I AM A CITIZEN OF HEAVEN – PART 1

In an interview with Kevin Costner concerning his movie Dragonfly, Holly McClure asked Costner if he believed in heaven. He replied: [I desperately want to! I mean, I really want to believe that a part of me will continue on after this life and that there is more to me and to this life than just what is here on earth. Yes, I want to believe.] If you are a Moshiach Follower, heaven is real and you are going to go there and the really fantastic news is that you already placed your citizenship there the moment you placed your trust in Yeshua. There are three issues surrounding our heavenly citizenship that I believe will be productive for us to explore together:

1 – Our Dilemma:
While we are going to look at some great news, we need to understand that the fact of our citizenship causes us a bit of a dilemma. First, let us look at the fact that:

A – We Are Citizens of Heaven:
There are two scripture passages that clearly teaches us this fact: For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, Adonai Yeshua Moshiach -- Philippians 3:20. …and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Moshiach Yeshua -- Ephesians 2:6. What is important for us to notice here is that this is a present reality. [We are citizens of heaven…]; [We are seated with Him in the heavenly realms.] The Word of YHVH is not referring to something in the distant future; it is talking about the here and now. This is a breathtaking truth that should change our perspective on the way we view ourselves and our relationship with YHVH. We are very specifically told in these verses that Yeshua lives in heaven and we are told that where Yeshua is, we are; not will be, but are presently. You do not become a citizen of heaven the day you die; it takes place the moment you give your life to Yeshua Moshiach. This is great news for us, but it does cause a bit of a dilemma. Why? Because while we are citizens of heaven…

B – We Are Present in This World:
While I have some fond affection for this world, I have to admit to you that when I look out my window each morning, I don’t get the feeling that I am in heaven. The reality of our situation is that while we are presently citizens of heaven, we still live here on earth, with the struggle, sin and other results of a fallen world. You might get up early tomorrow morning and have a great quiet time, spending time alone with YHVH in prayer and reading His Word. You finish that time understanding what it means to be a citizen of heaven and then 20 minutes later you are on the road to work, someone cuts you off and your focus has entirely changed. We, in some ways, have dual citizenship; we are both here and there, of this world and not of this world. And this is where the dilemma comes in, how can I live like a citizen of heaven, while still living in this present world? How can I maintain my focus as a Moshiach Follower and still function in the here and now? Let me try to answer that by examining the second issue:

2 – Our Duty:
Just as a soldier in the military has a certain duty that he or she is responsible for, we also have a duty to perform as followers of Yeshua Moshiach. YHVH has given us clear instruction on how to live as citizens of heaven while we are still living in this present world.

A – To Live in the Eternal Now:
Until we accept the fact that our citizenship in heaven is a present reality, we are going to struggle over our dilemma in a way that is entirely unnecessary. I have no doubt that the main problem that keeps us from focusing properly on who we are in Moshiach, is a refusal to fully accept what Moshiach has done for us. We have believers that have accepted a life of defeat rather than the life of victory that YHVH has Promised. When I use the phrase [live in the eternal now], I am referring to having a mindset that knows with out a doubt that we are beings that will live forever, that we are not only bound for heaven, but we are, in certainty, already a part of heaven. To live in the eternal now means that we live in the continual flow of Promises that YHVH has blessed us with. We have been born again, we have been made new, we have been changed from the inside out, but we have to train our minds to constantly recognize these facts. And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after YHVH is Created in righteousness and true holiness. -- Ephesians 4:23-24. YHVH recreated us in His Likeness when we pledged our lives to His Son. He now teaches us how to live like people who know and understand the new nature that He has given to us. But the full effect of this will only take place when we recognize our place as citizens of heaven.

B – To Reject Ungodly Values:
Back when I was in high school, I worked part time during school holidays in a small factory that made tables that could be used as a nightstand. The tabletops would come down the assembly line where we would sand them, hot glue brackets, screw them in place and also put studs in the pine legs. Each person would do his or her part; put the table back onto the line where it would be picked up by the next person who would do his or her part. The last person in line would put the whole works in a box to be shipped. This last person had the job of quickly examining each table for any flaws and if there was a problem with any of them, they would be placed on a reject pile. We knew what a quality table should look like and if one of the tables coming down the line did not live up to that standard, it was rejected. Now when we as Moshiach Followers look at what the Word of YHVH tells us about heaven, we learn that it is a place with out sin, a place where YHVH dwells, a place where all is at Peace, Love is shared freely and complete unity is experienced. What we have to do as our duty is compare our current life with the life of heaven. And we will find that there are many things about life in this present world that do not meet the test of heaven and it is those things that we throw on the reject pile. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the Love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. -- 1 John 2:15-16. It is difficult to live as a citizen of heaven, when I have become enamoured with the things of this world that cause me to live like a citizen of hell. My duty as a believer is to reject anything in my present life that YHVH would not allow me to bring with me into His presence. It is really as simple as that. If I am in Love with YHVH I will train myself to always be thinking of Him in everything that I say, do and act upon.

C – To Build the Kingdom to Come:
I once lived in a small town that wanted to always remain a small town. When Shoprite [Grocery Store] wanted to put a store there, the town council turned them down. Almost anything that would bring growth they rejected because they wanted to maintain the small-town atmosphere. Now there is nothing wrong with that, most of the people that lived there did so specifically because that was the type of place they wanted to live. But as citizens of heaven, we take the opposite approach. We want to fill heaven up with as many citizens as we can find. If what YHVH has given me is as great as I claim it is, then I am going to spend much of my time trying to give others access to what YHVH has given to me. Our duty, [and I mean every one of us] as citizens of heaven, is to bring as many along with us as we can. Now if we will concentrate on doing the three things I have described: Living in the Eternal Now; Reject ungodly values and Build the Kingdom to Come, we will be well on our way to solving the dilemma of being citizens of heaven, while living in this present world.