Citizens
Teaching Pastor; Staff Governing Elder; Staff Director
Citizenship is an identity issue. If we primarily identify as citizens of our earthly nation, then we fall prey to fear and anger—our hopes rise and fall with this world’s future. But if we live as citizens and priests of God’s Kingdom, we can have joy and freedom as we engage the world in his name.
Study Questions
Application
Fear and anger are symptoms of being over-attached to this world. Take some time to prayerfully consider what makes you fearful or angry, and ask God to turn your focus to building his Kingdom.
Consider the idea that living in a country where all our needs seem to be met makes it difficult to understand our need for Jesus. How have you seen that truth play out in your life?
Key Points
As the Church, we are a nation, citizens of God’s Kingdom. This means our identity is political, but our politics operate on a different spectrum than that of our earthly country.
We are called to engage the culture around us, living out God’s mission from the bottom up, not the top down.
Through the cross, Christ reconciled all nations and people groups to God. And the Church binds us all together into one new humanity.
Our number one mission is to build God’s nation—making disciples for the Kingdom supersedes our concerns for the city where we live.
There are two kingdoms, and our investment in one will inform how we interact with the other.