Adam Conder
Adam Conder is the lead pastor of Washington Free Methodist Church in Indiana. The Bloomington, Indiana, native received a bachelor’s degree in construction management and an associate’s degree in architectural technology from Indiana State University and a master’s degree in ministry from Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Kim, have four children: two daughters, Addison and Korah, and two sons, Zion and Bennett. He originally wrote this article for the Wabash & New South Connection newsletter, and it is adapted here with permission.
By Adam Conder
Recently I have been drawn to 2 Corinthians 5:11-20 and the reality that we are ministers of reconciliation. We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that 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” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).
Considering what it is to be an ambassador, I worked up a definition or description to reflect and ruminate upon.
An ambassador is the highest-ranking official appointed from one sovereign nation to go to another. Ambassadors are the resident representatives of their home nation in this foreign land and to the people living in this foreign land. They represent the interests of their home nation to the nation they are stationed in. They are the voice and face of their government; promoting the affairs of their home nation and its leaders.
To me, this comes down to four main directions: up, in, out, and around:
Up: An ambassador stays connected to Jesus, committing life and service to Him daily and seeking to hear, discern, and obey His will and way for their daily life.
In: An ambassador serves the church with allegiance and honor as part of the body of Christ through worship, fellowship, discipleship, stewardship, and ministry.
Out: An ambassador represents Jesus in the culture the ambassador has been called to serve by modeling Jesus’ love, speaking Jesus’ truth, and inviting others to know Him.
Around: An ambassador intentionally coordinates opportunities to serve their community through the guidance of the Spirit, with the fruit of the Spirit and the heart of Jesus.
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“Living as ambassadors of Christ requires that we live a sacred life in a secular world.”
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Living as an ambassador of Christ is an all-encompassing life of faith in and commitment to Jesus. This is not a badge that we wear — or a title that we embrace for a few hours over the weekend. Living as ambassadors of Christ requires us to understand the difference between the sacred (things set apart for God) and the secular (things disconnected from God), and it requires us to understand that our call and commission are to bring the sacred to the secular. (Check out Gregg Okesson’s book, “A Public Missiology,” for more on this.)
We are — you are — pivotal in the relationship between heaven and earth.
Living as ambassadors of Christ requires that we live a sacred life in a secular world. Living as ambassadors of Christ requires us to infect and affect the secular places, spaces, and faces in the world around us with the vision of transforming them into sacred places, spaces, and faces for the glory of God.
We were made for this moment. You were created, called, and commissioned for this moment.
As an ambassador of Christ, your attitude matters. What you think about Jesus, yourself, the church, other people, and the culture around you is pivotal to your role as an ambassador.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5)
As an ambassador of Christ, your words matter; how you speak to others and how you speak about others is pivotal to your representation of Jesus in this world.
“But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:36-37)
As an ambassador of Christ your actions matter; the way you live, love, and serve others is pivotal to the promotion of God’s kingdom in this world today.
“So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9-10).
We are ministers of reconciliation. We are ambassadors of Jesus Christ.
As we begin this new year and as we kindle the fires of spiritual awakening, let us embrace our call and our commission as ambassadors of Christ every day and in every way.
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Adam Conder
Adam Conder is the lead pastor of Washington Free Methodist Church in Indiana. The Bloomington, Indiana, native received a bachelor’s degree in construction management and an associate’s degree in architectural technology from Indiana State University and a master’s degree in ministry from Indiana Wesleyan University. He and his wife, Kim, have four children: two daughters, Addison and Korah, and two sons, Zion and Bennett. He originally wrote this article for the Wabash & New South Connection newsletter, and it is adapted here with permission.
