Being Christ’s Ambassadors
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The following article is an adaptation of the “Ambassadors with a Purpose” theme speech used at ARPA Canada’s 2024 Youth Conferences in Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia, and Ontario.
An ambassador represents the interests of his or her country in another country. They seek to build and maintain positive relationships for the sake of the country they represent. For example, Canada has representatives in countries around the world and each of these ambassadors seeks to advance Canada’s interests and to work toward common goals with the country they are placed in.
Ambassadors face various challenges, depending on what the relationship is between Canada and the country they are in. In Denmark, a western democratic country with similar priorities to Canada, the Canadian ambassador is likely to have a decent relationship with Danish officials. But sometimes ambassadors are stationed in a more difficult region, where the relationship is frayed. For example, Canada recently appointed a new ambassador to Russia, where the relationship may be a bit more tense because of Canada’s stance on the Russian war with Ukraine.
Whether or not the relationship is friendly, having a Canadian representative in another country is important to protect Canadians around the world and to promote Canada’s best interests.
Being a political ambassador is one thing, a job few people hold and one that takes specific skills and connections to achieve. But, as Christians, every one of us is called to be an ambassador – an ambassador of Christ. Similar to how a Canadian ambassador represents Canada in another country, so we represent Christ in Canada, seeking what is best for His kingdom and His people.
Ambassadors for Christ
Being a Christian ambassador is not optional. Through the power of God, it is simply part of who we are in Christ – as his people, we are also his representatives on earth. We read in 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
This passage, and the reference to ambassadorship, comes in a section about reconciliation, or being made right with God. Being reconciled to God as individuals is something Reformed churches talk about often. When we read the law, confess our sins, or celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are continually reminded of the many ways we slip and fall. But each time we are also reminded that we have a Saviour who came to fulfil the law, who washed us from our sins, and gave Himself as a ransom for many, all to satisfy the perfect justice of His Father.
Because of what God has done for us, in reconciling us to Himself through His Son, we are now called to be His ambassadors to others. Our ambassadorship flows out of who we are in Christ. We are a new creation through whom God makes his appeal. And we are to call others to be reconciled to God as well. Reconciliation refers to a restored relationship – that’s what we seek to bring about as ambassadors of Christ.
Looking Outward
We can sometimes take for granted all the things we do as a church community. We don’t think a lot about the amount of time we spend together, the number of activities many of us are involved in together, the places we work or go to church or school where we are again together with other Christians. Many of us have strong family ties within the church, and this has informed the way we think and act, and the strong Biblical principles on which we’ve built our lives. A church community is an incredible gift, and certainly a place to be heavily involved and engaged. We can absolutely be ambassadors for Christ in this context.
But as we enjoy the benefits of church community and connection, we must remember the people outside of that community. What would it look like for them to share in the blessings and opportunities we enjoy, including the gift of reconciliation with our heavenly Father? What could this look like for people involved in municipal, provincial, and federal levels of government? What about the general public? How can we represent Christ well to them?
Calling the Nation to Account
We know what God tells us in Scripture, and we must speak up for the well-being of others. This is not just the people in our community, but the weak, defenseless, and oppressed in all of society. As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to share the message of the gospel with those around us and also to apply the gospel to public life, including the political sphere. We must defend biblical principles in the public square. We are bold ambassadors of Christ when we speak to the broader community and act as a voice for the voiceless.
God often gives people what they want in response to their sinful requests and attitudes. Think of Israel asking for a king. Samuel told them they would regret such a request, but they insisted. And God told Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). Today, God also often gives the people what they want. Canadians ask for terrible policies on issues of life, gender and sexuality, the family, justice, and more, and then they and our nation suffer the consequences of those requests.
As ambassadors of Christ, we are the voice that seeks to tell the government and our fellow Canadians when they are going astray from biblical principles. Ambassadors do not speak on their own authority, but on the authority of the king or government who sent them. We speak on the authority of Christ and His word. But the government is not going to follow biblical principles if the citizens are not interested in them. So we seek to influence those around us, including our neighbours and our leaders.
A famous example of faithful Christian influence is William Wilberforce, a British politician for more than 40 years. Every year between 1789 and 1806, Wilberforce presented a bill to abolish slavery. William Wilberforce fought tirelessly to abolish slavery in the British Empire, but also to bring the country back to biblical principles on other moral issues of his day. Biographer Eric Metaxas writes that, “Wilberforce years later came to be thought of as the ‘conscience’ of the nation. A conscience reminds us of what we already know to be right. Wilberforce realized that Britain was a nation that had effectively lost its conscience or grown deaf to it, that claimed in every outward way to be a Christian nation, but that acted upon principles fundamentally at odds with the Christian view of human beings as immortal creatures, creatures created in the image of God.”
As ambassadors of Christ, like Wilberforce, we seek to influence our governments and those around us to recognize and act upon biblical principles. We know it is God who changes hearts and minds, and we pray that He will do so more and more in our own country. We look to God and seek to be faithful where He has placed us. And we work for His glory and the good of those around us.
Four Takeaways
You might still be asking – what does Christian ambassadorship look like practically? How do we actually remind others of biblical principles through political action? Here are four key takeaways to put into action as you fill your role as an ambassador of Christ in Canada.
- Speak up. We can thank God for the freedom and ability to speak the truth to our governments and our neighbours. We don’t live in a country that broadly censors what people say or monitors citizens’ actions. Our freedom has been challenged in recent years (think of bubble zones near abortion facilities, cities which have been trying to ban flyers with images of pre-born children, or the federal government’s ban on conversion therapy). But we have had opportunity to speak up, and to continue bringing the biblical perspective on these issues.
- Take action. Ambassadors provide information and advice to both their own country and the country they are placed in. Ultimately, they seek to protect the interests of the citizens of their own country. As ambassadors of Christ, we seek to protect the wellbeing of those around us in light of Scripture. In addition to speaking up, we can take part in various kinds of action to emphasize the need for change and influence our neighbours and governments. For ideas, take a look at ARPA’s current action items.
- Build relationships. One of ARPA’s unofficial slogans is ‘Relationships first, policy second.’ Whether you’re talking to MPs, MPPs/MLAs, local councillors, or your neighbours, it helps to have a relationship with them. Communicate respectfully and continue to pray for them. When we consider our relationship with those in elected office, consider 1 Timothy 2:1-4:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
One of the things ARPA Canada has been encouraging Reformed Christians to do is the 12 Step Action Plan. Take a look through it and see what you can commit to in 2025 to build a relationship with one of your elected representatives.
- Live in hope. We are ambassadors of Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords! There may be some strife and conflict as we bear witness of Him, but He has already won the victory, a victory which encourages us to represent him here on earth with confidence regardless of the outcomes we may see in our lifetimes. We are ambassadors for a King that cannot lose, the King who is in control of all things and upholds all things by His providence.
Christian philosopher James K.A. Smith says, “Our most revolutionary political act is to hope … To be a Christian is to be a person who engages in politics but does so without fear … You have already heard good news that brings great joy. The King is alive and seated on his throne, and he reigns. And not only that: he is also interceding for us at the right hand of his Father. ‘Be not afraid.’”
So let us be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ, and by our words and actions proclaiming the truth of His Word, let us be faithful ambassadors of our great King.
