Today we continue our new series entitled, “Heaven on Earth,” by teaching on God’s Kingdom.
Yesterday we looked at Ephesians 3:17-20 where the Apostle Paul contrasted the way people who are citizens of this world live and the way we, as citizens of heaven are supposed to live. He said, “Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul’s point is that we are supposed to live different once we are Born-Again. Once we have pledged allegiance to God and we receive citizenship from heaven, the change in our status should also carry over to a change in our conduct.
In the actual “Lord’s prayer,” which is the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17, our Lord said the following: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.” (John 17:15:16). Jesus was IN the world, but He was not OF this world. He said the same about us!
In Paul’s second letter to the believers in Corinth, as he was teaching them to live new lives in Christ, he said: “When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world… the old is gone, the new has come… Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. So we are his ambassadors, sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us.” (see 2 Cor 5:16-20). Once you are Born-Again everything is supposed to be different. You are no longer a citizen of this world. You are a citizen of heaven, and just like Jesus reconciled the world to the Father, we are sent out as Ambassadors from heaven to reconcile the world to God.
So what does this mean to you today? A will share a few thoughts around the theme: A New Way To Live!
1. I shared with you yesterday that my wife and my mother became citizens of the United States by pledging their allegiance to this country. Once they did, they received new citizenship and they were NO LONGER citizens of the countries of their birth. So today, when my wife visits Dominica, where she was born, she is actually just visiting. She is no longer a citizen of Dominica. She is a citizen of the United States, visiting there. When she goes, it is obvious to everyone there that she does not live there anymore. She looks and sounds like U.S. now. She is different, because her citizenship status changed and she has embraced the culture of her new nation. Let me further drive home this point. If my wife visits Dominica and something happens to her while she is there, it is actually an international incident. The United States can intervene and send people to bring her home, because she is now from HERE and not from THERE. I am taking my time to drive home this point so you can get the picture of what happened when you were Born-Again. Heaven is now your home. Your citizenship is THERE and not HERE. When you go back into the world, you are actually VISITING. You are IN the world, but you are not OF this world. If something happens to you down here, it is an international incident. Heaven will send angels and resources to get you out of whatever this world is trying to do you, because you are one of its citizens! Do you get it? Once you get this truth down in your heart, it changes everything!
2. You are in this world, but if you are Born-Again, you are not OF it. You are a citizen of heaven living in this world as an Ambassador from above. You are down-here to represent up-there.
3. You are sent from God daily to represent His Kingdom agenda on this planet. You are called, appointed and anointed to display heaven on earth.
4. Once you are Born-Again you are a Kingdom citizen, but you may not understand how to live like one. This is why you must to to church to hear sermons and attend Bible Studies. You go to church to learn how to live the reality that is already yours. These are some of the things you should learn in church:
a) You learn the culture of your new Kingdom. In heaven the culture is HONOR. You learn how to HONOR people for whom God has called them to be. You also learn to HONOR yourself and the call of God on your life.
b) While HONOR is the culture, FAITH is the currency. You learn how to make an exchange in God’s Kingdom. You do this by faith. You learn to use your faith to access God’s grace. Your faith lays hold of what God has already provided.
c) HONOR is the culture, FAITH is the currency, and LOVE is the foundation. As a citizen of heaven, you have to learn how to live in and by LOVE. Faith works by love (Gal 5:6). Without love, nothing you do matters (1 Cor 13).
I will stop here for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for making me a citizen of heaven. I can now say that I was BORN HERE, but I am not FROM HERE anymore. I am FROM heaven. I am IN Your Kingdom. I am IN this world, but I am not OF this world. Heaven is now my home and I represent You daily on this planet. I am not concerned about going to heaven when I die. Heaven is already my home. My focus is on bringing heaven to the earth every day of my life! My life is a demonstration of heaven in this world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
