In the past few years God has been working in me. Well, that’s not news—he works in anyone who belongs to him. But recently, he has brought me to what I can only describe as an entirely different understanding of who I am. I’m sharing this with the congregation I serve this month in a series entitled “Not of this World”. (No, the phrase isn’t trademarked—Jesus got to it first)
So what does that mean?
The scriptures tell us that when we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior we become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven (Colossians 1:13: For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves…). That means we have a King. It is important to note that Jesus didn’t talk about the Kingdom only in future terms. It already exists. We’re already in it. He’s already the King. Now.
So, as a people who are obsessed with our own rights and freedoms, we find ourselves belonging to a sovereign King. Most of us (certainly me included) don’t begin this new relationship with any idea of what it means. We treat the King as we would our own leaders—if we like what they say and do, we support them. If not, well, that’s their opinion, we’ll do what we please.
But that doesn’t work in a kingdom. In a kingdom, it is the King’s opinion that counts. Not yours. Not theirs. Certainly not mine.
In a kingdom, obedience to the King doesn’t rest on how I feel—how I feel is irrelevant. He is the King. Period.
Takes some getting used to. Maybe that’s why so many in the American church don’t look or act like they belong to the King? Maybe that’s why we spend so much time expressing our opinions and feelings, fighting for our rights, and viciously putting down anyone who disagrees with us. We don’t know and often don’t care what the King thinks. We just aren’t very good at this King thing.
And perhaps that is why when difficult issues confront us—issues that threaten to separate us from our friends, our families, and most of all our comfort zones—we don’t do the one thing that is most important. We don’t ask, “What does my King say?”
This isn’t just an issue of how to live as Christians. It is the difference between actually being a Christian and simply being someone who says I’m a Christian. Christians live under their King. If I don’t, on what basis can I claim to be Christian? If I don’t, how can I say I’m not really of this world?
It takes practice. But the most important gift I’ve been given is citizenship in the Kingdom. I have a King!
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