This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. -2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (New Living Translation)
To be an ambassador for Christ is a dangerous business. It is easy to be misunderstood or misrepresented. One must avoid simple narratives of “Us” versus “Them,” and instead look for the ways God’s Kingdom is breaking into our world and situations. Amazing things can happen when allegiance to God precedes allegiances to tribe, country, or denomination. Still, this approach can be very threatening towards others. Often, security and unity is based upon identifying a common enemy. So, to be a friend to the identified enemy can put you in the line of fire.
“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” – Jesus in Matthew 5:43-45 (NLT)
In the video above, from CBN-TV’s 700 Club, the founder of Pyongyang University of Science and Technology discusses his hope to unite North and South Korea through education. In the cultural engagement cohort at Multnomah University, we discussed Dr. James Kim’s work as an ambassador for Christ, working through the fields of education and science to bring about a work of reconciliation. James Kim’s love for God through Jesus Christ has compelled an ongoing engagement with those who the world would identify as his “enemy.”
Before you claim to be without an enemy to be reconciled to, consider those whom you are most comfortable criticizing. Before you think that you don’t need to consider the work of being an ambassador, think about the groups you are a part of or would identify with (liberal, conservative, Republican, Democratic, etc.) and who others would define as your “enemy.” How are actively reaching out to these groups? This is the challenge presented by examples like Dr. James Kim and others willing to go wherever Jesus leads.
