When looking at the church from the perspective of ambassadors and diplomats there are several critical considerations. We have established firmly that in the new testament believers are referred to as ambassadors and diplomats representing the Kingdom of God on earth. Jesus himself made many statements reflecting this philosophy. He talked about not being of this world, he stated that his Kingdom originated in heaven and his "mission" and assignment was to establish or extend this Kingdom to earth. These are clearly ambassador and diplomat functions. Any right thinking believer who examines the new testament cannot escape the fact that we have been given the assignment to function as diplomats and ambassadors.
In further examining the functions of ambassadors and diplomats there are several job requirements and keys to effective functioning. Here are some of these keys:
Ambassadors and diplomats function more effectively when: They have proficiency in multiple languages, especially the language of the country they are assigned to.
Essentially this means the effective ambassador learns the language and culture of his country of residence and uses this knowledge to engage with and influence citizens of that country. An example of this would be understanding terminologies and practices that are not native to the ambassador but he learns to use the local culture and language for the purpose of influencing and communicating. These "languages" can be local customs, business practices, music, art, political practices or food choices. Many "Christians" try to convert people away from their culture instead of speaking to people through their culture. Some cultural practices may be inherently evil and not viable to use but there are many aspects of culture in the world that can be used to engage and influence.
As an example of this with my background as a youth ministry specialist many did not understand how i could use the rap and hip hop culture to engage and influence youth and draw them into the Kingdom, seeing their lives dramatically transformed but i understood the principle of being in the world but not of the world. You cannot influence people you have no access to and you cannot have access if you do not know how to speak the language. I learned to speak the language without embracing the dark side of the culture. In the process I showed young people how to use their existing culture for good. The result was a massive positive influence that was not just a passing fad. Many of the young people who were impacted through my use of the hip hop and reggae culture are now upstanding citizens, pastors, businessmen, husbands, fathers, wives and persons of influence in society. Many of them would have been gang members, prostitutes, criminals and negative influences in society if i had not engaged them through their culture. How do i know this? The peers of these young people who were from the same culture did end up as some of the most notorious criminals you can imagine and they walked side by side with the ones who had a positive outcome. The difference was that i was able to build a mentorship relationship that created a positive influence and changed the course of their lives. This is true ambassadorship.
2. They understand proper attire for their position. Ambassadors are taught by their King and government how to dress appropriately because they are official representatives and the way they present themselves is a reflection on their King and government. Some may think this is a trivial issue but ambassadors are supposed to be highly-trained and well-versed in Kingdom issues. When the government issues a decree or guidelines for ambassadors to follow the ambassador must take it seriously because there are consequences. Your attire and presentation affects the way people view you and think about you. The Kingdom constitution (Bible) explains that Ambassadors we are supposed to dress modestly, not wearing garish attire and not exposing flesh. The constitution also informs us that our bodies are the King's temple and therefore should be well kept and appropriately covered. A distinction is also clearly made that we are not to adopt the standards of the country we reside in because in most cases the citizens in our country of residence do not know our Kingdom's laws, mores or requirements. Understanding this it is incumbent upon us to learn the way of the Kingdom and abide by its rules of attire and presentation. Failure to do so can bring embarrassment to the King. The world we live in today clearly has a different agenda, the agenda is about exposure of body parts that were once deemed as private into the public domain creating an atmosphere of lust and animal instincts causing tremendous confusion and turmoil. A true ambassador adheres to the attire requirements of his government regardless of the environment they live in. This does not mean we are not fashionable it means we do not degrade ourselves and adopt attire that brings disrepute to our King.
o Pastor Dave Burrows is senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Feel free to email comments, whether you agree or disagree, to pastordaveburrows@hotmail.com. I appreciate your input and dialogue. We become better when we discuss, examine and exchange.
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