At my church, I have been preaching a series of messages going through the book of Second Corinthians. We recently completed our study of chapter 5. As you might recall, Paul closes that chapter with a strong reminder that God has called us to be His ambassadors in a world that needs to hear the message that sinners can be reconciled to a holy God. As ambassadors, our responsibility is to represent Jesus before others. I reminded my congregation that, if we are God's ambassadors, then what we say and what we do are a reflection upon God. When we speak, it is as if the world is hearing the words of God; when we act, it is as if the world is seeing the acts of God. Pretty serious responsibility He has given to us.
As I look out over the world today, I wonder how effective is our ambassadorship for God. The world is becoming increasingly more hostile toward those who have resolved to live for Jesus Christ. To be a Daniel today is not to win any popularity contests, but it just might cost you a job or some friends at school.
I want to share a story from the pages of the Old Testament of a man whose life had no impact upon the community in which he lived. This man had everything that the world would consider to be of value. He was part of a dynamic family that had become very successful because of God's blessings. And he, too, had experienced that success and had become almost as wealthy as had his uncle. Yet he longed for even greater things and so separated himself from his family. He traveled to a distant city that had a known reputation for immorality. But, into the city he went. How long he lived in this city the Bible does not tell us. But, we can infer from the text that he lived there long enough that he became recognized as one of the city leaders. Perhaps, it was during this stay that he had met his wife and she gave birth to two daughters that grew up in this immoral environment. Again, the text does not tell us. By now you have surmised that the man I am referring to is Lot, and you would be correct. His story is told in Genesis chapters 13, 14 and 19.
Now the Bible calls Lot a righteous man. But what was his influence all those years while living in Sodom? We get two pictures of that influence from the Scriptures. First, in Genesis 18, God relates to Abraham, Lot's uncle, that He is about to destroy Sodom. Abraham knows that Lot lives there and begins to intercede on behalf of the city. He first asks if God would spare the city if there were 50 righteous souls there, and God said He would. Abraham continued the intercession, each time reducing the amount of righteous souls within the city until he stopped with 10 righteous ones. And God said that He would spare the city for 10 righteous souls. You would think that, given the time Lot had lived in the city, that he would have shared his knowledge of God with at least 10 people. But, alas, he had not!
The second picture, in Genesis 19, is one that is almost too abhorrent even to describe. On the evening of the arrival of the angelic guests into Lot's home - yes, he had given up the tenting life - a mob of men and boys assaulted the front door demanding that Lot bring out the two guests so that they could engage in homosexual acts with them. Lot steps out of his doorway and, instead of offering the two guests for their immoral pleasures, he offered his two daughters who were virgins but about to be married. Friends, when I think of that scene I cringe. Lot, an ambassador for God, had adopted the practices of the community in which he lived. Ten righteous people in Sodom? There was only one - and his righteousness was suspect.
What a contrast with a Daniel! Daniel dared to be an ambassador for God in godless Babylon. Did Daniel's presence make a difference in the lives of those around him? Absolutely because Daniel refused to become like Babylon; unlike Lot who chose to become like Sodom. Interesting that we name our sons after Daniel; but I know of no person named Lot. Was it easy for Daniel to be in that role of God's ambassador? No - he was always under someone's microscope being examined for flaws. But, I believe Daniel could lay his head on his pillow at night knowing that he had represented God well. I question whether Lot ever had that evening of peaceful sleep. How we need Daniels today. It will not be easy. It will not be comfortable. It will not come without some costs. But it will come with the peaceful assurance that we are doing what God asks of us.
Now for a reminder of the need to be an ambassador. The following news story can be found at: www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/27/school-nation-islam-handout-paints-founding-fathers-as-racists. The article was written by Todd Starnes. He tells the story of an eight-year old boy who came home from school one day with a handout from the Nation of Islam that portrayed the presidents on Mount Rushmore as being racists. And he had received this handout at his school: Harold McCormick Elementary School in Elizabethon, TN. His mother contacted the school teacher: "at first, she (the teacher) did not recall which paper it was. Later in the day, she found and told me she didn't like what is said - and said she must have printed it by mistake." The article then states, "The teacher also told Sommer that her son was not supposed to take the Nation of Islam handout home. It was supposed to stay in the classroom. That bit of news caused her great alarm." Mrs. Bauer, the boy's mother, is quoted as saying, "I was caught off guard. I reassured my son that he needed to feel safe enough to bring anything that the school gave him home to me. Ultimately, while his teachers do care for him, his mother and his father have his absolute number one best interests at heart." A very wise mother and father.
And the events in Houston, TX continue to unfold. This coming Sunday evening, there will be a community-wide rally in Houston to stand in solidarity with those churches and pastors who have been at the center of the ire of Houston's lesbian mayor. The meeting will be held at Grace Community Church in Houston and will be simulcast across the country. If you would like to be a part of this event, I would encourage you to go to the www.istandsunday.com website and get the information of how you can participate from your own home. It is time for us to be like Daniel - to resolve to take our stand for Jesus.
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