by William Oldham
What a wonderful privilege it is to be a citizen of Heaven! What hope fills my heart, knowing that one day, I will set up residence in that heavenly country forever, leaving behind, a world of sin and sorrow. What comfort and joy I find, knowing that one day, I will join my friends and loved ones in that fair land. There we shall meet face to face, the One who loves us and Who brought us to that beautiful place—Jesus Christ.
Folks from every nation, tribe and tongue, who are united together in Christ, are fellow citizens of Heaven. “There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 Now, all who are in Christ, are citizens of Heaven.
However, we cannot enjoy the fullness of our citizenship while we are in these mortal bodies. Only when Jesus Christ comes for us, and we are given our new, heavenly bodies, only then shall we fully comprehend our citizenship. Until that Day, we are housed in a temporary, body of clay, and are “strangers and pilgrims” in this present world. But, we have the sure word of God to guide us in our earthly journey. Here we have a word from the apostle Paul:
“Above all, you must live as citizens of Heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Jesus Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies…” Philippians 1:27-28
In reading this Scripture, it becomes very clear that above all we may think or do, there is one thing of utmost importance to Jesus Christ—the faith of His Good News. He has committed into the hands of His citizens, He has commanded us to tell the Good News (the gospel) to whosoever we may have opportunity to do so; that must be uppermost in our hearts and minds.
The first word of the Good News of Jesus Christ is love; a love beyond all understanding; a love that would cause God to give His only begotten Son, whom He loved greatly, to an old rugged cross for the sin of the world—for sinners like me and you! It is a love that Jesus Christ would demonstrate by willingly giving His body to the nails and spear, and shedding His life’s blood for the likes of you and me. In love, Jesus laid down His life to give us forgiveness of sins and free us from all condemnation. This is the Good News Jesus wants the world to hear.
In order to keep this the main thing, and fight to proclaim it, the citizens of Heaven, living on earth, MUST stand together, with one spirit and one purpose. One spirit means the Spirit of love; the love of the Father and the love of Jesus Christ. When a person is born again, “…The love of God is shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.” Romans 5:4
Every citizen of Heaven possesses God’s love; but sadly, not every citizen practices it. If we refuse to love one another as Christ loved us, we lose our unity, His purpose is lost, and the Good News falls by the wayside; and the lost remain lost. “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you.” John 15:12
You may feed the poor, help the homeless, work on a disaster team, (which are all good things to do), but if you don’t love your brothers and sisters, the rest means nothing in Christ’s eyes. If you love this present world, the love of the Father is not in you. For the love of Jesus Christ, love one another with a genuine, sincere love, if in fact, you are a citizen of Heaven.
Brother Bill is a Bible teacher and can be contacted at bboldham@sbcglobal.net