In this chapter we want to see the fifth and sixth aspects of a person who is living in the presence of the Lord, in the Holy of Holies. Thus far, we have seen that such a person is a captive, a letter, a mirror, and a vessel, a camera. The fifth and sixth aspects of such a person are an ambassador and a co-worker.
The Apostle Paul was an ambassador of Christ. An ambassador is one who represents the highest authority. The United States government has many ambassadors sent out to many different countries. These ambassadors represent the government of the United States. The highest authority in this universe is God, and God has given all the authority in heaven and on earth to Christ (Matt. 28:18). God has appointed Christ to be the King of kings, and the Lord of lords (1 Tim. 6:15; Rev. 17:14). Today Jesus is the Christ, the Lord of all, the highest authority. For this highest authority there is the need of some ambassadors on this earth who are qualified to represent Him. The Lord’s ministry is not a matter of merely being a preacher or a teacher but of being one who is authorized with the heavenly authority, representing the highest authority in the whole universe. First, we need to be captured by Christ, and eventually we need to become a representative of Christ on this earth to deal with the earthly nations as an ambassador.
Some Christians have the title “Ambassador of Christ” printed on their witnessing card along with their name. Many years ago I had a card that said “Bondslave of Christ- Witness Lee.” At that time I did not dare to entitle myself an ambassador of Christ, but now I have a fuller realization that we all have to be ambassadors of Christ on this earth. We are not only the captives of Christ. Eventually, we have to be the ambassadors of Christ representing Him on this earth for all His interests. You may think that this is something too great, too big. Maybe some of the sisters would think that they are just the weak vessels. They may wonder how they could be the ambassadors of Christ, representing the highest authority on this earth. Regardless of whether you are a brother or a sister, all of us are members of the Body of Christ. The highest authority is Christ as the Head, and we as members of the Body have to be representatives of the Head. As a representative of the Head, you are an ambassador. Do not consider that you are little or that you are too weak. Being an ambassador is not a matter of whether you are little or weak. Actually, we have to be more weak, even weak in Christ (2 Cor. 13:4).
As an ambassador of Christ, Paul realized that whatever was within him, whatever he was, and whatever he had was mortal (5:4). Anything that is subject to death is mortal. Our wisdom is mortal, and our ability is mortal. Whatever we can do, whatever we are, and whatever we have is going to die. This is why we should not have any trust in what we are. We have to realize that we are mortal beings, but God has wrought into us something which is eternal, something which will never die, something which will last forever. Because we have received the Lord Jesus and He lives in us, we possess His immortal divinity. Eventually all that we are that is mortal will be “swallowed up by life” (5:4). Mortality will be swallowed up by the divine life.
If we are going to represent Christ on this earth as His ambassadors, we have to be clear that we are mortals, that whatever we can do, whatever we are, and whatever we have will die. We should not have any trust in ourselves nor should we live by ourselves. We need to realize that someone else is within us. This Person is the immortal life, the divine life (John 14:6). We should trust in this life, live by this life, and behave ourselves by this life. This life qualifies us and equips us to be the ambassadors of Christ. A person is not qualified to be an ambassador of Christ by power, by gift, or by knowledge, but by the immortal life within him. We need to forget about ourselves, to give up whatever we can do and whatever we are, and put our trust in this immortal life which is God Himself in Christ. This is the first qualification equipping us to be the ambassadors of Christ.
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