Christ's Ambassadors

2 Corinthians 5:16-20

We hear a lot about ambassadors from this country or that country, but have you really thought about what ambassadors do? Essentially, an ambassador enables a country to have a close presence with another country. The ambassador represents the interests of his/her home country while living in a foreign land with foreign people.

That description may be what Paul had in mind as he explained to the Corinthian Christians that they were ambassadors for Christ. Think about that for a moment. We're citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). But we are residents on earth. As ambassadors, Christians represent the interests of our King in this foreign land. Which is why Paul said that "from now on, we regard no one from a worldly point of view" in verse 16. We need to see the people around us from a heavenly perspective. Why? Because God has reconciled us through Christ and He wants others to know that this reconciliation is both possible and necessary (verses 18-19). In our role as ambassadors, God is making His appeal to the world through us.

Don't underestimate what that means. Everyone watches what an ambassador does. Because he/she represents another country, an ambassador's actions have far-reaching consequences. If he or she messes up, people see it and make assumptions about the home country. How you act at work is very similar. People are watching. You have the opportunity to be God's appeal to the world!