“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)"

Recently, I got to interact with three different missionaries or missionary couples. Each of them have unique perspectives and powerful stories about what God has done and will continue to do around the world. Here are one sentence summaries about what I observed about each of their ministries. 

1) A native of Pakistan, Faisal spends part of the year in the US and part of the year in Pakistan, sharing the gospel and teaching God’s Word in both countries while also utilizing technology to stay connected with his church in Pakistan on a weekly basis. 

2) Currently stationed in Pennsylvania to recruit additional missionaries for Wycliffe Bible Translators, Brian has a vision for seeing that all 7000 languages spoken throughout the world will one day have God’s Word translated into their own language with the result that people from every tribe, nation, and people group will be able to understand God’s Word in their own languages and therefore come to know Christ and grow in knowing Him. 

3) Using their medical skills as R.N.’s and their passion for the Lord, Katie and Andres will spend a year serving at a hospital in Togo where they will minister to the physical and spiritual needs of people, pointing people to the One who is the source of eternal life (John 17:3). 

 Each of these missionaries would gladly proclaim with Paul the Apostle “we are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Cor. 5:20). What a thrill to know that the good news of Jesus is being proclaimed by His servants around the world!

Hearing the passion each of them have for their particular ministry makes me reflect on several things. It fills me with joy and a desire to continue praying for and supporting those that God has called to travel the world on a consistent basis. It challenges me to keep following God, living out my faith, and proclaiming the good news of Jesus in the part of the world where God has placed me. It kindles my passion for challenging others to follow closely after the Lord. It inspires me to keep using the gifts and abilities that God has given me to serve Him through the ministry opportunities He’s provided in my life (at WLD Ranch, at church, with my family and friends, in “random” God-appointed moments).  It reminds me that anyone can be used by God, wherever God has placed each of us, to proclaim Christ and to point others to a start of a relationship or into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

In Faisal’s message at church, he challenged each of us to consider how we can serve God and share God’s Word with those around us. He said we shouldn’t limit God, we shouldn’t put Him in a box, thinking that God can’t use us in amazing ways. He said, “Unbox God’s grace and goodness to many others.” Let God work through you and be amazed at what God can do.

It doesn’t take a hero to be an ambassador for Christ right where you are. It just takes a willingness to yield your life to God’s leading (Galatians 5:25) and a desire to follow where He leads, loving others with the same kind of love that Jesus showed us when He gave Himself for us on the cross (Ephesians 5:1-2). Unbox God’s grace and goodness in your own life and see what God can do.

Where has God placed you? What opportunities should you not miss? What will God’s unboxed grace and goodness look like in and through your life?