Ambs Meeting 2016 #OpenJio Edition Numero Uno: Let There Be Light
3/12/16
We had a warm and open sharing during dinner before Thanksgiving Cluster (LAST YEAR HAHAHA)! :)) here’s a lil brief summary of some of the things that was shared! really good stuff man :’) strong and spiritual people you all are :)) have some fun and spot your own answers yeah (if you were not there, see you next open jio!!) ;D
For the question: “What does being an ambassador mean?” we opened it to the floor and got some cool answers :)
Glorifying Jesus and making Him known (telling ppl about Jesus and all He has done in our lives)
Sowing into people’s lives: by being a friend we are actually showing them a picture of Jesus and His unceasing love for us, because we are all made in the image of Christ, and by that definition, are made to love by being loved. :)
Ensuring no one is left out in the House (the Church).
Reaching out to people who are near to us, in our sphere of influence, and really, personally caring for them.
So, how does the Living Word of God (the Bible) define an ambassador? We take a look at 2 Corinthains 5:19-21 to glean more insight.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (NKJV)
From this verse, we see that anybody can be/are called to be ambassadors, representatives of His kingdom, to be a bearer of good news (that we are made new creations in Christ) and light as His emissary, the moment you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior :) and what more being an ambassador means being about the business of reconcilation, which in greek is (from Strong’s Concordance) katallagḗ – reconciliation (restoration) as the resulting of Christ exactly (precisely) exchanging His righteousness (blood) for our guilt. Simply put, all ambassadoring means is that as we have tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness in our lives, as Christ has so divnely exhanged his beauty for ashes, for Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we can become the righteousness of God in Christ. And I love how natural it is because it’s so simple, just as we have received His deep and immeasurable love, it becomes so irresistable, so natural to let your mouth tell of His love too! :)
We then moved on to talk about how a CG Ambs looks like practically, which involved everyone thinking back to their first meeting of the CG, and who was their first friend/ person they talked to and how did these friends make them feel. We then noticed that while the people were all different, the feelings of warmth, friendliness, and sincerity in heart to get to know them was what made everyone feel loved. :) As Jesus saw us on Earth, as sheep without a shepherd and His heart was moved with compassion, we are called to be vessels of His relentless love, to love as He loves, as He first loved us.
Some practical tips we gleaned from thinking about these memories, from our friends who took that step of boldness to talk to us include:
Asking questions about our lives (”being kaypoh” as lu yao puts it ;) ) but with a genuine interest to get to know us.
Sitting with me, and connecting with me about common pasts.
Just talking and being friendly and warm!
Wow and I personally thought it was cool that really these moments in our lives are just so everyday, and we won’t typically give these actions a secondary thought, BUT, every moment makes an impact, no matter how small you may think your actions may be, and it really reminded me of this verse: Romans 12:1 (MSG) “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering” that when you do things unto the Lord, the Lord takes your two loaves and five fishes and multiplies them :))
We also bible studied: Isaiah 60:1-8 (NKJV)
Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
“Lift up your eyes all around, and see: They all gather together, they come to you; Your sons shall come from afar, And your daughters shall be nursed at your side. Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
The wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you. The multitude of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, The rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; They shall ascend with acceptance on My altar, And I will glorify the house of My glory.
Here’s what people caught from this verse:
You don’t have to try to be an ambassador, it’s simply God using you as a vessel of His light, to radiate and emanate His love through you. And it doesn’t even have to be words, or actions, but even just your face radiating the glory of the Lord. That as your heart is full of His joy, it would naturally spark a thought in people’s minds like “hey, that girl/boy is different, how can she be so happy/cool/at peace etc?” and then you can say “only jesus.” :)
It’s the Jesus in you that is so attractive, that makes you a testimony of His grace, and all people will see what a joyous heart you have, and say “hey, i want that too.” #hisyokeiseasy #andhisburdenislight
Verse 4 is a picture of growth, and this growth is a manisfestation of His glory and grace in our lives, and in comes from a place of personal spiritual growth as well! that as we behold Him and are transformed into His image of greater glory, as our inner man walks with God, the glory of God is risen upon us, and we step up to receive. And not one fruit (growth of the ministry) will we attribute to the work of our hands. Rather, “we glorify the house of my glory”, we give God all the glory, because it has all been Him and the deep and good works He has done in our lives.
The world is so dark and may be getting darker, but you stand out, like a magnet, they are drawn to the Jesus in you, and all it takes is for you to lift up your eyes and see the people the Lord has put in your spehere of influence, to look out and reach out, that as you give people your time, you will also be given the spirit of wisdom and discernment, to see as He sees, and “ Then you shall see and become radiant, And your heart shall swell with joy; Because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,” loving people doesn’t become a work, but a joy, and you will not see lack but see the Lord’s provision instead (be it in an enlarged heart, right words at the right time, equipped hands etc!) It is with this joy that we can be ambassadors, as Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitude :)
It is the Lord who arises over you, and not your own contrived glory but reflecting Jesus’ light!
Finally, we wrote on a piece of paper about the vision we had for the CG in 2017 :)
what a beautiful picture of family :’) and now we are finally in 2017 HAHAHAH and all that you have so preciously sown and declared, the Lord is faithful to fulfill :) I’ll just leave this verse here:
“But in My favor I have had mercy on you.Therefore your gates shall be open continually;They shall not be shut day or night,” (Isa 60:11)
May TJ always be a CG with open gates, so ready to embrace and love the oppressed, the broken-hearted, the captive, but at our roots, at our core, knowing it is Jesus in the centre, holding us together. A CG where evey individual has a personal walk with Jesus and a grows in a greater revelation of his love, a CG that rest, listens, and flows, a CG that sharpens one another as iron sharpens one another, that builds each other, a CG that stands back to back and conquer, a CG like ravenous wolves so hungry for the word of God and on fire for His kingdom, a CG that lets one name and one name be lifted up. AMEN. and daddy God pours His irresistable favor on all your lives, that all may see the fruits of your hands and roots of your walk and know that it can only be the Jesus in your lives! and grant you open doors to love the people around you too! :))
Looking forward to the rest of 2017 with you all precious kingdom friends and for the new and exciting season ahead!! And look out for another very exciting Ambs meeting coming up! ;)
With love and blessings,
Rox