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Ambassador

             All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. (II Corinthians 5:18-20)

            Sometimes, I think we see evangelism as a contest, as if every person we “win” to Christ shows up as a point in our favor on some celestial scoreboard. Years ago, a Christian I know was approached at work by an evangelist. When she declined to follow his script, he and his friend basically shook the dust off their sandals and declared themselves free of blame for her fate. I suspect many who share their faith are not like these young men, but as I read the passage, I found myself struggling with a family adversary.  I want to be invisible. I will gladly give people information, but I “can’t” lead them to decide in any direction. I “can’t” sell my books because selling something of mine benefits me, puts the focus on me, makes it all about me…

            Neither the young evangelist nor I mirrors Paul’s perspective. Instead, Paul saw himself and us as ambassadors. The job of an ambassador is to represent someone or something, usually with the goal of establishing, maintaining, or improving the relationship with another person or thing. Yes, if the person (or thing) that sends the ambassador intends to force his will on others, the ambassador would make that clear. If, on the other hand, the person who sends the ambassador wants to benefit the others, that’s what the ambassador will express. It’s not the ambassador’s sentiment or status that matters.  It’s not about the ambassador.

            Maybe I’m the only one to whom this applies this way (probably not). It’s not exactly proper hermeneutics – or even exegesis -  but it’s exactly what I need to get through my head. It is not about me, it’s about them being reconciled to Christ. It’s not about me, it’s about my books. With the same attitude that I’m more than willing to say, “You know you can eat those (pansies)” I should be able to say, “God has opened the door for you to be reconciled with Him,” and “This is a good book that I think you’ll not only enjoy, but find insightful.” (or some such.)

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