Ambassadors & Cheerleaders
“I have heard a message
from the Lord, and an ambassador has been sent to the nations:
"Gather together,
come against her, and rise up to battle!” (Jeremiah 49:14, NKJV)
Those who know the Lord
have been called to be His ambassadors here on earth. We have been chosen for a
high calling, something not to be taken lightly. We represent His Name, His
authority, His life in those places and to those people He has placed us in and
about.
Being an ambassador, as
the dictionary says, is one who is “an
accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a
foreign country. It is a person
who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.”
This is not a choice we have, but a very
specific duty and obligation the Lord Himself has given to each one of us. The choice
we do have is whether we will carry out our duties and responsibilities or not,
and to what extent.
When an ambassador is sent from his homeland to
another country, to represent his government to that government and country he
now works in, he doesn’t just decide to think and do what he believes he is to
do. He has been sent to give the input from his sending President and the
authorized leadership he walks under. Otherwise, he is not representing the
rightful authority, but his own. That is not his purpose, nor his decision.
When Jesus sent out His disciples, as
ambassadors, He gave them certain commands they were to follow.
“These twelve Jesus sent
out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles,
and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom
of heaven is at hand.' Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received,
freely give. Provide neither gold nor
silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two
tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
"Now whatever city
or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go
out. And when you go into a household,
greet it. If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is
not worthy, let your peace return to you.
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart
from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for
that city!” (Matthew 10:5-15, NKJV)
Because they represented
the government and authority that Jesus had, they were required to follow His
instructions and do as He Himself would have done.
We are to do the same. We
are to be the ambassadors that the King of the Universe has sent us here to be.
In addition to being
good ambassadors, we are also called to be cheerleaders. As those who are
commonly found at sporting events, the ones who typically do the “Rah! Rah!” and
“Go team go!” (but with a little more creatively than I just used…), they cheer
on, whether for the ones just starting out in their first year on the soccer
and football fields, or the professionals with years of experience. Cheerleaders
are commonly walking the perimeter of the field, getting the crowd fired up in
support of their home team. They bring encouragement.
As the psalmist wrote,
we need cheering on. From Him personally, and through each other.
“Who will champion my
cause against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? If Adonai
hadn’t helped me, I would soon have dwelt in the land of silence. When I said,
“My foot is slipping!” your grace, Adonai, supported me. When my cares within
me are many, your comforts cheer me up.” (Psalm 94:16-19, Complete Jewish
Bible)
“First, I thank my God
through Yeshua the Messiah for all of you, because the report of your trust is
spreading throughout the whole world. For God, whom I serve in my spirit by
spreading the Good News about his Son, is my witness that I regularly remember
you in my prayers; and I always pray that somehow, now or in the future, I
might, by God’s will, succeed in coming to visit you. For I long to see you, so
that I might share with you some spiritual gift that can make you stronger
— or, to put it another way, so that by
my being with you, we might, through the faith we share, encourage one another. (Romans
1:8-13, Complete Jewish Bible)
As ambassadors also,
cheerleaders represent the owners of the sports team and must be physically
fit to properly perform their cheers and encouragement for the team they also
represent. So, we too must keep ourselves strong, and keep building one another
up in His purposes and plans.
We often will find ourselves
put in locations and events where we are called upon to cheer on our friends,
our co-workers, our family, our nation. We have been chosen to share the light,
the truth, that which will bring encouragement to those looking for such, so
much needed in our times.
A spoken word here, a
Scripture shared now, an acknowledgment of approval given to one who is
discouraged – all of these can be done as we represent the King, being His
ambassadors and His cheerleaders.
People need the Lord.
(Thank you, Steve Green, for your song powerfully sung decades ago!) People
need to hear good news, have good news, and abide by good news.
We have been called as
ambassadors and given the job of being cheerleaders, to share with our
neighbors and the nations the Good News of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is His
righteousness, honesty, truthfulness, and holiness that we all need currently.
Be a good ambassador,
and cheer on while doing it!
Now think on this.
Shalom
and ahava (peace and love in Hebrew).
Steve Martin
Founder/President
Love For His People,
Inc.
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Now Think On This #416
- in the year of our Lord
04.24.19 – “Ambassadors & Cheerleaders – Wednesday 5:07 am
