Citizenship

Looking through some old things, I found a booklet from a merit badge I earned in Boy Scouts. Its title is: Citizenship. It was also part of the Scout Oath: “On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country…” My dad was in the Marines, and my oldest Brother in the Army. Citizenship was woven into the fabric of our family. I was expected to know the importance of the flag and take care of it. As a teenager and young adult I was fortunate to be on a team that disposed of flags honorably, and repurposed some for vets. Today, my wife and I voted for Governor of our state along with some other local and state offices. Citizenship is still important to me. I think you should vote. It’s a privilege that’s exercised as an opportunity many in the world do not know. I’m not better because I was born in the United States, I am blessed though. This is where I share my citizenship. 

Citizenship is laced in and out of a lot of the scripture. David is still seen as the greatest King to the nation of Israel. They are a spiritual nation and a political nation. Their split country ushered in the ‘divided’ kingdom which further led to their demise. The title “Nation of Israel” is throughout the Old Testament from Moses until the New Testament. Even in the New Testament, specifically in Romans 8, we find instructions on how to obey the rulers over us (government). Jesus Himself gave instruction on taxes, obedience to the magistrates, etc. This is not a faux pas in the scripture… we are encouraged to be involved. 

Having said that, we also need to center in on a text that is all-encompassing. This text takes us from the Garden to the Grave of scriptural examples. It’s Hebrews 11. The entire thing is a conceptually-based teaching lesson on Faith. It has got to be the most holistic answer to the question of faith. We cover it a lot in discipleship, but today I think we need to zoom in on verses 13-15— “These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” They seek a country, but not one on this planet. It is a spiritual place called Heaven. That is where our real citizenship is. 

The text goes on to example several people who focused on their true spiritual citizenship. Much like Jesus’ statements in John 15, specifically in verse 19— “If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world…” We are in this world, but we are not of it anymore. We have been called to a new city, a new country, and a new King. Our citizenship has changed and it’s awesome! 

Hebrews 11 goes on to explain even more examples what Jesus said in John 15. It specifies the horrors they suffered, willingly, for the King of their kingdom. We have a citizenship we are willing to suffer and even die for. In the middle of the discussion, my favorite part pops out in verse 38 in a parenthetic clause— “…Of whom the world was not worthy…” This world and it’s citizens were not worthy of the very ones they thought they were hindering and destroying. In fact, no one destroyed them… they are still alive and more than well. This is not the end, not this election, not this world, not this nation. The end for us, is just the beginning. The rest of verses 38 says— “…they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.” Their home is not here, and neither is ours. My home is in Heaven with Jesus. And I am looking more forward to that, than this, every day. 

Paul said in Philippians 3.20— “For our conversation [life, lifestyle, behavior] is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:” Our focus, life, and purpose is in Heaven. Look up fellow citizens and don’t forget Who and where you belong to.