ambassador - cmi sealed orders #4 - "who do you think you are?"

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:20

The movie “Invictus” is set in the 1990s in South Africa.  Nelson Mandela was just brought out of prison and elected president of the divided nation.  Even though apartheid had ended, strife still remained between whites and blacks.  Mandela knew if South Africa was to survive, he needed to find a way to unite people of every color into one nation.

Now that their hero was president, many of the majority blacks wanted to put the South African whites in their place.  After all, the white minority had subjected them to horrible treatment and injustice under apartheid.  It was time for revenge.

But President Mandela wanted to find a path toward unity.

So he befriended François Pienaar, the captain of the Springboks, the South African national rugby team.  In South Africa, rugby was a sport traditionally supported by white fans.  And as the Rugby World Cup approached, Mandela chose to support this predominately white team, trying to find a common cause that would unite his nation.

As the Springboks fought toward victory on the rugby field, South Africa slowly became united as a nation.

By reaching out and putting his country first, Mandela’s effort to reconcile the races paid off.

Is there something that divides you from other believers?  Maybe it’s a difference of opinion.  Maybe someone doesn’t look like you or act like you.  Maybe it’s hard to accept people who don’t have the same gifts and talents you have.

As Christ died, he didn’t make us a nation.  He made us a family.

Paul announced, “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”  God’s desire if for us to be reconciled to him.  We who were once at odds with our creator can find a restored relationship with him.

But another part of that reconciliation is to each other.  Despite our differences, we are called to find common ground so that we can present ourselves united to the world.

Certainly that common ground begins with our faith in Christ.  If that’s the only thing we have in common, it’s enough to get started.

Ask God to reveal someone with whom he is calling you to connect.  Ask God to help you break down any barriers so that his family can truly be united.