“The greatest battle is the one fought within the soul to align the human will with the divine will.”
Ambassadors of Christ are called to be witnesses of Christ by how we live and what we say. Three essential qualities of an effective ambassador are knowledge, wisdom, and character. By allowing the Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us, we embody Christ-like behavior as we should focus on obeying God’s two greatest commandments. Part of loving God wholeheartedly and loving thy neighbor as self is choosing to deny self, carry one’s own cross, and to follow Jesus, which is also essential to being an effective ambassador of Christ.
Definition of an Ambassador of Christ
An ambassador for Christ is “someone who represents and embodies the teachings and love of Jesus Christ in their daily life.”
The Purpose of An Ambassador of Christ
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
An ambassador of Christ is called to be a witness for Christ. Our purpose is not merely to “go witnessing”, going door to door, telling people about Jesus, but to “be a witness”, which means “living a life that reflects the teachings and love of God wherever we are”. Our main objective is to be a witness: live as Christ did, through the Spirit’s leading and empowerment, and, when the Spirit leads us, then talk about Jesus through the Spirit’s leading and empowerment.
Three Essential Qualities of an Ambassador of Christ
Being an effective ambassador of Christ requires knowledge, wisdom, and character. First, we must have knowledge. How can we be effective ambassadors when we don’t properly know and understand the teachings of Christ? We are called to represent the King by living as He did; we are also required to convey and embody the message of the Great Exchange and the gospel to the world. Without daily study and meditation on God’s Word, we presumably cannot do either effectively.
Secondly, once we have knowledge of God’s truths, we need wisdom to live out those teachings properly in our daily interactions with people, and when led by the Spirit, we need the wisdom and discernment of the Spirit to be able to communicate the gospel message in a truthful, appropriate way that hopefully leads to fruitful results. Without wisdom to properly live out and communicate the teachings of Christ, obtaining knowledge through Bible study and meditation becomes useless.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, our lives must consistently reflect the character of Christ, lived out in action, word, and deed. Actions speak louder than words. If our conduct isn’t Christ-like, our message of reconciliation becomes tainted and thus ignored by those who hear it.
Fruit of the Spirit is Christ-like Character
When we let the Spirit control our lives, He enables us to live like Christ did, as the fruit of the Spirit exemplifies the character of Christ:
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22-23)
To be a witness, to be an effective ambassador, we must have character: to properly embody and convey the message of reconciliation, we must first live it out in action. We must daily choose to allow the Spirit to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us. Knowledge and wisdom are useless without also character.
Love God Wholeheartedly, Love Neighbor as Self: The Focus of the Ambassador of Christ
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31).
When the ambassador of Christ makes those two commandments the driving force of their entire life, everything else about being an ambassador seems to fall into place.
Essential to obeying these two commands, and being a witness for Christ, is to follow the ways of Christ wholeheartedly. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Denying oneself is the intentional disowning of oneself. It is a daily choice to have Christ, not self, as the primary focus of your life. Carrying your own cross involves daily dying to self and choosing to pursue the cause of being an effective messenger of reconciliation, no matter the cost. “Following Jesus means committing your life to Him, surrendering self, obeying His teachings, and walking daily in His example.”
When you don’t properly deny self, cross-bear, and follow Jesus, you don’t properly love God wholeheartedly and love thy neighbor as self.
Why is it so important to Deny Self, Cross-Bear, and Follow Jesus?
When the ambassador of Christ fails to deny self properly, they allow the flesh to compete with Christ for sovereignty. The more the person succumbs to his sinful desires, the more the world fails to see the glory of God and the message of the ambassador as being credible, when the ambassador’s “ambition, ego, and sins”, resulting from not denying self, become visible. When the ambassador seeks personal success and or the approval of man rather than following Jesus, the ambassador offers a “version of the Gospel that requires no change; the world fails to see the “conflict” that living as one pleases produces. When the messenger lives exactly like the world, “the message of a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) appears fraudulent”. When the ambassador fails to be salt and light out of fear of “potential suffering and or reproach,” their resistance to cross-bearing prevents the power of God, through the message of reconciliation, from making a positive change in the unbeliever’s lives. When the ambassador makes themselves the priority, rather than God, and makes wealth, power, self-preservation, and/or self-assertion the center of their attention, the treasure of the Great Exchange also fails to be experienced by the world.
When the ambassador fails to deny self, to cross-bear, and to follow Jesus, for the sake of self, they fail to love God wholeheartedly and neighbor as self, as the consequences of the ambassador’s actions benefit self, at the cost of preventing people from believing the message of reconciliation, and receiving the treasure of the Great Exchange.
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
Jesus Reinstates Peter
No ambassador of Christ has ever perfectly denied self, carried their own cross, and followed Jesus. Just ask Peter, “the rock in which Jesus built His church upon” (Matthew 16:18).
