Here at the Harrisburg Discipleship Center, we have a devotional every morning, called Start of Mornings. I led today's Start of Morning, and I thought I'd share what we talked about.
Last night, several HDC alumni visited, and we hung out for a good bit. Afterwards, though, it struck me that we did not, as a group, talk about God or anything spiritual-related. Now, I'm not saying that that's a horrible thing, and I'm not condemning us for not talking about God in a group setting; I know that the majority of the group had talked about our spiritual lives in one-on-one settings that evening. But what struck me was the thought, "If an unbeliever were sitting in on our conversation, would he know that we are Christians?"
The passages I brought up this morning were Philippians 3:18-20a, Colossians 3:1-2, and 2 Corinthians 5:20a. Here's the Philippians 3 passage:
So now we come to the Colossians 3 passage:
And, finally, the passage from 2 Corinthians 5:20a "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." Our role on earth is ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), ambassadors of Christ. The Good News doesn't end with us; we now have the privilege of partaking in God's mission by spreading the Good News to others. This is now what our life on earth is all about.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are an ambassador of Christ. How are you living as an ambassador? How am I living as an ambassador? Are our lives, even our conversations, showing that we belong to God, that we are no longer citizens of the world, but citizens of heaven? Do our lives show enemies of the cross of Christ (unbelievers) that we are a new creation, that the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Thank God for his grace that we need every day! May his love compel us to be noticeable citizens of heaven and ambassadors of Christ.
Last night, several HDC alumni visited, and we hung out for a good bit. Afterwards, though, it struck me that we did not, as a group, talk about God or anything spiritual-related. Now, I'm not saying that that's a horrible thing, and I'm not condemning us for not talking about God in a group setting; I know that the majority of the group had talked about our spiritual lives in one-on-one settings that evening. But what struck me was the thought, "If an unbeliever were sitting in on our conversation, would he know that we are Christians?"
The passages I brought up this morning were Philippians 3:18-20a, Colossians 3:1-2, and 2 Corinthians 5:20a. Here's the Philippians 3 passage:
"18For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20But our citizenship is in heaven."What sticks out to me in this passage is the last part of verse 19: "Their mind is on earthly things." The enemies of Christ (everyone without a relationship with him) have their mind on earthly things, mind being singular. So their communal mind is on earthly things; that's what they talk about when they're together. "But our citizenship is in heaven." Paul says this shouldn't be the case for Christians, because our citizenship is no longer in the world, but in heaven. We've been sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13), so we are now partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and no longer find our identity in the world but in Christ (Colossians 3:3).
So now we come to the Colossians 3 passage:
"1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things."Because we have been brought to life through Jesus and now have a relationship with God, our hearts and minds should be set on him, not on earthly things. This makes sense, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be strange if you were married but never thought about your spouse or were never compelled to do something for your spouse to show that you love her? Would that relationship be genuine? In the same way, our relationship with Christ affects what our hearts and minds are set on.
And, finally, the passage from 2 Corinthians 5:20a "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us." Our role on earth is ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18), ambassadors of Christ. The Good News doesn't end with us; we now have the privilege of partaking in God's mission by spreading the Good News to others. This is now what our life on earth is all about.
If you are a follower of Jesus, you are an ambassador of Christ. How are you living as an ambassador? How am I living as an ambassador? Are our lives, even our conversations, showing that we belong to God, that we are no longer citizens of the world, but citizens of heaven? Do our lives show enemies of the cross of Christ (unbelievers) that we are a new creation, that the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Thank God for his grace that we need every day! May his love compel us to be noticeable citizens of heaven and ambassadors of Christ.