Acts 22:27-29 (NIV) The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,” he answered. Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.” “But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied. Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains.

Citizenship is important. There are certain rights and privileges that are only afforded to people who are citizens of this country. It’s so important that when Roman soldiers were about to have the Apostle Paul flogged and interrogated to find out from him why the Jewish leaders and others were so angry with him that they wanted to kill him and they found that he was a Roman citizen, that stopped them in their tracks. He went from being a nobody that they were going to beat and abuse at will to get him to talk to being somebody that they suddenly had a lot of respect for. The Roman soldiers, who were very cruel and uncaring about average people’s lives, suddenly became alarmed at the way that they had treated a Roman citizen.

If citizenship makes that much of a difference in this sin-scarred world, what would you imagine that the value of being a citizen of heaven is? Think for a moment of not only the place that you are a citizen of when you are a believer (which is heaven), but also think of who the ruler of that “country” happens to be. It is none other than the God of all creation. The ruler over not only the world, but of the entire universe. There is no higher authority than the authority of the Lord Jesus. His name is higher than every other name that is in heaven, and on earth and under the earth (Philippians 2:10). As a child of God, you are a citizen of heaven with all the blessings, rights and privileges that comes with that distinction. Although we are citizens of heaven while temporarily living in another country (this world), we have all the privileges that come with being a citizen of heaven. We have certain rights that non-citizens do not have such as protection, eternal life and immediate access not to a representative of the government there, but to the King and Ruler Himself, God!

As citizens of this country, we are expected to walk and act as citizens by living in an upright and responsible way. As citizens of heaven, how much more should we look to represent where we are from well? The Word of God calls us to live in a manner that is worthy of the calling that we received (Ephesians 4:1). That’s another way of God telling us to represent Him and heaven where He abides well by living an upright and holy life. Another one of the privileges of being a citizen of heaven is that each of us is given an Advocate (Helper) that comes to live in you to empower you to live a godly life as a responsible citizen. That is ours for the blessing of having been born (born-again) in a country (heaven) where God, who is loving, merciful and compassionate, reigns supreme. Citizenship is very important and citizenship in heaven is the most important of all because it is the only place where citizens will live forever and ever without trouble, sickness, sorrow or pain. Live righteously as a citizen of heaven so that others will see it and will desire to become a citizen of heaven as well.

Pastor Joey Vazquez