Ambassadors for Christ!!!
We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors….2 Cor 5:20
While the Holy Spirit has inspired the Biblical writers’ to describe Christians’ using several analogical terms in the Holy Scriptures such as “Light and Salt of the World”, “the Bride of Christ” et al, yet another royal term used in the Scriptures to convey the high-calling of Christians’, is that we are Ambassadors of Christ.
In this Message, Yours Truly is inspired to bring different dimensions of this wondrous role Divinely assigned to us by our King of Kings.
Toeing the line of the Biblical Preacher (in Hebrew Language the Book of Ecclesiastes is known as Qohelet meaning Preacher) who used “words of delight” (in Hebrew language Chephet) to package and present his messages (Eccl 12:10), Yours Truly is also inspired to use creative sub-headings (opposite words) whilst presenting this message.
Home and Away…
But our citizenship is in heaven…Phil 3:20
Let us firstly get our co-ordinates right in understanding the role of the Ambassador and his place of stay. An Ambassador of a Country say India in Pakistan is a Citizen of India stationed in the foreign country of Pakistan to work for the best interests’ of his home Country and it’s citizens (Indians’) living in Pakistan, addressing and solving whatever problems they (Indians) may encounter therein. Though away from his home country. his citizenship is that of his home country only and not that of the country of his posting. Similarly for Christians, after they are born-again and their names are registered in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Luke 10:20, Rev 3:5), their Citizenship is in Heaven as the afore-referred Scripture testifies where their King resides and not in the physical place of their stay (Planet Earth).
Invisible and Visible…
for we walk by faith, not by sight….- 2 Cor 5:7
What is visible to an Ambassador at the place of his posting is not his homeland but a different Country altogether. But this factor, ought not to reduce his passion behind his service for the invisible (to him) Kingdom/Nation, he is representing.
While Heaven, may not be visible to us Christians that ought not to diminish our passion in our sincere service for our Invisible Kingdom and its altogether Wondrous King. We ought to be spurred on by the Biblical promise that nothing we do our Lord would ever be in vain (1 Cor 15:58).
Permanent and Temporary…
Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.- Col 3:2
No Ambassador would ever forget that his permanent abode is in his native country and not in the country of his posting. By the same token, his investments (eg…purchase of immovable property) would also be in his native country and not in the place of his posting, as he would not stay there permanently.
No wonder, there is a Scriptural exhortation to invest in our permanent place of stay (read Heaven) by utilization of our resources in helping the poor and needy who cannot help us back. The Scriptures affirm that our selfless investment of our time, talents and treasures in this field would yield eternal dividends (Matt 6:19-20, Acts 2:45, James 1:27).
Minority and Majority…
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.- Matt 7:13-14
Make no mistake, the place (Planet Earth) where Christians’ are posted as God’s ambassadors is ruled by His adversary…Mr.Devil (John 14:30/2 Cor 4:4) since the Fall of it’s first and original God-ordained King namely Adam. No wonder, the followers of Mr.Devil would be more than the followers of our Holy Father. In any country, where an ambassador (say of India in Pakistan) is posted, people of his own country would be less and the people of the country of his posting would be more. For example the Indian Ambassador in Pakistan would never be surprised to see his own Indian citizens always being in minority vis-à-vis the Pakistani population. Natural laws of disadvantage of being in minority would apply and the Indian Ambassador in Pakistan would swim against the tide many times whilst protecting the interests of his own citizens. Similarly, Born again Christians’ whose names are registered in the Lamb’s Book of life would always be in minority even in so-called Christian countries, as such the genuine Christians need to care more for one another in the wake of majority opposition even while always extending love to the unbelievers (Gal 6:10) …. a La Mordecai who was always there for the fellow Jews in the vast Medo-Persian Kingdom, where the people of the said Kingdom outnumbered the Jews (Esther 10:3).
