Identity in Christ Series: Week Three. I am an Ambassador for Christ

       Our primary role in the Kingdom of God is that of ambassador. We are to be representatives of the King of Kings!  Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father." 2 Corinthians 5:20 "So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, 'Come back to God!'” 
       Ambassador is defined as: an official envoy; an authorized representative or messenger.  The great commission calls us to be ambassadors (disciple makers). 

       In Matthew 28:18-20 "Jesus came and told his disciples, 'I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.'" 

 

In the book of Acts we read an amazing account of how God used Philip to lead the Ethiopian eunuch to Christ.  I want to look at this record and pull out some highlights. 

 

Acts 8:27-40 (NLT) So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. 

 

29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”

 

30 Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Philip asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?”

 

31 The man replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” And he urged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.\

32 The passage of Scripture he had been reading was this: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter.   And as a lamb is silent before the shearers, he did not open his mouth. 33 He was humiliated and received no justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

 

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, was the prophet talking about himself or someone else?” 35 So beginning with this same Scripture, Philip told him the Good News about Jesus.

 

36 As they rode along, they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” 38 He ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

 

39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Meanwhile, Phillip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea.

 

            Let’s make some observations about the eunuch.

 

First, the Ethiopian eunuch was an ambassador for the Queen of Ethiopia.  (v. 27) This man was very well educated and highly regarded in his country.

 

Second, he was a worshipper of God. (vs. 27) He was on his way home from a trip to Jerusalem to worship. 

 

Third, he was reading from the book of Isaiah. (vs 28).  The common people in that day did not usually have their own copies of the scriptures.  The scriptures (scrolls) were read in the synagogue’s by the priests.  This man not only had a copy of the book of Isaiah, he carried it with him on his journey.  He was obviously desiring to know God. 

 

Fourth, he did not understand what he was reading. (vs. 30-31) The eunuch was reading but did not understand the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy.  He had probably heard of Jesus, however, he, like others, did not understand that Jesus was the Messiah. 

 

Fifth, he invited Phillip into his chariot indicating his desire to learn. (vs. 31) When Phillip asked him if he understood what he was reading his reply was one of desire as well as stating the facts.  He had no one to teach him so how could he understand? 

 

            It is interesting to note that once he heard the gospel message he immediately wanted to be baptized.  He was not willing to wait to seal his covenant relationship with he Savior. 

 

            Now let’s look at Phillip. 

 

First, Phillip had been one of the apostles. (John 1:43 (NLT) The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Come, follow me.”) The word apostle is from the Greek “apostlos” which means “a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders”.
The apostles (disciples) were sent out by God and commissioned by Christ to make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20)

 

Secondly, Phillip was led by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:26 As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.”). Phillip went immediately to the place where the Holy Spirit directed him to go.  He didn’t stop to debate the issue.  He didn’t argue about why this might not be a great time of year to travel in that area.  He simply obeyed. 

 

As disciples today, we must to learn to hear the voice of the Spirit.  Then we need to be quick to obey what He instructs.  If Phillip had debated with God the way some Christians today do, he would have missed the eunuch.  God would have sent someone else to minister to him because God always responds to hungry hearts, however, Phillip would have missed the blessing of bringing the message to a hungry soul.  Phillip would also have missed out on the miracle of being snatched away by the Lord and put down in the place God wanted him to minister in next. 

 

            I believe we serve the same God today that Phillip did then.  God has miracles (blessings) in store for those who obey His voice and do His will.  Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (AMP) tells us, “Now it shall come to pass,  if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” 

           

            The words “come upon you and overtake you”  here mean to chase you down until they catch you.  Matthew Henry’s Commentary on this verse says that many Christians feel unworthy of the blessings of God, however, when we obey, the blessings will follow us anyway.  We cannot outrun them! 

 

            Thirdly, Phillip explained the meaning of the passage in Isaiah.  He told the eunuch that the one written about was Jesus. (vs 34).  As Phillip spoke the Spirit in Phillip bore witness with the Spirit in the eunuch and the eunuch believed and accepted Christ as his Savior. 

           

            There are many in our world today who, like the eunuch, are hungry for answers and are longing for someone to lead them to the Answer Giver!!  We are those who know Him and can lead others to His Throne of Grace so they can receive mercy in their time of need.

 

                   Finally, Phillip baptized the eunuch once he believed. (36-38).  Baptism is the outward sign of the inward miracle of salvation.  We need to be encouraging those we lead to the Lord to follow Him in baptism, and to share their new faith with others. 

 

            God has not called all of us to leave home and country to be missionaries. He has not called all of us to stand on street corners and preach. He has not called all of us to be pastors, evangelists, etc. 

 

However, he has called us all to love others. John 13:35 "Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

 

He has called all of us to do good. Matthew 5:16 "In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." These good deeds might be acts of service, giving to those in need, speaking a word of encouragement, etc. 

 

God has called all of us to have a servants heart and attitude. Mark 10:43-45 "But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

 

We are called to be salt and light. Matthew 5:13-14 "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden." As salt we can influence the "flavor" of our culture. As light we can "illuminate" our culture. We do this by living lives of holiness. Living for others rather than for ourselves.  Being willing to stand up and stand out for Christ even at the expense of ridicule, mocking, slander, even martyrdom. 

 

We must always remember that we are ambassadors of Christ. Our actions and attitudes must always reflect those of the One we represent. If we are called by the name of Christ, "Christian", we must live like him, serve like him, think like him, act like him, and speak like him. This is a tall order but we are not doing it in our own strength. We are doing it through Christ. Philippians 4:13 "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength."

 

When my children are not behaving in the way we have taught them too, I simply ask, “What is your last name?”  Their reply should be, “Larabee! I know I am held to a higher standard.” Then they should correct the behavior is question.  When my children are out in public they are a reflection on their father and I.  Their behavior, actions, and attitudes directly impact how people see and think about Scott and I.  When they behave like we’ve taught them to people enjoy being around them and us.  However, when they don’t it could leave others wondering how we are raising them. 

 

The same is true of us.  Our last name is Christian.  We are representing the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  How are our behavior, attitude, and actions reflecting our Father?  Do others see us and wonder how He is raising us?  Or are they glad to spend time with us and Him? 

 

Let us influence our corner of the world, those around us, by being faithful ambassadors for our King!