Not Home: On Assignment

Here's another snippet from my essay research. (see previous post)

Although most of my study time centres on the Bible, I do keep a watch on domestic and international politics.
One of my interests is following how ambassadors represent their country's interests while they are abroad.
I appreciate they have to be careful/diplomatic in the way they speak, but they are never distracted from promoting their home country's policies, programs and interests - they are appointed to be faithful emissaries.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have a similar role.
But let's clarify the setting before we discuss that role.

Even though we are currently living here on earth, this earth is not our home - our citizenship is elsewhere.

For our citizenship is in the heavens, from where we also await a Savior—the Lord Jesus Christ—
[Phillipians 3 : 20  LSV]

Those in the Body of Christ are with Christ where He is in heaven.

And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
[Ephesians 2 : 6  NIV]

Spiritually, our citizenship is with Christ in the heavens.
We are not earthly beings having a spiritual experience, but spiritual beings having a human experience.

So what are we doing down here? What is our role?
We have been chosen as Christ's ambassadors, representing the kingdom (government) of our home country (the heavens) on the earth.

We are therefore ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making His appeal through us.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 20  TLV]

And what appeal is that?
Now that God has reconciled the world to himself through Christ, and is no longer counting people's sins against them, He is appealing for everyone to be reconciled to Him.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
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.
[2 Corinthians 5 : 18 - 20  NIV]

So we are not at home: we're on assignment, making God's appeal for personal reconciliation to God on His behalf.
And when our assignment is completed we will "return" home.

Blessings, Barry