Citizens of another country . . .

I read this week of a man who had an excess of ties, put them on e-bay and connected with a customer who wanted a certain one that was red, white and blue. The owner noticed it had a small stain and he didn’t feel right to sell it without cleaning it. In communication with the buyer, he found out that the man wanted the tie to wear to his swearing-in ceremony as a US citizen. The seller sent it to him, clean and free of charge.

Citizenship is important, especially to hundreds if not thousands of refugees who live in camps outside their homeland. Some left their country without much more than the clothes they were wearing. Many are Christians, persecuted and without papers to prove their citizenship. Our church has helped a few families out of those camps and into our country where they will eventually become citizens.

The Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen. This is an important part of his story. This status allowed several valuable rights such as the right to a proper trial before condemnation and punishment, the right to appeal to Caesar for justice and in event of the death penalty, execution by decapitation rather than crucifixion.

Arrested in Philippi, Paul used his rights of citizenship to gain respect from the local magistrates who mistreated them. The jailer told Paul, “The magistrates have sent to let you go. Therefore come out now and go in peace.” But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” The police reported these words to the magistrates, and they were afraid when they heard that they were Roman citizens. So they came and apologized to them. And they took them out and asked them to leave the city. (Acts 16:35–39)

Later, Paul was questioned about his status by a Roman captain in Jerusalem who told him he had purchased this coveted citizenship with “a great sum.” Paul replied, “But I am a citizen by birth.” At that, those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. (Acts 22:28–29)

When the Jews accused him before Festus, Governor of Judaea, Paul argued in his defense,

“Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar have I committed any offense . . . I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you yourself know very well. If then I am a wrongdoer and have committed anything for which I deserve to die, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges against me, no one can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.” (Acts 25:8–12)

My citizenship is important too, yet my boast and best defense is the citizenship God has given me . . .

For through (Jesus) we both have 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 members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18–22)

In Christ, I am a child of God and a citizen of His kingdom, a member of His household. The benefits of this status are almost more than I can count. One of them is in the above verse: with God’s people, we are a dwelling place for God!

Another plus of this citizenship is the promise and assurance of an eternal future, totally unlike those who have rejected Jesus . . .

For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself. Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. (Philippians 3:18–4:1)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, I belong to You, to Your family, Your kingdom. I am a citizen of heaven, even now as I live here on earth and serve as Your ambassador. Because of You, I can stand firm in this place, even on those days when I feel I’m in a refugee camp and do not belong. Thank You for such amazing grace!

The church is not a building or a business

The true church is first an organism, not an organization or a building. It is made up of those who believe in Jesus Christ and are reborn, translated from the kingdom of darkness and sin to become members of the Body of Christ. It is a mysterious organism where diversity can be unified, not under a creed but by the person of Christ Jesus. He gives each member the Holy Spirit and citizenship in what is called His Body, His household, His holy dwelling place.

For through him we both have 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 members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18–22)

Yet the church gets a bad rap. Not the organism, but the organization. As soon as the Body of Christ operates like a business or anything else other than what it is, that organic, life-filled distinction begins to blur and it does not function as God intended. 

For instance, North American business says “bigger is better,” but if the main concern of a local body of believers becomes its size, then godly joint citizenship and the reality of being a holy temple become secondary to the addition of more people. I’ve been in churches where adding members became more important than the biblical criteria for membership. It didn’t matter if a person truly believed. It didn’t matter that they had no saving relationship with God. Instead, all that mattered was that they showed up on Sunday. This desire for growth can also result in some odd marketing, like the church that offered free ice cream to everyone attending Sunday School. While a healthy local church should experience growth, its spiritual life is marred by putting growth over godliness.

Another organizational concern can be money. In some churches, the budget rules church policy. That is, every step taken, every program started, every leader hired (or fired) depends entirely on the amount put in the offering plate. Instead of planning ministry based on faith in God and the leading of the Holy Spirit (organic life), all that is done or not done depends on the budget. 

While this approach sounds like a solid business plan, it leaves out a key component of what God intends for the church — living by faith. It forgets that if God wants something done, He also supplies the resources to do it, even when we cannot see them at first. When God told Abraham, a man of faith, to take his son to a place of sacrifice, the lad asked, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham replied, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” Abraham trusted God, even when it looked like obedience meant disaster. Where is the faith of a church that insists on having all the resources first before stepping out in obedience?

In the above verses, the last line stands out. It says that in Christ, the members of His Body are “built into a dwelling place for God by His Spirit.” When the people in a church remember who we are, that we are both individually and corporately the dwelling place of God, then it becomes impossible to treat our union as a mere organization — with a business plan, budget, officials and volunteers. Instead, there is mutual love and respect with a believing focus on the plans and power of God — that He will build His dwelling into a most holy place.

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Father, the church as a universal Body of believers is a blessing. Wherever we go, we meet those with like mind and a love for Jesus Christ. Yet the local church can be a challenge. We are bombarded by the ideas of the world and the tricks of Satan. If a member is fooled by either, that one person can stir up trouble for others. Instead of loving one another, we can get caught in power struggles and conflict over ministry methods. You promised to build Your church. This day, I bring that promise back to You and ask You to continue in patience as You build in us a dwelling place for Yourself.