Writing as Christ's Ambassadors

 

One of my favourite Christian singers came to my town to perform at a music festival. I’d seen him in concert three times back in the 1980s and I had eight of his albums, so I was excited at the chance to see him again. He gave a wonderful performance and I stood in line afterwards so he could sign the two CDs I’d recently bought. He signed one of them, but when I tried to hand him the second one, he just looked down at the CD and looked back up at me with a fairly neutral expression—not smiling, not scowling, just ... nothing. I took that to mean that he wasn’t going to sign it, so I smiled weakly and left the queue. I was SO disappointed. He wasn’t the friendly, approachable artist I thought he’d be.

The example I’ve given is fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. Maybe I caught him on a bad day or he’d been told there was only time to sign one item for each person. However, we sometimes hear of prominent Christians who have had a more significant fall from grace. It could be moral issues, addictions, the lure of money or even issues that involve criminal charges. How do we react as readers or listeners of their material? Does it change how we feel about their body of work and their ministry? And perhaps more importantly, what lessons can we learn for our own creative enterprises and ministries?

The Hypocrisy Factor

Although we are all sinners and any of us can fail, God does expect us to pursue righteousness and follow his paths so that our words match our actions. For example, James 2:14–17 reminds us that it’s no use telling someone to ‘stay warm and well fed’ if we don’t provide for their needs. Faith without works is dead. Jesus also rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and told the people not to ‘do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach’ (Matthew 23:3).

As writers, words are our currency. We use them to tell others about the things God has laid on our hearts. Some of us write overtly Christian material, such as devotionals, theology books or Bible study materials, books on Christian living, memoirs that tell of what God has done in our lives or novels that share the message of God’s love. Others might not include overtly Christian material in their books, but they are still writing from a Christian worldview and infusing their books with godly values and perspectives.

But here’s a sobering thought. We can write the most magnificent prose, we can win prestigious awards, our books might be flying off the shelves, but readers aren’t just looking at our words. They’re looking at our lives. Do our words match the lives we are living?

It’s Not Me, It’s Them!

It’s easy to point the finger at Christians who haven’t measured up to our expectations. How could they do something like that? That would never happen to us.

But here’s the thing. They’re human and so are we. The Apostle Peter never dreamed that he would deny Christ until he did. Jesus is the only perfect person who has ever lived. All of us are sinners saved by grace, and we’ll continue to make mistakes (sometimes huge ones) while we’re on earth. But God still wants imperfect you and me to partner with Him in advancing His Kingdom. As the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:19-20a:

‘God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.’

So how can we be intentional about living a life worthy of the gospel we are proclaiming?

 

Living as Christ’s Ambassadors

Who Gets the Glory?

Always remember that God is the one who has given us our gifts and talents. We can certainly hone those gifts and talents, but we can’t do anything for God’s Kingdom in our own strength. Are we pointing people to Christ or claiming the glory for ourselves?

Good Stewardship

God is the giver of gifts, and He wants us to be good stewards of the things He has given. Are we using our creative gifts for His glory? This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will write overtly Christian material, as some of us are called to have a voice in the mainstream marketplace. But whatever our calling, we should do a stocktake every now and then to see if we are making the best use of our gifts. 

Resisting the Enemy

Satan is not happy that any of us want to write for God’s glory. He’ll put obstacles in our way, he’ll put temptations across our paths and he’ll attack our efforts at every turn. We need not fear him, because Jesus has defeated him on the cross, but we do need to be aware of his schemes and resist him. Some of the following strategies can help in this regard.

Devotional Life

Are we spending regular time in God’s word and prayer? It’s hard, if not impossible, to minister to others if we’re not being nourished ourselves. God’s word is our life blood and prayer is our lifeline. Let’s never neglect these essential disciplines. The health of the words we write is intricately entwined with the health of our devotional lives.

Fellowship

Some people are involved in ministries that are run by particular churches or Christian organisations, but writers are sometimes seen as a separate category. Aren’t they just doing their own thing? While our writing may often be done alone, we still need to be connected to other Christians. As we’re reminded in Hebrews 10:24–25, ‘let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching’.

Accountability

Ministers and missionaries are usually accountable to a separate body such as a church board or missionary organisation. If we see our writing as a ministry, we should also take accountability seriously. Seek out trusted and godly friends or mentors with whom you can be honest. Share your triumphs and struggles with them. Ask them to pray for you and give them permission to ask the hard questions if they see you going off track. Don’t just ask people to pray for your upcoming book event, but also for your heart attitude and for those whom God will touch through your words.

Repentance and Forgiveness

When we do make mistakes, which we’ll inevitably do from time to time, keep short accounts with God. He has promised to forgive us when we genuinely repent of our actions. Depending on the circumstance, it may also be necessary to apologise to others we have wronged or make restitution in some way. 

Power of the Holy Spirit

Praise God that we have the gift of the Holy Spirit and we can draw on His insight, strength and power rather than our own. If God has called us to write for Him, He will empower us and partner with us to achieve His purposes. Let’s always rely on Him.

This is not an exhaustive list. What things help you to represent Christ through your writing? I’d love to hear your examples.

Credits

All scripture references are from the New International Version of the Bible.

Featured photo from Pexels on Pixabay.

Author Bio

Nola Lorraine loves weaving words of faith, courage and hope. She has had more than 150 short pieces published, including fiction, memoir, devotions, and poetry. Her inspirational novel Scattered was a finalist in the 2021 CALEB Awards. Her devotional book Comfort Zone was published in 2025, with No Standing Zone to follow in 2026. She also loves helping other authors through The Write Flourish—a freelance writing and editing business she and her husband Tim have run since 2013.

