A Series of Questions (II)
Unlike last week, today’s post is written directly at pointing out the need for us to answer our fundamental question quickly and accurately. Last week we discussed how the all-important question that each person must answer is “Who is Jesus Christ to you?” Who Jesus Christ is to us is the most eternally important question we will be made to answer. It is not an assumption, but it is something that you must answer on earth. Nevertheless, our second most important question is “Is man naturally good or naturally evil?” This question will dictate your outlook on life and in making decisions. I should state that in no way does this determine you to be a “pessimist or an optimist.” To know more about this question, go back to last weeks post. We now transition to our third most important question that we will ever be asked as believers in Christ.
“What did you do?”
What a powerful question that has implications for good and bad. Depending on the scenario, this question could be answered in triumph or in dismay. For the believer, our Lord and Savior will one day ask us this question. I need to underline the importance that this is not for our salvation, for we can do nothing to earn or lose our salvation once we are saved. However, the rewards in heaven will be dictated by what we do here on earth. This is called the Bema Seat Judgment. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” We see that God will judge us based on our works, on what we did while on earth. As believers, it is our aim to please the Lord with our actions. This judgement is further described in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, “For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” Our actions will be judged one day, God will ask us “What did you do?”
God’s plan is further laid out regarding this question with calling us His ambassadors. 2 Corinthians 5:20, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” This is important to understand, we are to be representatives of God on earth. What a scary revelation this was when I finally figured this out. Personally, I have failed and will continue to fail at be an adequate representative for my beloved Savior Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, I persevere and strive to be the best humble servant that I can be, and so should you! 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul states, “let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” Now if we are to be ambassadors for Christ, to be His servants and stewards to the mysteries of God, we must take precautions to understand just what that means.
When I was working on my Masters in Political Science, one of the unique things I got to do was study the craft of being an ambassador. In short, if you are an ambassador you live in a foreign nation while representing the nation from which you are from. You answer for your nation, you enact on policy from your nation in the present nation you are in, and you answer questions that outsiders might have regarding your nation. However, there are two roles that the ambassador has to which many fail to see. Their first and primary role is to orchestrate policy in the foreign nation which reflects where they are coming from. For example, the Ambassador from Canada who lives in Washington D.C does their best to bring about policy in the United States that is in line with Canadian policy and desire. Secondly, the Ambassadors role is to help citizens of their home nation who are in the foreign nation and help foreigners who might be attempting to become citizens of the ambassador’s nation to do so. You might look at the responsibilities and see where we are going with this. As Christians, we are ambassadors of Jesus Christ. You might have seen that an ambassador is not about bringing the nation they represent to the foreign nation, but rather to bring their policies. This is one of the simplest but resoundingly solid arguments against Kingdom Now Theology. Ambassadors do not invade, they represent. Understanding that we, the Church, are ambassadors for Christ is also another resounding reason why we must depart prior to Jacobs Trouble (The Tribulation). Ambassadors are called home prior to war breaking out. The Rapture will be our call home. When we come home, we will be asked the resounding question of “What did you do?”
Did we adequately know what the King wanted us to do?
Were we good ambassadors? Did we represent our King correctly? Did we promote the policies of which our Lord and Savior has asked us to do?
Did we help those who wanted to join the Kingdom and become a citizen of God do so?
Each of us must be able to answer these questions when we are asked, “What did you do?” Now you might be wondering for yourself, what does this have to do with the majority of what we have been discussing in this series so far. If we are to represent Jesus Christ, we must understand what He wants and has directed us to pursue. When we are given the chance to vote, we must vote according to what the Lord has commanded. As Christians and as good ambassadors, we need to be eager to implement the policies of our King and Lord Jesus Christ in whatever country, nation, state, province, region, county, city, etc. We need to vote, and we need to be active in orchestrating God’s policy here. For believers who say we should not, they are neglecting the calling that God has ordained us in this age to do. I will quickly point out that recently so called church leadership and some well known Bible teachers have come out and stated that we are to stand for God but give what is Caesar to Caesar and God what is God’s. By using this to keep Christians quite is to blatantly take this scripture out of context.
I have left probably one of the most unique roles of the ambassador for this final part. Ambassadors are to be the bridge from the public relations side and the covert operations side. Ambassadors at times have had to implement their nations policy in their host nation through public relations but also in supporting covert operations. As Ambassadors of Christ, we follow what the Lord has commanded us to follow. If this means that in order for us to follow our King, we must break the host nation’s policy, then we should do so with spiritual wisdom and careful calculation in order to represent our King Jesus Christ accurately. A great example of believers who did just that are the heroic French underground believers during WWII who helped saved their Jewish neighbors from the Nazi’s. What a shame we have leaders and teachers in the churches who have stated that what these believers did to save these innocent people is wrong.
As believers in Christ, we will have to answer, “What did you do?” This means, did we represent our King in every way we could even when our friends and family are angry with us for doing so? Did we represent our King even when it means open hostility towards us? I am not calling you to vote for a political party, nor am I calling you to vote for a political person, but rather vote according to the Bible. Even if one option is not perfect, we are to choose it over the other if it means we are staying closer to what the Bible says for us to pursue. As ambassadors of Christ, we need to be eager to be able to say when asked, “What did you do?” we can say, “Lord, I studied your Word so that I would know what policies my host nation needed to address to have them align with your policies, I voted and did what I could to help align my host nation’s policy with your policy. I helped foreigners become citizens of your Kingdom, I helped to teach them your policies, I stayed true to your policy and to you even when my host nation became hostile towards me.” Let us be good ambassadors of Christ.
As we end this two-part series, I want to remind you that we need to be able to answer these questions correctly. “Who is Jesus Christ to you?” should be answered, “My Savior, My Lord who I have recognized and accepted His free gift of eternal life, that I have attempted to follow and allowed His grace and mercy to have me and His Holy Spirit to make me into a new creation.”
The second most important question in your life is, “Is man naturally good or naturally evil?” And this question should be answered with “I know from scripture that man is naturally evil and thusly, we need Jesus Christ. All policy and human interaction must be based on man’s inability with God’s abilities in their rightful places.”
Finally, “What did you do?” should be answered with “Lord I did everything possible with what you gave me to make you proud and inline with what you, through your Holy Word, asked me to do.”
We here at Mill House Ministries call all readers to review these questions and seek the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have questions specifically regarding these questions or any others reach out to us and we would be happy to help assist.
Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming
JL