Citizenship

4th of July is upon us.  Time for fireworks, cookouts, and honoring the greatest nation in the world, our home on earth, America.  

All of us at one time or another have taken the pledge of allegiance - whether it's at school, boy scouts, girl scouts, or in a local civic club.  We should all know it by heart.  It goes:  "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God....."  One nation under God.  It clearly states, we are UNDER God. He is our authority.  

So I ask all of us:  we recite the pledge of allegiance, yet where is our primary allegiance?  Is it to God, our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord?  Or is to our country?  Is it to political power or a political party?  Where does your primary allegiance lie?  

I'm thankful I'm a citizen of this country.  I hope you are too.  Yet do you have citizenship in heaven?  Do you realize you are here for a season of your eternal life and will one day depart for (hopefully) your home country.  We can easily fall into the trap of this time, place, and country being our true home.  It is not.  Heaven is.  

Our preaching series right now is:  "Alternate Reality - life by the Spirit."  Believing and living like heaven is your true home is living in an alternate reality to many here and now.  Yet it is to this that we are called.  We can only live in this reality through Jesus Christ, "in Him we have our access in one Spirit to the Father.  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens , but you are fellow citizens with the saints and are of God's household" Ephesians 2: 18-19.  In Christ, you gain a new citizenship, a new home, and begin living in a new, BETTER reality - life in the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, 4th of July weekend, we'll talk about where our true citizenship lies, if we have it, and how to get it.  I hope you'll be able to worship with us and invite someone who needs to see the love of Christ and the power of His Holy Spirit.  

May God bless you and this great nation we're blessed to live in, until we journey to our true home.