All of CrossPoint Churches' staff made the trek to Salina last month to enjoy time with each other, training, resting, serving, and worshipping. 90+ staff, from full-time to volunteers, come together yearly to build unity as one church in many locations. Each year, we spend time diving deep into one or more of the elements of our Culture Stack. The Culture Stack is the document that holds all of our mission and vision statements, attributes, and expectations of all who we call staff. This year's focus was on being an ambassador of Christ in our families, church, and world. The Lead Pastors challenged the staff throughout the 3-day event to live our lives in such a way that there is no question that we are residents of the Kingdom of God and are on a mission with God where we live, work, and play.
This concept comes from 2 Corinthians 5:20:
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you, on behalf of Christ, to be reconciled to God. (ESV)
While this is incredibly important for our staff, I would argue that it is just as crucial for the whole church to understand and ultimately orient our lives around it. Let's take a closer look at this passage.
We Are Ambassadors
As Paul writes to the church in Corinth, he wants them to make this distinction. God's people are not at home on Earth; we are residents of the Kingdom of God. We are not talking about semantics; we truly become a new creation with a new home when we surrender to Christ. So, as we walk around and "do life" here, we need to understand we aren't just sitting around waiting for Jesus to show up and relieve us of our duties here; instead, we get to live each day with purpose on a mission from God himself.
Making His Appeal Through Us
The earthly equivalent of this concept is when one country places a person in another country to be a representative of the sending country. Here is the most significant difference between the US ambassador to Chile and us. We are not just representatives; God is making His appeal through us. We don't just speak to the interest of God; we are conduits of the mission of God.
Be reconciled to God
Verse 18 of the same chapter says that when he reconciled us to Himself, he also gave us "the ministry of reconciliation." It's why we aren't immediately taken to be with Jesus when we are saved; He's not done. This truth is important because it clearly and simply states our purpose as long as we still roam this planet. We are sent to those that don't know Christ so that He can supernaturally work through us to continue his mission of reconciliation. Then, just as Jesus shared with his disciples:
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (ESV)