Lawful and Unlawful…
Hmmmm…heard of Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations of 1960? Do not worry. We are all here to learn…. including Yours Truly. For the uninitiated it needs to be retold that in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic relations in 1960… on the basis of several worthy historical precedents it was decided to grant “Diplomatic immunity” to the ambassadors. This would mean that for an ambassador of say India in not-so-friendly Pakistan (I am all for friendly lies with it- Rom 12:18 - though historically India and Pakistan have sadly for so many reasons not been the “best of chums” )…Laws of distant, not immediately visible India would apply and not the Laws of visible, oh-so-close (to him physically) Pakistan…even as he tries to promote the best interests’ of India in adverse circumstances in Pakistan. Being a bit Pro-Pakistan at the cost of Indian interests would be tempting to him too considering the appreciation which would come his way from people in his immediate vicinity. But can he afford to compromise on his duty of always upholding the interests’ of the Indian Government which put him there in the first place trusting his integrity? By the same token, for a Christian who is Christ’s ambassador in this World…Holy Laws given by the invisible King of Heaven would apply (read all the Scriptural Statutes) and not the apparently “juicy laws” of this visible Fallen World (which entice a Christian to satisfy his lust of the eyes, flesh and pride of life), where he is temporarily residing. For instance…the Law of the World may say get even with your enemy especially during times of extreme provocation but the one given by the King seated on the Heavenly throne would warrant exactly an opposite course of action…love your enemy and pray for him (Matt 5:39-48)… though there is every temptation to go by the dictates of the World (tit for tat policy is accepted and welcomed by this World). Hey…you are representing the invisible King who is observing you…obey His Laws in faith (if you see Him physically, there would be no role for faith in your life - 1 Peter 1:7-8) and not that of the visible people right around you of this World!
Retain and Recall…
Duty demands that I project the somber “other side of the coin” too on this subject. Will not the Ambassador who is not representing his native country properly be recalled by the same? Ditto with the Christ’s ambassador who is not representing the Heavenly King in a manner worthy of his/her calling? Some sober words of “a premature recall” from the “place of posting” are recorded in the Scripture about the compromising Christians’ (they had been given a long rope) as a warning…
“That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined[j] so that we may not be condemned along with the world.”- I Cor 11:30-32
Oh yes…here in this context “recall” doesn’t mean immediate “deletion from Lamb’s Book of Life” itself but rather experiencing highly avoidable, painful consequences on not being a “good ambassador”. It would serve us well to go about our ambassador’s duties earnestly lest these words apply to us.
Raptured or Left Behind…
There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.- Luke 21:11
With the escalation of natural disasters and onset of the recent Global pandemic namely Covid-19, is not a clearer, bigger picture emerging? Are not all Christ’s Second Coming prophecies getting fulfilled right in front of our eyes? Are not all “clues” pointing to that Grand Event? Are not the natural calamities “warning shots” of the imminent terrible 7 year tribulation period (which would follow the Church rapture) so as to say “Hey, if you are so shaken up with Global lockdowns of a few weeks, how then would you expect yourselves to endure 7 long years of horrific tribulation when the Earth would come to resemble a mini-hell”?
Virtually on a World where sin has multiplied and love has grown cold (Matt 24:12), our Heavenly Father would declare “WAR” very soon (read 7 years of Tribulation period) which would be preceded by the Church Rapture?
Why would Church Rapture precede this “War”? Ever heard of any Country, NOT recalling its diplomats from the Country it is about to wage war with? No…would be answer of all, as no country would want any of it’s diplomats to die on account of it’s own weapons about to be unleashed upon an enemy Country!!! Ditto in the spiritual realm!!! Ambassadors’ of God would be recalled (read Raptured…taken away from this World) before the Almighty unleashes His 21 Weapons upon the wicked lot (there are 21 Judgments to be unleashed in the 7 year Tribulation period- Rev 6-16).
In the given circumstances, the wise would do everything in their power to avoid a repeat of a “Global pandemic”, right? Likewise, it would serve all who have not yet become Christ’s ambassadors by accepting Him as His personal Saviour to set right their relationship with the Heavenly Father through Christ without any delay so as to be part of the Church Rapture with no fear of being left behind to face the horrific tribulation.
