I WAS BORN A CITIZEN

I am who you say I am. I have what you say I have.

As I take hold of Your Word – Let Your Word take hold of me.

As Your Word and action are as one – Let my word and action be as one with You

(These words so easy to say BUT to actually believe them and live them out is so much harder – We need a spiritual revelation to live them out.)

Ephesians 1:17-19 – Paul Praying –

¹⁷ Father we ask that You the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know You better. ¹⁸ We pray that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we may know the hope to which You have called us, the riches of Your glorious inheritance in Your holy people, ¹⁹ and Your incomparably great power for us who believe.

I WAS BORN A CITIZEN

Paul the Roman citizen

ACTS 22:19-27 –

¹⁹ ‘“Lord,” I replied, “these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.” ²¹ ‘Then the Lord said to me, “Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.”’ ²² The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Rid the earth of him! He’s not fit to live!’

²³ As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered that Paul be taken into the barracks. He directed that he be flogged and interrogated in order to find out why the people were shouting at him like this. ²⁵ As they stretched him out to flog him, Paul said to the centurion standing there, ‘Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?’

²⁶ When the centurion heard this, he went to the commander and reported it. ‘What are you going to do?’ he asked. ‘This man is a Roman citizen.’ ²⁷ The commander went to Paul and asked, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” “Yes, I am,’ he answered.  ²⁸ Then the commander said, ‘I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.’ ‘But I was born a citizen,’ Paul replied.

There were privileges; benefits; protection and responsibilities of being a Roman Citizen and that is why so many were willing to pay large sums of money to be one.

But here in this encounter with the Roman Commander, who had purchased his citizenship, you can hear and sense the gulf between the two as Paul declares, ‘But I was born a citizen,’

We as Christians did not buy our heavenly citizenship – an amazing price was paid, but not by us but by ‘The lamb of God – The Lord Jesus Christ’.  We were bought at a price and by faith and belief in Jesus we were spiritually born again – we were born citizens of Heaven – Born into the Kingdom of the Living God.

Let us look at some of the things the Bible says we are because of this new birth – WE ARE CITIZENS of HEAVEN – Philippians 3:20 NIV –

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

WE ARE PRIESTS (Revelation 1:5-6 NIV) –

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.

SO IF WE ARE PRIESTS WHAT ARE SOME OF The DUTIES WE HAVE TO CARRY OUT?

It was the Priests who carried the Ark of the Covenant of God representing the Presence of God. We carry the very presence of God; of Jesus; of the Holy Spirit in us

WE READ OF ANOTHER DUTY IN Deut 21:5 –

The Levitical priests shall step forward, for the Lord your God has chosen them to minister and to pronounce blessings in the name of the Lord and to decide all cases of dispute and assault.

The Priestly Blessing – Numbers 6: 22-27 –

The Lord said to Moses, ²³ ‘Tell Aaron and his sons (the Priests), “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ²⁴ ‘“‘The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace (Shalom – a Blessing)).’” ²⁷ ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’

So as Priests – Presence carriers of God; We are called to Bless the people; and We carry God’s Authority to do it – And His Promise – I WILL BLESS THEM.

Through this new birth we become Children of God and Ambassadors of Christ;

We become the Light of the world and the salt of the earth because we carry Jesus, who is the light and salt of the earth.

We are called, as recorded in Luke 10:5;9 –

Whatever house you enter, begin by saying, ‘Peace’ (speak the blessing of ‘Shalom’) to this house, this household.’ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’

I believe that the Kingdom of God was near because the disciples were carrying the Kingdom of God with them, it was in them.

I have just listed a few things, which the Bible says we are.

Let us pray that not only would we have a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that we may know the Father better BUT that we would also have a Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we would know the authority and power which we carry as Born Again believers in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 1:19ff –

That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ God exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the Church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Remind yourself everyday that:- ‘I am who you say I am’; that I am in Christ; Reminding myself is not mind over matter BUT Spirit over mind – Spirit over matter.

We want our spirits to inform our minds and not just our physical senses or emotions or circumstances – which can become more real than God’s Word to us.

Thoughts to ponder over the coming days:

Who, or what, is God putting in front of you that you can affirm and bless?

Who is God putting in front of you to whom you can show mercy?

Who is God putting in front of you with whom you can share the Gospel of the Kingdom?

What opportunity is God opening up for us as Brixham Community Church, to declare the Good News of the Kingdom in our area?

The Priestly Blessing – Numbers 6: 22-27 –

The Lord said to Moses, ²³ ‘Tell Aaron and his sons (the Priests), “This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: ²⁴ ‘“‘The Lord bless you and keep you; ²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; ²⁶ the Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace (Shalom – a Blessing)).’” (²⁷ ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’)