Kingdom Living ...

Are you guilty of just laying bricks when you should be building a temple? Do you see the big picture, in other words, do you know what you're doing and what you're called to do? When you're on the job do you see yourself as doing God's will? You will never see a monkey building a temple because they do not have the consciousness of God and are oblivious to God?  We are called to a higher purpose to know God. If we do not worship God we will worship someone else. 

In God's economy, the way up is down and we get filled by being empty.  We are never poor when we belong to God who cares for us and looks out after our needs.  he is our Provider: "The LORD shall provide!"   There always is success when we know God because God is the one who causes us to grow and to be blessed.  He is the One "who causes to be...." God doesn't call us to success (however, he prospers us in doing his will) in the world's eyes but to faithfulness; well done, thou good and faithful servant!  We are members of a new kingdom when we belong to God we've been translated from the Kingdom of darkness and evil and slavery to sin into God's freedom be it free from the power of sin able to serve God in the Spirit.  

Now we can bear the fruit of the Spirit which we could not do before this is a given as we are filled with the Spirit. Our citizenship is of Heaven but it is dual citizenship because we are also citizens of our earthly country God's citizenship is the most important and defined we must realize that all good things come from God who is a supreme good and we measure all good things by God's standards not ours. There are many fringe benefits to knowing God and being in God's kingdom we have security or salvation and we can know for sure that we are saved and going to heaven.  We have the right to be called the children of God! 

We also know that God is protecting us from evil and the evil one cannot touch us we know that we can have power over sin we're not the slaves of sin anymore and we know that our past is forgiven and neutralized and will not haunt us or give us a kelp trip anymore we are free from any such psychological disorder. And we have a sure foundation in Christ to live to build upon and our hope is secure in Christ for our salvation is secured also in heaven.  Let's realize we were dead in our sins with a dead spirit but now we are alive and made able to know God and experience him or counter him in our daily life.

It is so easy once we are Christian to go back into slavery and to be entangled again in the yoke of the Law.   We must realize we are free from the Law and no longer obligated to obey it but we obey the Spirit and are subject to God's will which we can know because we have the Spirit.  Our righteousness is God's gift to us, not our gift to him.  It is of God through faith in Christ not because we do the works of the law let's remember that the letter of the law would kill in the spirit of the law gives life we must remember some people think that they just obey the letter law that justifies down there they don't forget the spirit of the matter. 

Jesus died to set us free from this slavery and break the dividing wall that separates us from the Jews in their yoke of the law.  Our yoke is in Christ and the love of Christ constrains us now, and Christ's yoke is easier than the law which was a heavy burn that even the Jews could not carry We must realize that kingdom living is a privilege and an honor there are many fringe benefits and we should be honored even to suffer for Christ and fulfill his sufferings to be a blessing to others as we are salt and light we are here to be a blessing to others after we get saved not just to bless ourselves. 

We died and our life is hidden with Christ in God we are salvation to beat the no Christ better to love him better and to serve him better. Our faith must grow we go from face-to-face and they grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ as we do good works and have very good works that bring forth and strengthen our faith. If we have doubts, they can be resolved we must doubt our doubts not doubt our faith doubt is not the opposite of faith but an element of it is just as certain as antibodies to bodies.  We are all united in Christ, we are one in Christ with no class of people to separate and there is no dichotomy.

There is no class system, in other words, no nationality we're all equal we're all one in Christ, no male no female, no poor no black or white.  God sees us all as family and we are adopted as his family and equals, therefore, we are all united and want only because Christ did this and reconciled us all to God as his family.  Therefore, we must not find fences and walls but build bridges to unite people.  We're a lot alike spiritually which means we see life with a whole whole new attitude and a whole new perspective or outlook. Our eyes were opened,  the eyes of our understanding and hearts.

We are not only citizens of our country or nation but of heaven itself, which should be even more real to us as we live day to day in the light of eternity. We have responsibilities to both but heaven takes priority. Paul said he was the citizen of no obscure city in Acts 21:39 and claimed to have been born a citizen of Rome. He also says we are all "fellow citizens with the saints" and that "our citizenship is in heaven. " (cf. Phil. 3:20).

It was said of a great missionary that when he arrived home at the same time as Pres. Teddy Roosevelt returning from Africa, got a ticker-tape parade down Broadway in New York City, and he was depressed that no one welcomed him home. God told him, "You aren't home yet!" Don't get so comfortable in this world that you aren't ready to meet the Lord in the air at the rapture--Matthew Henry said we ought to live each day as if it's our last, but we really ought to always "love His appearing," and look for His coming per Heb. 9:28 instead.

Why are we dual citizens? So that we can represent Christ on earth and do His bidding and divine will according to Plan A of the Father (God has no Plan B!). God does not need any other plan. Paul called us ambassadors in 2 Cor. 5:20 and ambassadors are the spokesmen for a state and have the legal authority to speak on its behalf. We speak for Christ and are commissioned to bring the gospel to the whole world and be His representatives in this evil age. God has interests that we are to look out for and we are responsible according to our time, talent, money, relationships, blessings, resources, and opportunities to serve Him the best we can.

But it is Christ who lives and works through us, it is not of our own power ("'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD," --Zech. 4:6), for we can do nothing apart from Christ (cf. John 15:5). Paul said in Romans 15:18, ESV, "I venture not to speak of anything, but of what Christ has accomplished through Me." Isa. 26:12 (ESV) says, "[You] have done for us all our works." This means all we have accomplished God has done through us and used us as vessels of honor to accomplish His will.

The territory that ambassadors reside in is considered sovereign to the nation they represent, and in analogy, our property belongs to God and He considers any infringement on it as an attack on Him from Satan. Churches are like oases where Satan has no authority! Like Christ said, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am" (cf. Matt. 18:20). In sum, don't get too comfortable--we're not home yet!    Soli Deo Gloria!