"And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:14
It is almost unnecessary to say, because it has become evidently clear, that we are living in unprecedented times. Times of great confusion, division, corruption, and wickedness. Times of increased knowledge and yet so little truth, times of great speed and yet not enough time, times of great invention and yet no satisfaction, times of great networking and yet broken relationships, times of increased freedom and yet in greater bondage. What is wrong with this world? Everyone who has breath inherently knows that there is something fundamentally off about it. Life in this world system is unfair, unkind, unjust and downright vicious. This is the evidence and consequence of a drastic kingdom shift.
This realm, the earth we live in, was once under the peaceful rule of its Creator, the Living God, and His delegated authority, Adam, the earthly man. One fateful day, that delegated authority was tragically handed over, through deceit and craftiness, to Lucifer, the fallen angel who now incumbently rules as the “prince of this world” (John 14:30). “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks what is natural to him, for he is a liar and the father of lies and half-truths” (John 8:44; AMP). There was a catastrophic transfer from the truth of the Kingdom of Light to the oppressing lie of the kingdom of darkness. What a bitterly sad day it was when Adam lost his crown.
But, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15) — Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, the “second Adam”, fully man and fully God! Soon we will hear the “loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” (Revelation 11:15). Soon, for He says, “Behold, I am coming quickly…” (Revelation 22:12), He will restore all things to Himself once again. Yes, soon there will be another dramatic Kingdom shift!
Until then, this world will chaotically remain “under the sway of the wicked one”. But, “we know we are of God” (1 John 5:19), we do not despair for we belong to another Kingdom. Even though our mission is geographically earthly, our minds, our focus is spiritually set on things above. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18; NIV).
Where is your focus today? On the mission of the Kingdom or the current circumstance of the world? It is very difficult to fully keep your gaze on one while taking a peek at the other. You just have to take a quick look at the global news broadcasts of the day to realize that this world is programmed to take away your focus, your attention, gripping you with distraction and fear, and taking your precious peace away as well. I’m not saying that you must be completely out of touch with what’s happening in the world, as that would surely hinder your ability to relate to those in your personal sphere of influence, your very own mission field for the advancement of the Gospel. What I am saying is, that you must not allow it to get a grip on you. Remember, we are in this world but we are not of it! (John 17:14-16). Ultimately, we are here as ambassadors of Christ’s Kingdom (2 Corinthians 5:20).
What exactly is an ambassador? And what is our role as such?
According to Google’s English Dictionary, provided by Oxford Languages, an “ambassador” is in essence: “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country”; “a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity”. If we look deeper into the structure of this word, we will find that its origin is of “late Middle English: from French ambassadeur, from Italian ambasciator, based on Latin ambactus”, which ultimately means— “servant”.
We are ambassadors of Christ; we are His servants.
The Apostle Paul rightfully introduced himself as, “Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God” (Romans 1:1). He was fully aware of his Kingdom identity as an “official representative”, and was entirely devoted to promoting his “specified activity”.
Jesus personally appeared to Paul and commissioned him saying, “But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me” (Acts 26:16-18).
His mission was clear, he was to go specifically to the Gentiles as an official representative of the Kingdom with the saving message of Jesus, as a witness and minister of Christ’s revelations. When summoned before the king, Paul boldly stated, “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus and in Jerusalem, and throughout all the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent, turn to God, and do works befitting repentance” (vv.19-20).
Although the Apostle found himself in the presence of an earthly king, he was fully representing and promoting the mission of Another. He was so influential that even “Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian’” (v.28).
Are we so focused, so intentional and aware of our “heavenly vision” that we become as persuasive and effective in the world, as ambassadors of the Kingdom, as was the Apostle Paul?
We have all been equally left with the Great Commission of Jesus Christ as our overarching call to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that [He has] commanded [us] and lo, [He is] with [us] always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). However, it is up to each one of us individually, to discover our specific ambassadorial role within the Kingdom. How are we going to promote this message? Where and how is He calling us to serve Him? What is your personal “heavenly vision”? Your “specified activity”?
If you believe that you have not yet found your specific call within the many functions of the Kingdom, then I encourage you to ardently seek the very Lord of the Kingdom. He has set eternity in your heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11), and wants to reveal to you the everlasting promises and purpose spoken over your life before time began. Once you let go of your preconceived ideas, and lay everything that’s holding you back at the feet of Jesus, He will then present you with His ambassadorial plan for your life as a servant in His Kingdom. You can rest assured that it will be the greatest adventure of your life, as you embark on the journey of a lifetime. (Check out my husband's book Living a Supernatural Life on The Road Less Traveled - An Invitation to Radical Discipleship for the amazing account of his personal journey, as an encouragement to you.)
Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45-46). I urge you to seek the Kingdom, take a hold of it, as a pearl of great price. Whatever the cost, don’t commit your God-given born-again life to anything less than the “heavenly vision”. As you pursue Him and the upward call, keep “going” and keep “making”, keep “baptizing” and keep “teaching”, and lo, He is with you even to the end of the age!
This world system can come crashing down and yet it will still not change the fact that our focus, our mind is set on the things of the Kingdom. So, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter who wins the elections, it doesn’t matter whether or not the market is Bull strong, it does not matter if your color is red, white, black or brown. Or if the world thinks that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong.
What really matters is this, “The world is passing away, and with it its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purposes lives forever” (1 John 2:17; AMP). Remember, “you were raised with Christ”, therefore “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-4). What a glorious day! When Jesus returns to set the record straight, to forever destroy the systems of this world, and to finally unfold yet another tremendous Kingdom shift!
Dear brother and sister, keep your eyes fully focused on Him and live your ambassadorial life wholly committed to His Kingdom mission.
He's calling you to focus.
*To discover more on God's main plan for your existence and the ultimate goal of salvation in Christ Jesus, check out Fraser's article "The Purpose For Existence".