Christ’s Ambassador

“And whatever you do in word or action do it all in the name of Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the father through him” Col 3:17

As a Christian, you are Christ’s proxy, holding his DOA (Delegation Of Authority). As definitions, www.Answers.com says Proxy could be:

Christ’s DOA is simply called the Great Commission. You have been called to continually testify of what Christ has done in your life. You are to serve as witness, representative and an ambassador of Christ.

To represent Christ we must know him through the inscribed word, walk and work with him daily and have his mind.

We must have his passion and the foremost passion of Christ is Redemption. He started this by his baptism in the Jordan and finished it by his sacrifice on the Cross of Calvary. Between Jordan and Calvary this song could summarise his life style:

Everywhere He went He was doing good, Almighty healer, he healed the leper

The cripple saw him and started walking; even today my lord is doing good

Anywhere he went He was doing good, Jehovah Jireh, He fed the hungry

When the thirsty saw him, He gave them water, even today, my Lord is doing good

The Bright morning star, the rose of Sharon, the resurrection, He raised Lazarus

He died on the cross, to make sure I live, Even when I die, I’m going to live again

For an effective representation of Christ, here are a few points we must take note of:

·         Christ is one with God and we must emulate this in our fellowship with God. This is more than church going, or any other church activities. It is being in a continual contact with God. It’s more like having your head on his chest to hear his heartbeat. Resting in Him.

·         Christ is a Servant; we must represent him by taking the position of Servant. In many of his teachings he emphasized this and also lived it. A servant is owned by his master. He performs whatever his master instructed without questioning or expecting a reward. He has no rights and doesn’t even ask for one. He is glad to have the privilege of serving his master. Whatever position we are privileged to hold in the society or at work, Christ has entrusted such position to us as His servant.

·         Christ is merciful and we must represent him in showing mercies. HE brought mercy and grace to the poor and downtrodden as against the judgmental and damning approach of the law. He mixed freely with the sinners so as to make his mercies known to them. Today, the church seems to show less attention to the weak in faith, but the church is actually meant for these ones. They are the sick and the wounded that need nurturing and attention.

·         Christ is a man of sorrow we must represent him in that status as we fast and mourn for unbelievers. His sorrows centered on the fact that humanity was damned by the sin of Adam. Isaiah wrote that he was wounded for our sake, the chastisement of our peace was laid on him and by his stripes we are healed. Paul wrote much later that it has been granted unto you for the sake of Christ not only to believe in him but to suffer for him (Phil 1:9), and Peter joined his voice by saying: To this suffering you have also been called, that Christ gave his life for the brethren leaving you an example to follow in his footsteps (1 Pet 2:21)

·         Christ is the sacrifice and we must represent him as we sacrifice our entire lives at the altar of worship. Romans 12:1. Here is the core purpose of Christ’s call. Christ wants the entire you, not just what you do in his service, he wants the whole you as stated in Rom 12:1. I like the words put together by Henry Lyte in the hymn titled Jesus I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow thee….

If we are of the mind and attitude of sacrificial love to God, giving would not be difficult for us and neither would it be neccessarily tied to the tenth portion  of our income. We would still give cheerfully even when it might affect our personal plans. We would be able to fulfill our promises even when it hurts Ps 15:4. We would be all out to preach in season and out of season and rejoicing even when we a re persecuted for preaching. We would be passionate intercessors. We would rightly say of ourselves we are Christ’s Ambassadors,  to live is to serve Christ and to die is gain. God has poured His Spirit on us to will and do these to help us execute the  DOA.

There are times I personally find this DOA very difficult to hold. Fear and personal motives often get in the way and I do things contrary to what Christ would do. At such times I could only pray for His mercies for the commandment he gave us is not burdensome. How do you find Christ’s delegated authority? What motivates you to overcome hinderances as you represent Jesus?