God’s Higher Standards For His Ambassadors

Officially Summer

Dear Patheos friends, we are now in the second half of 2025! The dog days of summer are officially upon us! Summer is time when some like to try out new activities. For others, summer is a time of relaxation. And the third category of people, summer is a time for both. Whichever category you may be, enjoy your summer. Those of us in Texas had an early start to summer-like temperatures. July came like a flash and we welcomed it with open arms. I had no idea there were many foods related celebrations in July– from pecan pie day, to blueberry muffin day and pina colada day, foodies love this month. Also, lots to celebrate nationally this month- picnic month, grilling month and much more. Happy birthdays shout out to everyone celebrating this month. A July 4th shoutout- Happy Birthday America- it’s Independence Day! Let’s pray for God’s blessings on the USA, her people and her leaders!

Parents Stay Alert

Thank you for engaging! I appreciate all the great feedback from the last post about the subtility of the occult that has crept into our culture. Many parents stated they have experienced what the post mom is currently walking through. Parents, please stay alert and fully engaged, especially in these relaxing summer times. These things tend to happen quickly without any warning or notice.

God Is Not Dead

It seems the church collective (Christians) cannot get a break from continued controversies and exposure of our brethren. The latest is the Christian music controversies about the Newsboy band. For anyone that watched the God Is Not Dead movie when it came out, we remember the theme song of the movie, which is a declaration of our God- He Is Alive! Music is a vital part of life and for believers in Christ, music is a big part of our worship lifestyle. So, the latest exposure adds to the reeling that has been going on for the past two years.

A Call Higher

This post is a call higher for the church collective. It is a call to who we are in Christ. This post is a call for us the church collective to grow up! As I prayerfully prepared for this post, there was a theme in my study- the problem and solution are us the church collective and not the world. For a change, let us examine ourselves (2 Corinthians 13:5). “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!”  It is time for anyone that is a follower of Christ, to take some time to examine his/her self in light of God’s truth and not the “comfortable message” that distorts the transforming power of the gospel of God! Jesus Christ saves! God’s Word transforms! The Holy Spirit empowers and equips believers to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Holy Awe and Carefulness

As we examine ourselves- let’s take care of how we live in private and show up publicly as believers. Let’s ensure both lives are aligned (private and public) to who we are. It seems like when we have another exposure or controversy, instead of examining ourselves, we are looking for scapegoats. We are looking for anyone to blame for bringing the secret works of darkness to light. We seem to forget that anyone that will stand as a representative of God and His Kingdom is called to a higher standard and should any type of representing in holy awe and carefulness.

Flawed and Imperfect

Yes- everyone of us is flawed and imperfect. Yet, for anyone called by the name of the LORD, the scriptures provide instructions and guidance on how we must live for God if we represent Him. The top headlines we see when another exposure happens fall under one or more of the following:

• We blame the victims or survivors for telling their own stories.
• We blame podcasters, youtubers or bloggers for sharing these atrocities
• We get into different support camps for the abusers of power or authority.

Christ’s Ambassadors

Instead, let anyone that will represent God embrace His higher standards and ways of living and representation. Let that ambassador of Christ know his or her limp to live and walk in humility. Such as:

• Ensure private and public lives are aligned (so we don’t have one person in private and a different one in public)
• Live in such a way that honors God so that podcasters, youtubers or bloggers are not a focus for us.
• Live in the light and detest any form of coverups, so we are carefree about any outlet.
• Foster and promote a culture of transparency and authenticity that these become our norm.
• Commit to continuous spiritual and personal growth to meet the challenges of our times.

What Displeases God

We have too many people (both young and old) who have been deeply wounded through abuse of power, abuse of authority, abuse of position of Christian leaders for us to deflect from the real problem among us the church collective. No matter the calling in God’s kingdom, it’s time for us to grow up and stop making excuses for what displeases God in our midst. God is not playing with any of us! Let’s get to work! Examine ourselves! “For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who His children really are” (Romans 8:19, NLT).