Thanks for joining me today for “A Little Walk with God.” I’m your host Richard Agee.
Do you know the difference between an emissary and an ambassador? Jesus calls us His emissaries and Paul identifies himself as an emissary in most of His letters. So what’s the difference?
Scripture
John 7:28-29
Jesus(speaking aloud as He teaches on the temple’s porch):You think you know Me and where I have come from, but I have not come here on My own. I have been sent by the One who embodies truth. You do not know Him. I know Him because I came from Him. He has sent Me.
Devotional
So what is the difference between an ambassador and an emissary?
Our government uses both as do most governments.
Ambassador is an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country
Emissary is a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative
Did you notice the difference?
General representative for a country versus a person sent on a special mission
Emissary
Can act like an ambassador when on a diplomatic mission in a foreign country
Always given a specific mission to complete
Message to carry
Negotiation to broker or attend
Expert representative on behalf of sender for meetings or project
Carry the authority of the person who sends them
Jesus sent the twelve out into towns and villages as His emissaries
Specific tasks from Matt 10, Go … to find and heal the lost sheep of Israel. 7 …, preach this message: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse those who have leprosy. Drive out demons from the possessed.
In the verses just before this, Matthew says Jesus endowed them with the power to do these things
Jesus gave them the authority and responsibility to carry out the tasks He gave them to do
We are His emissaries. He gave each of us the same command
Go
Make disciples
Baptize them
Teach them His practices
Teach them to follow His commands
Gives each of us tools, gifts to accomplish the tasks He gives us to do
Didn’t make us ambassadors with no specific thing to do or mission to accomplish; made us emissaries with specific purpose and mission in mind
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Today’s Devotional
Mark 9:37 Jesus: Whoever welcomes a child like this in My name welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me is welcoming not Me, but the One who sent Me.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
Jesus’ comments about the linkage between a child and Him and His Father started me thinking about the roles and responsibilities of representatives and ambassadors. As a nation, we have ambassadors all over the world representing the President and our country. They work as employees of the State Department, but each ambassador is approved by the Secretary of State and the President to sit in those positions. They are his voice to the leader of the country in which they serve. It’s an important responsibility.
As a republic, a form of government in which we elect individuals to serve as representatives for us to write and enforce legislation that governs the way our states and our country operates from day to day. These individuals also hold significant positions because they are our supposed to be our voice in governing. They represent us to make decisions that are in the best interest of the country, not single individuals, isolated groups, corporations, special interests, or their own advancement. Our representatives are supposed to look out for the welfare of the masses while making sure individuals are not harmed in the process. It’s a big job and a difficult one. One I’m afraid many of our representatives in government have forgotten over the last several decades, but that’s the role they are supposed to play in the republic as elected officials.
So that means elections are important. The honesty, integrity, and character of the representatives we choose for those critical positions determine the integrity and character of the nation as a whole because they set the tone from the top of the government. People tend to follow those who lead and if the leaders show poor character, those they lead tend to follow their example. Conversely, when leaders live lives of high moral character, those they lead tend to follow their example and live on a higher moral plain. That tells us that we should be careful in selecting those who will lead us into the next years.
This is an important thing. Paul tells us we should be good citizens. If you’re of voting age, you should register, avail yourself of all the information about the candidates running for all the offices up for reelection, pray about and for the candidates, and vote your conscience. Then whoever our nation, state, and cities elect, remember to pray for them. Remember that God allows men and women to hold positions of authority. They are there with His permission.
So that’s my citizen speech for the day, but there is another side to this representative, ambassador thought that come with this chain of thought. We consider ourselves the elect if we are followers of Jesus. The New Testament calls us the elect. God has elected us as His representatives on earth when He adopts us into His family. So what does that mean for us?
It means we should represent Him well. Perhaps using our politically elected officials is not such a good example these days since the majority of Americans are displeased with both Houses of Congress and the President. But then when you consider that polls for the last several years find no distinction in the behaviors of those who call themselves Christian and those who do not, maybe it is a good comparison. How do you think God feels about His elect when we fail to represent Him well on this foreign soil?
God expects us to represent Him here. He expects us to keep His reputation and His Name unsullied. God wants others to see His love in us. He wants us to share His grace and mercy to a world that sorely needs grace and mercy. That doesn’t mean condoning bad behavior. It doesn’t mean tolerance of evil. It doesn’t mean acceptance of things contradictory to God’s word. It means doing for others just what God did for you, extend His grace and mercy and love to those He created. Sharing His message of forgiveness. Introducing them to the one who can make a real difference in this world.
So here we are. In every election cycle some of those we chose as our representatives are rejected from their positions and someone else is chosen to take their place. What will God do if we do not carry out our responsibilities as His representatives, His ambassadors? What will He do if we behave in manners that tell the world He doesn’t matter? His law is just rubbish and we can do what we choose? Can we just assume that once we ask forgiveness we can do anything we want and drag God’s reputation through the mud by calling ourselves by His name yet living the same life as Satan’s minions?
That’s just not logical. Granted, some things God does don’t seem logical to us at times because we don’t have the mind of God. But throughout His word, He makes pretty clear that He treasures His reputation and the value of His name. I’m not sure I’d use the title of His company, Christian, and then live like the world. I’m not sure He’d let me stay in office very long. My election might be short-lived. So are you a representative of Christ or not? A good question for citizens of His kingdom.
