Where do you live?

I realize that’s a simple question, but I want you to stop and think about your answer for a moment. Your immediate response might be to name a country or a city. You probably think of the spot on this earth where you wake up each morning and go to bed each night—the place where you keep your natural belongings.

But if you’re a believer, you need to think more deeply than that. You need to become aware of the fact that although you are in this world, you do not belong to this natural world’s order. You are a citizen of heaven. You are, even here and now, privileged to live in that kingdom.

That statement would startle many Christians. Religion has taught them that they won’t reach God’s kingdom until they die and go to heaven. But the Bible says we’ve already made the transfer.

Read More…

Where do you live?

I realize that’s a simple question, but I want you to stop and think about your answer for a moment. Your immediate response might be to name a country or a city. You probably think of the spot on this earth where you wake up each morning and go to bed each night—the place where you keep your natural belongings.

But if you’re a believer, you need to think more deeply than that. You need to become aware of the fact that although you are in this world, you do not belong to this natural world’s order. You are a citizen of heaven. You are, even here and now, privileged to live in that kingdom.

That statement would startle many Christians. Religion has taught them that they won’t reach God’s kingdom until they die and go to heaven. But the Bible says we’ve already made the transfer.

Because God dwells in us and among us, His kingdom is present with us right now.

Jesus said it this way:

Certainly, we will go on to the place called heaven when our bodies die or when Jesus catches us away. And that’s great because heaven is a wonderful place! It’s the headquarters of this great kingdom. But, thank God, since we’re already citizens of the kingdom now, we can enjoy many of the benefits of heaven right here on earth. We can live our lives in love, peace, joy, prosperity, health, and victory.

We can also bring those kingdom blessings to others who are still under the dominion of darkness. “If Christians can do that,” you may ask, “why don’t they?”

Mostly it’s because they haven’t been very aware of the kingdom of God. They have been so absorbed in the kingdom of this world— the world that they can see and touch— they haven’t given much thought to God’s kingdom. They’re so caught up in the busyness of this natural world and its demands, so familiar with its way of operating, that they’re practically strangers to the operations of the kingdom of God.

But we can change that, in the Name of Jesus! We can obey the instruction of the Apostle Paul who wrote:

By studying and meditating on what the Word has to say about the kingdom of God, we can become more and more kingdom-of-God minded. There is so much information in the Word about the kingdom of God, I could talk about it for hours—and I have. Brother Jesse Duplantis says I am the only preacher he knows who can preach on the same sermon for a year. But I can’t help it! That’s how long it takes to get through!

So all I can do is get you started. I challenge you to take up this study on your own from here. Get out your concordance and look up all the references to the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. I believe the New Testament uses them interchangeably. Let the reality of that kingdom get down in your heart so that you are aware of it every day.