God has called us to be His ambassadors, His representatives of high rank, standing in Christ’s stead (II Corinthians 5:20). God wants us to enjoy being His ambassadors for Christ, and He shows us from His Word how to know when we are being effective so we can be successful in reconciling others to Him and enjoy representing Him. Would you like to know how? Let’s look at four ways that we can recognize and know when we are being effective ambassadors for Christ.
We are effective when we hold forth the Word of Life.
It is a joy to our hearts when we have the privilege to shine brightly as sons of God by sharing His Word with someone. There are many opportunities in our lives to hold forth the accuracy of the Word to help people understand the Bible. We are effective when we do this.
Philippians 2:15,16:
That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
Whenever we speak the Word—whether people believe it at that time or not—we rejoice knowing that God’s Word does not return void, or without effect, and it will accomplish what God pleases, as we read in Isaiah 55.
Isaiah 55:11:
So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
We are effective when we preach the Word regardless of whether it is convenient or not.
My husband and I were returning home after an invigorating weekend in the Word. Our three-hour ride home turned into six hours due to heavy rain and a lot of traffic. We were tired when we stopped to eat supper, and we were eager to get home. As we were waiting for our meal to arrive, two men that we had greeted in the booth next to us asked us a question, which opened the door to have a conversation with them. We were able to bring the Word into the conversation and share many great things we taught that weekend. A little while later, after we had sat back down, one of them asked us if we could pray for him. As my husband prayed, tears of thankfulness ran down the man’s face. We thanked God for the opportunity to share His Word with these men even though we were tired, hungry, and ready to be at home. It brought joy to our hearts, and we were reminded that we want to always be ready to share the Word.
II Timothy 4:2:
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
We are effective when we speak the truth in love.
Ephesians 4:15:
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
The words “speaking the truth” embody a greater concept than only speaking, as we see in how this phrase is expressed in The Amplified Bible: “Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]….” The way we live the Word with the love of God makes the pages of the Bible come to life, motivating the observer to believe the truths we speak. It is fun to speak and live the truth in love, and we can let others see our examples of joy and peace in believing.
We are effective when we are witnesses unto Jesus Christ wherever we happen to be.
Acts 1:8:
…ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Acts 1:8 shows us that we are witnesses no matter where we live, work, shop, or play. God needs witnesses like you and me who, on the spur of the moment, can hold forth the greatness of His Word with all accuracy and boldness.
I Peter 3:15:
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear [respect].
God wants us to enjoy our lives being His ambassadors for Christ. He has given us His Word that shows us how we can do this. We know that we are effective ambassadors when we hold forth the Word of Life whether it is convenient or not, speaking the truth in love wherever we go. Speaking the Word brings joy unspeakable to our hearts and to the lives of those we reach out to. Let’s continue having fun shining brightly for God!