DAY 4 OF WEEK 3
SOWING SEEDS OF THE GOSPEL: ARE YOU AN AMBASSADOR FOR CHIRST? Pt. 1
Leviticus 20:7; 2 Timothy 1:6
We represent the Kingdom of God in a foreign and an alien world. We are citizens of two communities–the community of God and the community in which we live.
We represent the Kingdom of God in a foreign and an alien world. We are citizens of two communities–the community of God and the community in which we live.
To be an ambassador is a position of dignity, although the world may not praise us. It is a position of importance, although the world may neglect or even persecute us.
What is an ambassador? An ambassador is a person, a friend of authority. Ambassadors are servants of their government in a foreign land. They are not free to set their own policies or develop their own message. In the same way, we are called to live under the authority of Jesus Christ and the authority of the Scriptures. We are servants. We must live under the authority of the Word of God. We are called not to do our will, but Christ’s.
Under Authority
What does it mean to live under the authority of the Word of God? First of all, it means that we live under the authority of God in our personal lives. “Be ye holy as I am holy” (Leviticus 20:7), says the Scriptures. We are to be holy men and women of God; we are to live what we preach in our personal lives. A disciplined, devotional life–a life of separation from such sins as lying, hatred, cheating, prejudice, greed and lust.
The world today is looking for holy men and holy women to live under the authority of the Word of God. They’re not going to listen to what we say unless we back it up with the way we live in our personal relationships.
Social Action
Second, we are under the authority of the Word of God in our social relationships as well. As Christians we’re not isolated persons; we are part of society with all of its difficulties and problems and hopes. The Bible has much to say about social justice and social actions. Human society is affected by sin, and we know that any effort we make to improve society will always be incomplete and imperfect. We are not going to build a Utopia on earth. Why? Because of human nature. Sin keeps us from building a paradise on earth.
But we are to work for social justice–that is our command in Scripture. We’re to do all we can so that we can live a peaceable and a free life, and a life of human dignity. There is going to be a new Heaven and a new earth when Jesus Christ Himself comes to set up the Utopia that we all dream of and hope for and long for. That day is yet to come.
Only Christ can change hearts, but that does not mean that we neglect social and political responsibilities. Christ is concerned about the whole person, including the society of which he or she lives. Many of the great social reforms of the 19th century in Great Britain and America were inspired by evangelical Christians.
But the time came when many forgot that the Gospel was both vertical and horizontal. This has changed now. Evangelicals are once again proclaiming a balanced Gospel of personal salvation on one hand and social responsibility on the other, bringing their social action and responsibility under the authority of the Scriptures. (Continued Day 5)
Adapted From: https://billygraham.org/story/sowing-seeds-of-the-gospel-are-you-an-ambassador-for-christ/
