egypt, God called a man, Moses to lead the children of Israel. When Goliath was sparking fear in the nation of the Israelites,God called a young man, David to take on the giant facing his generation. When God felt the need to deliver Ninevah, he called a man named Jonah to go and preach the message of repentance to the city. Simply put, God uses men and women that will answer the call of God to get a vision that is big enough to merit the attention of God! The answer to engage this generation and move them from spectators into participating in shaping culture is to dream dreams that spark passion in the hearts of people!

We do not live in a church that does not have a mandate, but unfortunately I feel that many churches are living unengaged because they have lost their ability to dream God sized dreams! many live satisfied on the sidelines as opposed to stepping on to the stage of what God is doing. Is there a cause that God has pricked your heart about that develops instant passion in your spirit? That spark of passion could be what it takes to move you from viewing what God is doing on the sidelines to stepping into the calling that God has for your life. Nothing of significance has ever been accomplished by people standing on the sidelines, but today is the day for a generation to participate in what God is doing!

An Open Hand

An open hand speaks many things. I believe that God has called us as disciples to live lives with an open hand. Living with an open hand may seem simple, yet it is learning to live at a much deeper level than we could ever imagine. There is something that I have discovered about living life with an open hand, and that is that when we have an open hand it is a symbol that we are relinquishing control.

Control seems to be one of the paramount issues that I deal with as well as you. We spend most of our lives trying to control everything around us. As simplistic as it may seem, the fact of the matter is, as long as I am in control it means that God is not. It is so easy to trust in God when it appears that His plan fits your own plan, but when God vears off of the plan that we have for ourselves that is when we begin to tighten our grip on things around us. Learning to release even in the midst of tumultous time takes discipline, yet it is learning to live with an open hand that ensures the flow of blessing will continue.

Blessing flows to those that have an open hand. The only way that you can give is also the only way that you can receive. This equation is typically not one that we like, yet it is impossible to get around. If we want to receive,we must be willing to give. The scriptures teach in Luke 8:38 ... for with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. There is a correlation between our giving and our receiving. We have all heard of the Dead Sea that stagnates because it receives water, but it does not flow and give and therefore the water is not fit for drinking. Our lives should very much be like a conduit of the good things that are given to us.

The scripture says, it is more blessed to give than to receive. This concept seems so difficult for us to understand. It is not difficult to find someone that is excited about receiving, but it is a rare treasure to find someone that is thrilled about giving. Those that have learned the beauty of giving have learned the value of living life with an open hand!

What are you trying to control today by tightening your grip? How can you choose to release your grip to trust in God in your current situation? Do you have a PHD in receiving, but an elementary education in giving? What can you do today to open your hand to become an intentional giver?

A Challenging Thought

I was reading a blog the other day by Mark Batterson and there was a quote that I read that challenged me and I wanted to share the quote with you. R. T. Kendall said, " The greatest opposition to what God is doing today comes from those who were on the cutting edge of what God was doing yesterday."

This quote challenges the assumption that we can contain what God is doing. It is human nature to try to do what the disciples did at the Transfiguration. To erect a tabernacle and try to make permanent what was meant to be temporary. In Joshua 3:3 the scripture tells us that Joshua instructed the children of Israel to watch the ark of the covenant, which represented the presence of the Lord, and everywhere the ark went they were to remove themselves from the place where they were and go after it. One of the worst things that we can do as a people is try to contain His presence. We are not called to contain His Presence, but we are called to pursue His presence. We need fewer people trying to be trendy and cutting edge and more people trying to listen to the voice of the Spirit and pursue what God is doing today.

I believe that the church should be relevant, but the only way to be relevant is to follow after what God is doing. God's Word is a living book that has instruction for today! We can't live on past experience, but we must press forward for direction today!

What About Values?

