I am a representative of Christ to this world.

I found something really interesting in Scripture today that really got me thinking about being a representative. My senators are in Washington “speaking on my behalf” (that’s kinda scary)…or so they are supposed to be anyway. I saw Charlie Wilson’s War with Dara (should’ve walked out in the first 2 minutes but chose to close my eyes and hope for the best). He was a representative of the people in Texas. He spoke to other politicians on their behalf. He also was a raging alcoholic and a womanizer and a generally perverted soul. The people in Texas would have freaked out if they knew how they were being “represented”.

The book of Acts shows that Peter has gone all around performing miracles by the power of God. Chapter 9 specifically stuck out to me…check it out…

36 There was a believer in Joppa named Tabitha (which in Greek is Dorcas). She was always doing kind thigs for other and helping the poor. 37 About this time she became ill and died. Her body was washed for burial and laid in an upstairs room. 38 But the believers had heard that Peter was neaby at Lydda, so they sent two men to beg him, “Please come as soon as possible”.

I am actually going to skip over the part that talks about the fact that Peter shows up and simply whispers into her ear, “Get up, Tabitha.”

Anybody could have whispered in her ear. In fact, I bet people were shouting to God for all to hear. Why did they go get Peter? Simple: He was a representative of Christ. The miracles that had been performed had made people put faith in a man that could heal. People generally run to the person with power to get them out of the tragedy they are currently experiencing. Peter did a really good job at deflecting that attention to the REAL source of power: God.

I went searching for more common threads.

In the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) we see that Jesus has gone all around performing miracles. It was his authority over sickness, death, circumstance…you name it…that’s what people were drawn to. In John 9, we find the story of Lazarus…check it out…

1 A man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany with his sisters, Mary and Martha. This is the Mary who later poured the expensive perfume on the Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair. Her brother, Lazarus, was sick. So the two sisters sent a message to Jesus telling him, “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.”

For these purposes, I am actually going to skip over the part that talks about the fact that Jesus shows us at Lazarus’ grave, rolls away the stone and shouts, “Lazarus, come out”! Healed.

Here’s the connection. People came running to Jesus because they knew he could perform miracles. He did it for his own glory and for the glory of his Father. People came running to Peter because they knew he could perform miracles. He did it as a representative of Jesus. The people didn’t think they could run to Jesus because he was not physically there, so they ran to a man that did the same things that Jesus did.

When Christ ascended to Heaven in Acts 1, we stayed behind as representatives of Jesus. It is now our charge to then deflect that glory to God. We are simply representatives of the same Jesus that the people were looking for in the Gospels. We represent the power and presence of God here on earth. When people come running looking for miracles, I pray that I will be able to whisper into their ear or shout at the top of my lungs “BE HEALED”! Not for my own glory, but for the glory of God.

After all, I am a representative of Christ to this world. I pray that I represent him well.