In an amazing act of God, people who turn to Christ realize the objective lordship of Jesus and become a new creation, having a new heart, spirit, and desires (Ezekiel 36:26ff, 2 Corinthians 5:17). This new creation is not the end goal of a relationship with Christ; followers of Jesus are now ambassadors of Christ, spreading the good news of reconciliation to God through Jesus.
But is this "ministry of reconciliation" a reality in your life? Or does your Christianity end with yourself?
This identity of an ambassador of Christ seems foreign for many Americans who consider themselves Christians. The alarming reason for this issue is that many Americans have taken the treasure of Christianity and made it merely a title for themselves that has no effect in their lives. Earlier this year, Pastor David Platt wrote Follow Me to address this issue in the American church. He states,
A miracle (described in the first paragraph) must first occur for Jesus to be your treasure. Otherwise, Christianity is merely a title.
(Buy Platt's book Follow Me here; short video about the book here)
But is this "ministry of reconciliation" a reality in your life? Or does your Christianity end with yourself?
This identity of an ambassador of Christ seems foreign for many Americans who consider themselves Christians. The alarming reason for this issue is that many Americans have taken the treasure of Christianity and made it merely a title for themselves that has no effect in their lives. Earlier this year, Pastor David Platt wrote Follow Me to address this issue in the American church. He states,
Somewhere along the way, amid varying cultural tides and popular church trends, it seems that we have minimized Jesus' summons to total abandonment. Churches are filled with supposed Christians who seem content to have casual association with Christ while giving nominal adherence to Christianity. Scores of men, women, and children have been told that becoming a follower of Jesus simply involves acknowledging certain facts or saying certain words. But that is not true.If one is not biblically and personally following Jesus, the call to make disciples as Christ's ambassadors will appear burdensome. This is because the person is still holding on to lesser treasure. Conversion requires a person to abandon all earthly and unfulfilling treasure in order to fully embrace the Treasure of the person of Jesus. Disciple-making then becomes a source of joy. Platt writes, "There is an indescribable joy to be found, deep satisfaction to be felt, and an eternal purpose to be fulfilled in dying to ourselves and living for him."
A miracle (described in the first paragraph) must first occur for Jesus to be your treasure. Otherwise, Christianity is merely a title.
(Buy Platt's book Follow Me here; short video about the book here)