For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again- Matt 24:11
As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you. Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation - 2 Cor 6:1-2
Did many scoffers’ (we ought to love them too selflessly and patiently hoping for their eventual transformation) of Biblical prophecies ever envisage in the past that one-day the whole wide World would be under a “lockdown” as it were because of a Global Pandemic? Lo and behold…such a day did come to pass in front of our own eyes recently(proof if any Biblical prophecies are true especially as regards the Lord’s Second Coming- Luke 21:11)!!!
Way back in Sept, 2012 in the predominantly eschatological message titled “Kreegah, Tarzan Bundalo” (please for a minute do not think, I have lost my senses) inspired by the good Lord I had written…(I am reproducing the same below verbatim)
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Says a WHO website
“Current epidemiological models project that a pandemic could result in two to 7.4 million deaths globally.
If an influenza pandemic were to occur today, we could expect the virus to spread rapidly due to the interconnected nature of the world and the high level of global travel.”
(Source : http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en/)
Wouldn’t it stun even a lay onlooker, when the above WHO statement is compared with a Biblical Prophecy which reads thus:
“But Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal it up so that it will not be understood until the end times, when travel and education shall be vastly increased”. – Daniel 12:4
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The entire message may kindly be accessed by clicking on the following Url…
http://www.jandsmministries.com/message_sep1_12.asp
When we consider the fact that all Christ’s First Coming related prophecies were fulfilled like
a) His miraculous conception (Isaiah 7:14/ Matt 1:18/ Luke 1:26-38)
b) Birth in Bethlehem (good 70 miles away from Nazareth) at a time his earthly parents were living in Nazareth (Micah 5:2/ Matt 2:1/ Luke 2:1-7)
c) Triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey (celebrated as Palm Sunday in Christendom– Zechariah9:9/ Matt21:1-11/ Luke19:28-40)
d) Betrayal by an acquaintance (Psalm 41:9/ Zechariah 11:12/ Matt 26:14-16/47-49/ Luke22:1-5/47-48)
e) Sufferings on the cross (Psalm 22:15/ Matt 27:35/ Luke 23:33)
f) Resurrection (Psalm 16:10/49:15/ Matt 28:1-10/ Luke 24:1-8)
g) Ascension (Psalm 69:18/ Acts 1:9-11/ Ephesians 4:7)
should we not firmly believe that all His Second Coming related Prophecies would also be fulfilled? Now consider this too…
In the book, Science Speaks, Professor Peter Stoner used "the Law of Compound Probability" to assess some of the prophecies relating to Christ. Simply stated, this law is used to calculate the odds against a "chance" fulfillment of such predictions when compounded by a specific set of conditions, requirements, or qualifications. His findings were carefully evaluated by the American Scientific Affiliation, and were found to be sound and convincing. By this method, he was able to show evidence that would rule out coincidence, chance or human manipulation in the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.
Stoner started by calculating the probability of one individual who could precisely fulfill only eight prophecies relating to Christ. He computed the odds at 1 in 10 (17th power), the same as 1 followed by 17 zeros. This is the equivalent of covering the entire state of Texas 2 feet deep in silver dollars, specially marking one of them, and instructing a blindfolded man to pick the right silver dollar on the first try!
Dr. Stoner then computed the odds of one individual that could fulfill just 48 prophecies relating to Christ. He calculated the odds at 1 X 10 (to the 157th power) — or 1 followed by 157 zeros. This figure is astronomical and beyond human comprehension, but Christ fulfilled over 300 distinct prophecies, written by different men of different professions (from a shepherd to a King) living at different times, over a time period of 1400 years, in three different languages from 2 continents! Oh Boy, the harmony of the Scriptures when it comes to pointing to the COMING SAVIOR and its eventual fulfillment (I Coming) is jaw-dropping!
