“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.” 2 Corinthians 5:14
It was my privilege, at Missions Fest Seattle this year, to join a group of around 20 pastors and leaders for lunch with Kenneth Bae. Sadly, this name is not very well-known—pastors and missionaries who are imprisoned for preaching the Gospel of Christ are easily brushed aside with the advent of the next news cycle. The same could be said for Pastor Andrew Brunson who was recently released from a Turkish prison out of Turkey’s desire to get the US to pressure Saudi Arabia to give up details about the murder of a journalist at their embassy. Pawns for global politics is often what becomes of those imprisoned for preaching the Gospel. And the plight of such people is all too easily overlooked by a media that cares little for missionaries. I wonder, though, how many believers share the same dismissive attitude toward those imprisoned for their faith. Interestingly, one pastor confided in me at this event his natural prejudice against such imprisoned missionaries. We may wonder, “Did they do something to deserve this? Were they being foolish? Why were they in a country so hostile to Christians anyway?” I have to be honest…in the back of my mind thoughts like this find a home. Interestingly, the apostle Paul, a man who also knew about being persecuted and imprisoned for the Gospel, faced similar criticisms. Some thought Paul was too fanatical about his missionary work…even that he was out of his mind. Paul’s response? “If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you” (2 Cor. 5:13). Paul says, “there’s a method to our madness.” Or, maybe more fittingly, “there’s a message behind our madness.” But, ultimately, his compulsion to preach is rooted in love for his audience. As we read in verse 14 above, “Christ’s love compels us!” The message of reconciliation to God through Christ’s sin-conquering death moves us to give up the accumulation of wealth, the pursuit of worldly success, and devotion to our own creature comforts so that we might offer eternal wealth, heavenly reward and divine comfort to others. It is the ministry of reconciliation that has captured Paul’s heart and moves him to “try to persuade men” and to “implore you on Christ’s behalf: be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:11,20). Paul doesn’t view himself as a tent maker, even if it does pay the bills, he views himself as one of “Christ’s ambassadors.” This is who he is. This is what he’s about. What Paul reveals to us is a new, other-worldly view of reality. Jesus’ confrontation of Paul on that road to Damascus has changed everything for Paul. He writes, “So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor. 5:16–17). What Paul reveals here, however, is that this new perspective is not just for him, it’s for all of us. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation! We are not who we were…living for selfish gain, oppressed by sinful patterns, pursuing short-lived pleasures. In Christ we are new creations; we are reconciled to our maker; we are recipients of His righteousness; we are living for His eternal Kingdom as His ambassadors! Granted, not many of us will end up spending two years and five days in a North Korean or Turkish prison for our efforts. Kenneth Bae shared this ironic similarity with his fellow prisoner, Andrew Brunson, that they both spent exactly two years and five days in prison before. In fact, they were also both 50 years old upon release. And they were both imprisoned because they viewed themselves as ambassadors of Christ, moved to persuade men, to implore all people to be reconciled to God through Christ. Again, the likelihood of you or I experiencing that extreme level of persecution may not be great. But this does not mean we are called to an any less extreme pursuit of Christ and His Kingdom. Interestingly, we hear very little about Paul’s career, tent-making, in his writings. But I’m guessing he didn’t talk much about it because he viewed this as secondary to his real job, the ministry of reconciliation through the Gospel. What if we viewed ourselves not as engineers or teachers or salespeople or tradespeople or clergy, but as ambassadors of Christ? What if our first inclination was to see ourselves as those charged with sharing the Gospel with others, seeing men and women, boys and girls, reconciled to God by faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross? As the day of Christ’s return quickly approaches, may we increasingly see ourselves as ambassadors for Christ!
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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