[lead dropcap="yes"]In the Kingdom of Heaven we have a high status and calling to be ambassadors for Christ.[/lead]But what are we doing with that power? We learned that taking on the weight of the role could begin with a simple greeting: “It’s nice to meet you.”
NICE TO MEET YOU
We were ecstatic to have Pastor Carl Lentz discuss what it means to be a Christian according to the message shared by Apostle Paul: an ambassador employed by the Kingdom of Heaven representing Christ here on earth.
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Therefore the same authority that granted Jesus the power to walk on water, make the blind see, the crippled walk, the dead raise, and offer salvation to an entire world, resides within us.“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” - 2 Corinthians 5:17Paul’s writings in 2 Corinthians make clear that God has reconciled the world to Himself, not holding the world to their sins, so that in Him we might be the righteousness of God. And so it is vital for us not to miss the point of our salvation. We have been granted supernatural diplomacy in order to bring the gospel to the world and heal a broken humanity.As ambassadors, new creations, we can boldly share the message of salvation to people we encounter everyday. Pastor Carl Lentz offers 3 suggestions to allow God to use you as an ambassador:
1. SHIFT YOUR FOCUS
Shift your daily focus from yourself to others. Realize that you don’t need a position change in life, you need a perspective change on life. Seeing things from God’s point of view allows you to focus on others, not on bettering yourself. Ask God to increase your area of influence and become “other people” focused. Focus on what you are giving and not what you are getting.
2. SETTLE YOUR SOUL
Many Christians never seem to be satisfied. We often pray, then become anxious about what we just prayed about, always wanting more. But we must realize that we will never have enough until we know that God is enough. While we may not always receive what we want, we can trust that God’s perfect will has something better.
3. SET THE TONE
Get priorities straight. Get grounded in the Lord, put God first. Without priorities there’s a danger of living according to probabilities. To make an impact we must be determined to bring positive change to any situation we find ourselves. Staying on mission will transform us from being thermometer Christians - adjusting to the temperature in the room, to being thermostat Christians - changing the temperature in the room.So become an everyday ambassador like Paul. Church doesn’t end on Sunday. Wherever you are right now, that’s where God has called you to represent Jesus Christ. The next time you tell someone “It’s nice to meet you!” do so with a smiling face, joyful voice, loving and peaceful heart, and shining spirit. They will be encountering a new creation, an ambassador of our Lord and Savior. And you will be opening the door to their salvation.
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