Ambassadors

by Trent Alsin, EM Summer Staff in Moore, Oklahoma

One evening this summer, the pastor of one of the mission trip teams in Oklahoma read a verse from 2 Corinthians 5: "We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." I realized this week that this concept of being an ambassador is one I am quite familiar with on a shallow level, but have spent little time seriously considering and intentionally practicing.

When I search "ambassador," I find that an ambassador is "an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country." As Christ's ambassadors, we have been sent by Jesus to be His representatives here in the world today. The Experience Mission teams that interact with the community here in Moore, Oklahoma throughout each week are literally representing Christ to those individuals outside of the Church that they encounter. The crazy part is that Jesus has chosen a whole bunch of sinful, messed up people like me to be his ambassadors. How can we (who are imperfect) possibly be an accurate representation of Jesus (who is perfect)?

In 2 Timothy 1:6-7, Paul writes "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you... For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline." I believe serving as Christ's ambassadors is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in each of us, providing the strength, the faith, and the abilities to represent Christ on earth.

My point in all of this, though, is that this idea of serving as ambassadors is precisely why I am so passionate about the emphasis that Experience Mission places on relationships over works in short-term missions.

We would be terrible representatives of Christ if we were to come into a community, build a house for a family, and make no effort to interact with or get to know the people.

If that happens, the community is being used in a misguided attempt for us to serve out of our privilege and over-abundance, and I perceive it as a self-centered approach to mission work. Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for caring more about tradition and works than for people and relationships (Matthew 15: 1-9). So while the house will be a blessing to the family in this situation, we have not really made them feel valued because we cared more about building a house than taking a few minutes to hear their story. As ambassadors of Christ, I believe it is our duty to convey the truth that Jesus cares more about people than he does about work projects. Because He does.

You must have a group size of at least 6 members to join this trip. Please view the Small Team trips or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.

View Small Team Trips

For most trips, you must have a group size of at least 6 members. Please view the Small Teams tab on each Community page or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414.