What is an embassy, what is the Church and how are they alike? According to the Merriam-Webster Learning Dictionary, a embassy it is a body of diplomatic representatives; specifically: one headed by an ambassador. An embassy represents your government in another country. According to the Bible, the Church is the Body of Christ—sinners who have put their faith in Jesus for salvation, thus making them citizens of heaven. Christians are, therefore, pilgrims on earth; our home is heaven, and the apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:20, we are Christ’s ambassadors (authorized representatives) here on earth.
Therefore, both entities are established to represent higher powers (their governments). If you want to know something about another country, you can go to the nearest embassy of that country to find out, or ask any of the diplomatic representatives of that country you can find. In the same way, people who want to know about God and heaven can contact the Church or Christians. As Christians, we need to present our home and Lord in a way that makes people outside the Church hungry for what we have, and how they might as well get to know our Lord in a personal way. It is our responsibility as citizens to introduce others to our Lord!
Some of the people who have never traveled outside of their home country probably have very little knowledge about the importance of embassies. They don’t care much about the role that embassies play in international affairs. Being born and raised in Ghana, and currently living in the United States of America, I know a little about the functions of embassies.
When considering moving to another country, one cannot simply move there without coming across an embassy. Each country has requirements for immigration from other countries. In order to gain access to the US, I had to go to the US Embassy in Ghana, submit the required (quite lengthy) documentation for processing, and then be interviewed. With approval, I was issued a visa that allowed me to enter the U.S. That embassy represented the U.S. government—protecting its interests, enforcing its laws even off its shores, and making sure it was seen in the right way. best possible way.
Similarly, Christians represent their Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, here on earth! As the Church-embassy of heaven, we must present the whole counsel of God to the world. We are all ambassadors and must maintain that status twenty four hours a day, seven days a week! We can show people outside the Church how to become fellow citizens of our amazing country, whose designer and builder is Almighty God (see Hebrews 11:10). Armed with the information we share, those interested in becoming citizens will be directed to place their faith in Jesus Christ, and then they can look to their new home, where no one will shed another tear or experience sickness or death. We can also show them how they can contribute to the efficient running of the embassy by faithfully using their God-given talents and abilities.
An Embassy does not function independently of the country; communication is continuous, whether there are problems or not. Likewise, the Church needs to be in constant communication with the Father, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV), because without Him we can do nothing (see John 15:5). The lines of communication are always open; there are no busy signals or voicemail messages. In fact, he is always with us and he knows our needs even before we are aware of them.
Another role that embassies play is to ensure the well-being of their citizens in the countries where they are located. Their citizens call them when they have problems. Likewise, the Body of Christ supports one another, whatever the need. We pray for each other, encourage each other with scriptures, and meet social and financial needs as much as possible.
Embassies and their ambassadors show travelers how to obtain visas for the countries they represent. The time is coming when it will be too late to get a visa to heaven, so let us (the Church), be serious in our efforts to show the world how to get a visa to heaven: call on Jesus!