STAND (Week 4): From Refugees to Ambassadors

Standing in the Garden

John 18 opens in a garden—one that feels familiar. The first Adam stood in Eden and fell. The second Adam, Jesus, stood in Gethsemane and remained faithful.
He didn’t run from betrayal or hide from pain. Knowing what was coming, He went forward.

Obedience often costs something. For Jesus, it meant surrendering His own will. For us, it can mean forgiveness, humility, or letting go of control.
Obedience looks beyond pain and sees purpose.

True strength isn’t found in fighting to get our way—it’s found in surrendering to God’s way.

Standing Against Religion

When Jesus was brought before Annas and Caiaphas, He faced religious systems built on control and secrecy. Their motives were hidden, but Jesus said, “I have spoken openly to the world.”

Religion hides. Jesus reveals.
Religion protects its systems. Jesus restores people.

Faith isn’t meant to be managed behind closed doors—it’s meant to be lived in the light.
We don’t need permission to stand for truth. We need conviction. Truth doesn’t shift with trends or bend under pressure.

Standing Before Pilate

When Pilate questioned Him, Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight.”
That line changes everything.

Followers of Christ don’t stand to fight like the world fights. We stand in the victory that’s already been won.
While Pilate asked, “What is truth?”—the very Truth was standing right in front of him.

Truth isn’t relative or cultural. It’s eternal.
And it doesn’t need to evolve—it invites us to be transformed.

From Refugees to Ambassadors

Faith was never meant to be a spiritual refugee camp—a place we hide and wait for comfort.
It’s meant to be an embassy, a place of representation and authority.

A refugee camp shelters people from conflict.
An embassy advances the mission of its home nation.

We are not religious refugees hiding from the world. We are ambassadors of Heaven sent into it.
We stand not for personal safety but for global restoration.

Why We Stand

Jesus stood for the same reason we’re called to stand—because eternity is at stake.

The Great Commission doesn’t stop at salvation. It calls us to make disciples, not just converts.
Salvation opens the door. Discipleship transforms the heart.

Our purpose isn’t simply to be saved—it’s to be sent.
We’re called to represent God’s heart in every space we occupy: our homes, workplaces, friendships, and cities.

A Final Word

Jesus stood when it was costly. He stood in familiar places where betrayal waited.
And He stood not for His own deliverance, but for our redemption.

As His followers, we do the same.
We stand because we’ve been transformed—and we stand so others can be too.