Investment Opportunity, May Require Some Effort

It's taken a while, but I believe that I am finally growing up. Really, I mean it! You see, I have come to realise the importance of investing. Not just financially, but in so many different areas; health, knowledge, and especially in regards to keeping my house tidy!

Why is this a sign that I am perhaps reaching some semblance of maturity? Because for many years I have thought that things other than a wholehearted investment of my own time and/or money and/or prayer would see me achieve what God has in store for me. Actually, to see that written down makes me cringe; it's such an obvious concept, and not really a hard one to 'get.'  I believe that this lack of wisdom in my own understanding has contributed to many of my "half-begun" projects, (note, they are not even half-finished! Most have barely an introduction before I have thrown my hands up in resignation).

I have so many good ideas, but none that have really come to fruition. Oh believe me, I've got a plethora of people or things to blame for that! Sadly, not once did I seriously consider that I might be my own worst enemy when it came to success.

Now, I am attempting to take a few small areas of my life and become accountable for them.

Healthwise, I have recently been given a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. Rather than getting cross with God, or my hubby, or lamenting my horrible existence without chocolate . . . oh wait, scratch that last one . . . I jest, but in all honesty this has been a massive wake up call for me. It has made me want to take control of my health, to look at what I'm eating, and why. And above all it has forced me to acknowledge that, firstly I was not honouring God with my lifestyle choices, and secondly, that if I didn't invest in this area of me, then I could be taking something so very valuable away from my kids far too early. Excellent investment, Helen! Well done me! (As an aside, since learning of this I have lost about 13 kg and feel amazing, but that's another story).

As for my writing, I have really struggled in the past 6 months. I have blamed so many different things; emotional dealings, the kids, lack of inspiration, among others. But I was missing the key truth; the only thing stopping me from writing was my choice to play Candy Crush and not write! I know we all need some down time, but I was avoiding the very thing I loved because I couldn't see the benefit of the investment of my time. It's hard work pulling something together; I'm sure many reading this blog can relate to that. But the rewards are so amazing, seeing people's lives changed by something we have written is the best feeling. And this feedback provides the momentus for me to reinvest, again and again and again.

Yes, investing part of ourselves into something else can be somewhat painful, because the cost can be so high. Right now, for example, it's 1.54am and I'm just finishing my blog post which I forgot about (oh dear). It was so tempting to simply write an apology and provide a quick link to an older story or devotion I'd written; but I knew that that was a cheap way out, and that you are all worthy of a much higher investment than that, (and I really hope this has made sense; things are getting a little blurry now!).

Ultimately, I want to live my life in a way that pleases my Lord Jesus Christ, whose investment on the cross was so much more than I can ever repay. And I know that the best bit is that with every investment I make for him, he will bless my socks off at the same time! It just doesn't get any better than that!

I wonder, what do you invest yourself into? I'd love to hear your spiritual/physical/practical examples!

Blessings,

Helen

Kicking that Goal by Nola Passmore

In January, a lot of us make New Year’s Resolutions.  We’ll go to the gym, lose 20 kilos, learn French, and tutor children twice a week at the local refugee centre.  The problem is that by February, we’re watching reality TV and polishing off a tub of ice-cream. One reason is that we sometimes set the bar too high.  Then when we can’t meet our lofty goals, we give up.  One of my favourite newspaper columnists, Frances Whiting, has resolved this problem by publishing her “Remotely Achievable List” each year.  One of her goals for 2014 is to “learn how to write more interesting tweets/Facebook posts than ‘Homemade lasagna for dinner. Yum!'’”  Actually, that could be a lesson for a lot of us!

The other problem is setting the bar too low.  If we have a goal of reading four books this year, we’ll probably achieve it, but will that actually be of any benefit?  Well, I guess it would be of more benefit than not reading any books, but we certainly wouldn’t have stretched ourselves.  As Zig Ziglar has said, “if you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time”, but that’s probably not a success rate we’d want to brag about.

So how do we set worthwhile goals and stick to them?

• First, we can commit our goals to prayer, asking God to show us what He would like us to work on and then asking for His help in achieving those things.
• Second, aim for realistic goals that will stretch us, but aren’t beyond our reach. 
• Third, if we share our goals with an accountability partner or trusted group, they can encourage us to keep on track.
• Fourth, life happens.  If unexpected things occur during the year (e.g., illness or family issues), we need to be kind to ourselves and adjust goals where necessary.  It’s not about beating ourselves up if we don’t meet our objectives, but about staying in the race.

I haven’t quite finished setting my writing goals for this year, but I’ve made a start.  I’ve registered for a Month of Poetry challenge where we have to write a poem a day for the whole of January.  I’ve managed to keep up so far and I’m already seeing the benefits.  Not only is it fun, but by the end of the month I’ll have 31 poems and feedback that I can work on with a view to publication.  Another target is to finish the complete first draft of my novel.  I wrote about 15 000 words last year, but then stalled.  This year, I really want to keep the pages ticking away and I’m counting on my writing buddies to keep checking in on me. 

What about you?  Why not share your writing goals and we can encourage one another.

 

 

 

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 90 short pieces published in various magazines, journals, and anthologies (including true stories, devotions, poetry and short fiction). She has a passion for writing about what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same. (Some call it "nagging", but she calls it "encouragement").