Remember the Word (another name for Christ- John 1:1) always keeps His Word (Matt 24:35), so you can always take the Word at His Word when He says…
“…Surely I am coming soon….” (Rev 22:20)
At this poignant moment in human history, all of us need to pose a contemplative, introspective question “Have I become the Ambassador of Christ or not and am I alerting others about the imminent Church Rature”!!!
Those who are figuring in the category of being “alert and alerting others”, the Good News with a capital G for them is that they would be raptured and “quarantined” in the mid-sky (in the manner Noah was “quarantined” in an Ark for about a year as the Floods raged) even as the Earth is purged of all the “mire” as this Scripture so clearly heralds…
Go home, my people, and lock the doors! Hide for a little while until the Lord’s wrath against your enemies has passed. Look! The Lord is coming from the heavens to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide the murderers. The guilty will be found- Isa 26:20-21 TLB
A fore-taste of the tribulation period has already been experienced first-hand the World over. It is my fervent prayer that none of my friends whom I deeply respect and love (especially those in print –media for last 18 years now who are having, closer ring-side view as it were of the World events and can vouch for the veracity in my words) ought to be left behind rather they ought to set right their relationship with the Creator through the ordained Saviour Christ. Recent events are a bit too obvious for anyone to miss about the truth Yours Truly is heralding. Please, please do not miss the “Bus”!!!
I ought not to miss out on pointing out yet another all too visible sign of recent occurrence. The one of the advent of the Thermal Screening phenomenon all over the World (courtesy the Global Pandemic) where the thermal screens are being pointed at only the right hand (no, not even the left hand) and the forehead as a foretaste (figuratively speaking) of yet another global phenomenon which would be prevalent in the imminent tribulation period under the cruel reign of Antichrist and his deputy the False Prophet (Rev 13) following the Rapture. It is as though the entire global population is being readied now emotionally to show their right hand or their forehead for “inspection by strangers” (all along we had never minded our family members checking on our foreheads and right hands but not strangers).
Consider this Biblical prophecy …
He (the False Prophet on behalf of Anti-Christ) required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark (read microchip) on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. -Rev 13:16-17
So if Tribulation period is on the anvil, then is not the Church Rapture closer than ever before!!!
Let me warn the readers here once again that the Tribulation Period for 7 years with its series of woes (Rev 6-19) would resemble a mini-hell on Earth. Those who have accepted Christ as their Lord and Saviour would not be part of that Tribulation time as they being Christ’s ambassadors would be raptured (taken out of harm’s way…virtually speaking) before this horrific period arrives. Dear Readers, if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour this is the right time (2 Cor 6:1) …make this prayer…
Father in Heaven, I confess I am a sinner by birth…I believe that You sent Your Son Jesus Christ to die on my behalf on the Cross as per the Scriptures. I also believe that as per the Scriptures after His death on the Cross, Jesus rose from the dead. Forgive my sins, cleanse my heart with blood of Jesus, accept me as Your child and write my name in the Book of Life. Fill my heart with Your Heavenly joy and peace as a proof of the fact that You have given me a new life. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen
I urge you once again to say this prayer and experience for yourself a joyous, Christ-centred life from then on. From now on, you would have the inner power of His indwelling Spirit (1 John 4:4) to say “NO” to your erstwhile pleasure-seeking desires and say “Yes” to life of humble subjection to God’s Holy desires aimed at your eternal benefit. Ah…you would be restored to the original, pristine condition Adam and Eve enjoyed before the Fall. This is what genuine repentance in Jesus’ Name does, restoring the immeasurably precious right relationship with our Creator!!! Attend a Local Church regularly now to further strengthen your faith in Christ.
Come Lord Jesus soon to reign not only in our hearts as you did after the First advent but to first rapture your Church and then subsequently usher in your peaceful and just rule in the whole world itself!!!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Suresh Manoharan
C/o. Rehoboth Prayer House (Regd no:92 of 2022)
SR Nagar,Hyderabad-India
www.JandsmMinistries.com
