What does it mean to be an ambassador for Christ?
Let us take a closer look at these accounts of Elijah and King Ahab in the Bible:
Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the Lord, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!” Then the Lord said to Elijah, “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” Later on, in the third year of the drought, the Lord said to Elijah, “Go and present yourself to King Ahab. Tell him that I will soon send rain!” So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of Israel?” “I have made no trouble for Israel,” Elijah replied. “You and your family are the troublemakers, for you have refused to obey the commands of the Lord and have worshiped the images of Baal instead. Now summon all Israel to join me at Mount Carmel, along with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who are supported by Jezebel.” So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel. Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, “How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!” But the people were completely silent. Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but Baal has 450 prophets. Now bring two bulls. The prophets of Baal may choose whichever one they wish and cut it into pieces and lay it on the wood of their altar, but without setting fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood on the altar, but not set fire to it. Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed. Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.” So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made. About noontime Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder,” he scoffed, “for surely he is a god! Perhaps he is daydreaming, or is relieving himself. Or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!” So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out. They raved all afternoon until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still there was no sound, no reply, no response. Then Elijah called to the people, “Come over here!” They all crowded around him as he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons. He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, “Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood.” After they had done this, he said, “Do the same thing again!” And when they were finished, he said, “Now do it a third time!” So they did as he said, and the water ran around the altar and even filled the trench. At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!” 1 Kings 17:1-2, 18:1-2, 17-39
Nothing of Elijah’s past is mentioned, apart from the fact that he was from Tishbe (1 Kings 17:1).
God can use us as we are, wherever we are.
It is tempting to look at people in biblical history such as Elijah and David and think that we could never ‘measure up’ to that.
But the God of Elijah is the same God we worship; the same Spirit that was in Elijah is in us today.
That same inheritance is ours.
King Ahab was a king of Israel who we read did evil in God’s sight and worshipped other gods (1 Kings 16:31-33). God gave Elijah a message of conviction for King Ahab and Israel; dew symbolised blessing over Israel, so for God to say that there would be no dew (in addition to the drought) was significant. But Elijah went with boldness to the king to share the message God had given. If Elijah had not been bold enough to share the message God had given when he did, King Ahab could have written it off as a coincidence.
When God gives us a word we can be emboldened by the Holy Spirit to step out in faith to share His word with others at the right time.
Over the next three years of drought, God provided for Elijah and protected him from Ahab. God also worked miracles through Elijah to provide for others.
We can rely on God to not only provide for us in our times of need, but also bless us to be a blessing to others.
When God told Elijah to meet Ahab again, Elijah obeyed, and spoke with authority – God’s authority – and called Ahab out on his disobedience and rejection of God. When Elijah told Ahab to gather all of Israel, Ahab listened.
When we speak the word and commands that God gives us, we can speak with the authority that we have in Jesus’ name.
On Mount Carmel, Elijah was up against 850 pagan prophets. There was a great outnumbering in this encounter – but the odds were on Elijah’s side, because God was with Elijah.
One person with God is always a majority.
Elijah was not proud or arrogant; he just knew the power of the God he served.
Our confidence and authority should be in God and what He can do, not in our strength and merits.
God worked in a powerful way to show that He alone is the One true God. Baal was known to be a god of the weather and thunder, but no matter how much the worshippers and prophets of Baal called on him to set fire to their offering, nothing happened.
God is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and in Him lies all power and authority.
Fire won’t fall on an empty altar; Elijah had an offering ready for God. God tells us to offer a sacrifice of praise (hebrews 13:15-16), and that we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
The all-consuming fire of God refines and purifies us.
Elijah was an ambassador for Christ. We are all ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors always speak for whomever they represent; they never give their own opinion. Elijah’s word was God’s Word. As ambassadors for Christ, we share God’s message and opinion given to us through His Spirit and His Word, the Bible.
When Jesus taught people during His ministry on Earth, He always used the phrase “As it is written [in the Scriptures]”. In the same way when we are asked questions relating to theology or Christianity, we can rely on the Holy Spirit and on what God tells us in the Bible.
As a result of Elijah’s obedience and confidence, all of Israel worshipped and glorified God. Miracles are a signpost to God. It is and should all be about God.
As ambassadors of God let us walk in obedience to reach people so that they may know God and experience His love and forgiveness. Let us ask God to equip us; let our prayer be that God will mould us as a potter moulds clay; let us pray that God will make us useable to further His kingdom here on earth.