As the children of God, we are called to have hope for the Lost. God was patient with us, and we are called to be patient with people and have hope that someday they will recognize and admit their for need Jesus!
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. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21 (NIV)
We are God’s agents to bring hope to a hopeless world. As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to declare the good news of the Kingdom of God to those held in the bondage of sin, darkness, and worldliness. More importantly, the above passage tells us that God is making His appeal through us. If we are to represent the Lord to a lost world, we need to put aside our own feelings and prejudices and embrace our role and function as the child of God!
As a teenager, when I first stepped into the US Embassy in Europe, all I saw was hope for a better life! While the building wasn’t anything special or impressive, the flag and the consulate represented a government and an authority that offered hope and freedom to others. In truth, I didn’t understand the degree of bondage and oppression I had been in until I had the privilege of coming to the US and experiencing the life that it offered people.
Similarly, many people don’t know what they are missing in life by not having Jesus in their lives. They live in sin and darkness because that is all they know, and that is what was handed down to them. Some of them may not even enjoy the sin, but they don’t know of alternative options since their friends and associates are doing the same thing.
Our job is to be so secure in our relationship with the Lord so that when we are interacting with the lost we are not distracted by their bad behavior or attitude. We also don’t take want to it personally and become offended. We recognize that they are bound and need Jesus like everyone else. The Lord was patient with us and gave us many chances before we submitted our lives to him. Similarly, we want our hope for the lost to endure.
How do you handle difficult people, especially unbelievers? Do you remain patient with them? Do you continually walk in forgiveness? Or do you write them off and hope that God will send someone else reach them?
As ambassadors of Christ, we are called to show the love of the Father to these individuals who may not even be likable. Jesus was sacrificial towards us and we are called to sacrifice our opinions, pride, and preferences, so we can reach the lost. Some of these people could be your family members, coworkers, etc., who may need forgiveness regularly. The forgiveness helps us not to hold their bad behavior against them, so we can remain in a level of relationship and continue to show God’s mercy and kindness to them. That kind of attitude speaks louder than anything else that we preach.
When the opportunity is given, we are called to share the good news of the gospel with those around us. What they do with it, it is up to them, and they will see the blessing or the consequence of that decision. Our job is to share the truth, love people, pray, and hope that someday they will have an encounter with the TRUTH that will cause them to turn to Him.
Let’s allow the Lord to examine our thoughts and attitudes towards the lost and see if we have any offensive way that needs to removed, so we can genuinely have hope for unbelievers, especially those we have a relationship.