As a kid, I made a pledge. This was not a "purity" pledge or any of the commercial fluff that the modern Christian pop-culture has produced that effectively drives a wedge between young adults and their relationship with Christ. This was a pledge that stuck with me and has driven, sometimes unconciously, my walk with God over the years.
It was the Royal Ambassador's pledge. I'll copy it here for reference.
"As a Royal Ambassador I will do my best: to become a well-informed, responsible follower of Christ; to have a Christ-like concern for all people; to learn how to carry the message of Christ around the world; to work with others in sharing Christ; and to keep myself clean and healthy in mind and body."
That pledge came to mind today as I read a post a friend on Facebook made.
She said,
"A group of Christians showed up at a Chicago gay pride parade in July. They were holding up signs saying “I’m sorry that Christians judge you” “I’m sorry for how the churches treated you”"
This post got me to thinking. As the Royal Ambassador (RA) motto states, "We are Ambassadors for Christ." (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Remember, the job of any Ambassador is to communicate the message of his lord. If the Ambassador uses words that do not properly relay the intended message, he is failing his lord.
It doesn't matter if the recipiant is "hostile" to the lord, the Ambassador must find a way to burn through the hostility, find an area of common understanding, and relay the message in light of the common understanding. That is the definition of communication, and the duty of an Ambassador. Being an Ambassador is also a learning experience. An Ambassador learns how to better understand his lord, and how to better understand the people his lord has sent him to. The duty is a life long learning experience.
An Ambassador's duty is NOT to sit and pontificate or dictate terms. An Ambassador is a peaceful mediator.
We are Ambassadors for Christ. We are peaceful mediators. We are supposed to learn how to communicate Christ's message in a way that reflects Him, the Holy and Just God who "so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." Not a God of hate.