Out of fear for his life, Peter denied Jesus three times (Matthew 26:75). When Jesus needed him most, Peter failed to deny self, bear his cross, and follow Jesus.
After Christ was crucified, Peter presumably lived in guilt and shame over his failures as a disciple of Jesus. But when Jesus confronted Peter after His resurrection, He didn’t reject or condemn him. Jesus met Peter with grace and love, reinstating Peter as an ambassador of Christ (Matthew 21).
In verses 15-17, Jesus asked Peter three times,” Simon, do you love me more than these?” Each time, Peter replied, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Then Jesus responded: “Feed my sheep.” Peter repented that day, and with grace and love, Christ accepted and forgave him. Peter learned from his mistakes and eventually became a great leader of the church, a great ambassador of Christ.
Like Peter, we will repeatedly fail to be an effective ambassador of Christ. However, when we repent, God will reestablish our role as an ambassador of Christ. With perfect love and grace, if we repent, He will continually give us another chance. We will never be condemned because we are justified forever. Because all of our sins have been forgiven on the cross, we will always be eternally loved and totally accepted by God. “Nothing can ever separate us from the love of God” (Romans 8:38-39).
“Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it”. (1 Peter 3:15)
Once your heart becomes recommitted to love God wholeheartedly by striving to be an effective Christian ambassador by exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit through Him, there will be times when the Spirit will lead you to tell others about Jesus:
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)
As we interact with people in this world who have diverse beliefs and perspectives, it is crucial to focus on both behavior and communication. Our interactions with unbelievers should be intentional, thoughtful, and respectful. We should be cognizant of how our behavior is perceived, as we must always embody Christ’s love in our discussions. Through the leading and empowerment of the Spirit, we should try “to make the most of the opportunities to positively influence others. Remember, knowledge, wisdom, and character are essential qualities of an effective Christian ambassador.
Our words should be seasoned with salt: gracious, impactful, preserving, uplifting, truthful, and attractive. In our daily interactions with people, our actions speak much more volumes than our words, though.
When we genuinely show that we care, when we listen empathically and affirm and exhort, when we serve and meet another’s needs, and when we forgive, to name a few, our message of reconciliation has a far better chance of being received than if we didn’t do all this. When our primary focus is on following the two greatest commandments to the very best of our Spirit-empowered abilities, being an effective Christian ambassador naturally takes shape.
Final Thoughts
Being an effective ambassador begins every morning with intentionality and prayer. Before you begin each day, ask the Spirit to lead and empower you in what you must focus on today in being a better ambassador of Christ:
Knowledge: a deepening knowledge of God’s Word through reading and meditation
Wisdom: develop wisdom in how to be a light for Jesus in my interactions with specific people through the Spirit’s help
Character: refine my character to better reflect Christ by letting the Spirit control my life
Links:
Great Exchange, Reconciliation, Christian Ambassadors In Demand
The Armor of God, Part 1: The Christian Warrior Assessing His Armor
The Armor of God, Part 2: The Christian Warrior Preparing For Battle
Sources:
https://iask.ai/q/deny-self-carry-cross-follow-Christ-ambassador-reconciliation-h4q4l50
https://iask.ai/q/deny-self-carry-cross-follow-Christ-ambassador-reconciliation-0265tso
https://iask.ai/q/ambassador-of-Christ-deny-self-cross-follow-Christ-reconciliation-effectiven-ch51nno
https://iask.ai/q/denying-self-ambassador-Christ-reconciliation-spiritual-warfare-effectivenes-88rqt2o
https://iask.ai/q/self-denial-Christian-ambassador-reconciliation-spiritual-challenges-jkgcnv0
https://iask.ai/q/Christian-ambassador-carrying-cross-reconciliation-spiritual-challenges-7bkpg2g
https://iask.ai/q/Christian-ambassador-ineffective-reconciliation-spiritual-challenges-lvq3lm8
https://iask.ai/q/spiritual-warfare-tactics-devil-ambassador-christ-reconciliation-86or8jg
https://iask.ai/q/spiritual-warfare-tactics-devil-uses-5fuv978
https://iask.ai/q/ambassador-Christ-deny-self-cross-follow-God-reconciliation-message-cicm450
https://www.groupbiblestudy.com/engjohn/42.-jesus-reinstates-peter
https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/what-does-it-looks-like-to-be-an-ambassador-for-christ.html
Being an Ambassador for Christ: Living a Life That Reflects Him
https://biblehub.com/topical/l/living_as_christ’s_ambassadors.htm
Representing the King: 3 Essential Qualities of Effective Ambassadors for Christ
https://thefutureambassadors.blogspot.com/2018/10/10-essential-qualities-of-effective.html
https://www.theologyofwork.org/key-topics/evangelism-sharing-the-gospel-at-work-overview/we-are-called-to-serve-as-christs-ambassadors
https://crosstalk.ai/knowledgebase/new-testament/gospels/how-does-john-211517-relate-peters-earlier-denial-jesus/