I wanted to take today to speak about a topic that I feel is extremely important in the life of a leader, values. It is in the genetics of a leader to want to conquest and set out on a journey of exploration. I myself have the personality that is filled with energy when I think about new possibilities and ideas that can be explored. Exploration, conquest, passion are all wonderful qualities in a leader, but we must be careful that before we set off on any great conquest we must be willing to identify some bedrock things that we will not compromise in our life.

Life is ever evolving and ever changing and it would appear to be a difficult process to identify some things that will never change in your life, but I believe that a little bit of work on the front end will help us determine the course of action we take in the midst of a crises. One lesson that I have learned is to identify your values over the course of time, and not in a speedy matter. If we are to hasty in our choice of values then we will choose things based upon our current circumstances. It is far better to have a short list of values, and stick to them as opposed to creating a long list of desires, yet not fulfilling them.

Values will help you identify what is at the core of who you want to be. They become the road map and the guide to decisions in life. We live in a day of relativity. I believe the reason for this moral relativity is because we tend to stay on the surface because we have not identified what is core to who we are.

Although defining values may be a daunting task, it saves time and emotional stress. For example, if staying out of debt is a value of mine, then when it comes to purchases and opportunities that come my way I can clearly determine whether or not those are choices I can make based upon it lining up with my value.

When we leave ourselves open to having to cut through the fog of decisions on the spur of the moment we will never have a clearly defined path to get us to our destination. Values are the road map to get us to our destination. We would never consider going on a long journey without a road map, yet many of us live our lives without the road map of values clearly defined in our lives. Let me encourage you to take this year to define some core values in your life. Then when difficult times come, live out of values and not out of emotions.

Exercising Your Right

I was watching some election news yesterday and the prevailing thought in my mind was simply, I can't wait until this election is over. As much as I would like to think that after the presidential election in a few more days everything would be quiet on the political front for 4 more years, I am not naive enough to believe that. Regardless of who becomes president in this election, there will be a movement to begin a campaign for the election of 2012. One of the things that has puzzled me over the years about America is how many people have never voted in a national election.

When you study history you will find that there have been many people that have given everything that they possess as well as going as far as spilling their own blood and giving their lives for the reason of being able to exercise their right to vote. Their have been strong movements in America to ensure that anybody that wants to vote can, yet their are some that will still not participate in the electoral process. Their have been many that have payed a very high price, yet it appears that their are some of us that feel inconvenienced to find a polling place to go and spend 5 minutes casting a vote. How could one person be willing to die for the right to vote and someone else be so detached to the point that they really do not care? I believe one of the reasons is what value they place in the process. Those that are willing to die for the right feel that the act of them exercising their right will make a difference whereas those that do not exercise their right have bought into the the thinking that their vote does not matter.

Spiritually I have to move myself to understand that my action makes a difference. I have talked to many in the church that have convinced themselves that the world is so far gone that the only thing the church should do is remove themselves from culture and try their best to stay untarnished until Jesus comes back. The problem with this is it goes against the commission in Matthew 28 to go and teach all nations. Their are rights that we have as children of God that have been given to us with a huge price being payed. The price that Jesus was willing to pay for us to exercise our rights as heirs of the promise was significant. In Acts 20:28 the scriptures tell us that Christ spilled His own blood for the church. The rights that we have as children of God were costly and are of much value. I believe that when we as children of God are not pursuing the gifts of the spirit as well as the fruits of the spirit, we are not exercising our rights as christians. When did discipleship end with faithful attendance to church? When this is what we relegate discipleship to we are minimizing the value of the rights that were purchased for us as children of God.

As children of God there is something that we can do. We are given the right to transform things through the avenue of prayer and fasting. When we employ and exercise this right something spiritual begins to transform. According to 2 Chronicles 7:14 the Word of God says If my people which are called by my name would humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. We have the power to turn culture around, but it will not happen without strategic intentionality. The world is relying on the church to exercise our right to open up the heavens to heal our land. We must value our right and exercise our right. I encourage you today to exercise your right as a child of God to make a difference in the world.