We are now in a new era, we are in the end-of-the-end days and life is getting harder. It is getting more and more difficult to live an authentic Christian life, to live and speak biblical truth. It is going to get much harder. For us to survive the days that lie ahead we need to be sure of who we are in Christ Jesus.
We need to be free of all fear and we need to be living as if we are already in heaven. What do I mean by this? Let us remember that we are eternal beings. The unsaved are also eternal beings. The saved are saved to an eternity with God, in heaven; the lost are lost to an eternity absent from God, in hell.
As Christians we are God’s ambassadors on this Earth. We are eternal, heavenly souls living on this earth in earthly human bodies. We have a mission here on Earth as ambassadors of God. An ambassador is the highest-ranking representative of a country, resident in a host country. Ambassadors are diplomats, they conduct official negotiations and maintain relations between the two countries. The ambassador speaks on behalf of the Sovereign. They are tactful and skilful in managing delicate situations and in handling people. The host country usually allows the ambassador control of specific territory, ‘the embassy’, and they are given diplomatic immunity in the host country.
What does this look like for us as Christians, God’s ambassadors on earth? What is our role here as we speak on behalf of our Sovereign, King Jesus? You could say we are aliens; we are not of this earth; we are from another place. We belong to heaven, but we reside here on earth for a time, to do a job. We are on a mission. We also have immunity, though our immunity is not granted by Earth but by Heaven. We are covered and protected by God. We are healed and cleansed by the blood of Jesus.
Our mission is the great commission; we are to go out into the highways and the byways to reach the least and the lost for Jesus, to make disciples. We must tell the story of Jesus and speak of why He came and what He did; what it means to us and what it means to those who don’t yet know Him. Time is short, there are many people who are going to live out their eternity in hell; we have a responsibility.
We have work to do. It’s time to get real, it’s time to step outside of the safety and security of our church buildings. It’s a time of breakout, the church walls must come down. We have been restricted and contained for far too long. It’s time for us to operate in the unique callings, giftings and challenges that God has given us. We are each unique but also universal in the Body of Christ. We are to stand as individuals, but we are also to be part of the larger Christian body of believers, standing together and fighting for each other.
It is getting harder and harder in these end days to speak the truth and we need, more than ever before, to be grounded in scripture. Our hearts need to be beating as one with His heart; we need to know His heart and His mind, and we need to be able to communicate that to others. If we are not strong in our faith we will give up on our mission. Many have already done so. Have you given up? Have you decided that life is easier without Jesus, that it is easier to agree with the world’s values and morals than to put your neck on the line and speak up for the truths of the Bible?
Exerpts from the book “Will the Final Generation Please Stand?” by Lorraine Patience.
One Response
really enjoying your book Lorraine. ‘Count me in’