Citizenship

There have been lots of comments rolling in from the Religion is a Crutch for the Weak post. As with all posts, some people agree; others disagree. Conversation and wrestling with difficult issues seem healthy to me, so I invite you to join the conversation if you have not already. 

In light of the thoughts that have been expressed and a number of questions that I have been asked, I thought I might lay a few more of my cards on the table.

In the post blog thought section of Religion is a Crutch for the Weak I mentioned that as followers of Jesus, we must ask ourselves:


       Do we allow Jesus to determine what it looks like for us to         
       follow him or do we inform Jesus what it looks like for us to 
       follow him?

When it comes to following Jesus, I think it’s important to remember that Jesus does not and will not force us into any type of life. However, he does invite us into a certain type of life. A kingdom life. He invites us to become people who are ruled by a different king, who live under a different rule, who experience life under a  different system than the one that runs this world.

In 1 Peter 2:11, Peter says, “I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lust.”

In Ephesians 2:19, Paul says, “So then you are no longer strangers or aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the Saints and are of God’s household.”

In Philippians 3:20, Paul says, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly await for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

If what Peter and Paul are saying is true, this means that those who follow Jesus are citizens first and foremost of the Kingdom of God. Our citizenship lies here. Our lives, our views, our actions are all, above anything else, to be of the kingdom. For this is where true life is experienced at the richest, deepest level. If it is true that our citizenship is in God’s kingdom, then this also means that our earthly citizenship is no longer our primary citizenship nor is it where our allegiance lies. 


Many take these passages to mean that we are no longer ‘residents’ of this planet and we are just passing through trying to get to some kind of ‘heaven’. This, however, is a poor interpretation of Peter and Paul. For we have been created to dwell on this planet and this planet will be our home - even in the future age when God creates the new heavens and new earth - here - on this planet! So then, when Peter/Paul talk about being aliens/strangers in this world, they are talking about being aliens/strangers to the system by which this world operates and instead we are invited to live life according to the system by which God’s kingdom operates. In order to understand this more fully, the following chart might help. The following kingdoms are characterized by the following:

                   Kingdom of the World Kingdom of God

                             Hate  Love

                             Envy  Contentment

                             Violence  Peace

                             Oppression  Submission

                             Evil                                      Good

                             Selfishness                            Selflessness


As we begin to more deeply understand that these kingdoms stand in complete contrast to one another, we will begin to more fully grasp that we are invited to live lives that do not operate according to this worldly system. 

So, how might this understanding translate towards our thoughts on the killing of Osama bin Laden? According to Romans 13, it seems that God has placed governments in place to maintain peace. To execute justice. To protect citizens. We must remember that earthly governments might be put in place by God, but this does not make them Godly. Earthly governments, no matter how good they might be, are still worldly systems that do not operate according to Kingdom of God principles. That being said, every single government on earth is a kingdom of the world system and since this is true, there is no kingdom of the world system that I would rather live under than that of the United States of America. The U.S. government did exactly what any good worldly government system would and should do. They found the evildoer and executed justice. I am grateful that the U.S. government was relentless in their pursuit of this terrorist and did what it felt it needed to do to protect others in the world from evil.

But just as Romans 13 speaks of worldly governments, so Romans 12 speaks to the people of God - those who live under the rule of a different system, a different kingdom. Those whose citizenship resides in God’s kingdom. In Romans 12, Paul explains that those who are no longer citizens of the world’s system are now free to live according to God’s ways. And the way of God is that we would abhor evil and pursue goodness. Be devoted to love. Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Never take revenge. Feed our enemies and bless them.

Even though we understand that the government which we live under is working within what seems to be their God ordained right and we may be grateful that our government has worked to protect us, the question for us as followers of Jesus is still:

How do we respond in our hearts, words and actions to this news? 

Do you take comfort in knowing that there is one less mind out there today, plotting evil and destruction and death towards thousands of people? Most of us would probably answer, ‘yes.’ Do you feel peace because you live (if you live in the U.S.) in a country that will protect you? Perhaps, yes. Do you feel grateful that there are men and women who are willing to risk their lives to protect you? Perhaps, yes. It is my opinion and understanding that these feelings are probably okay and are in line with Romans 13.

The authority in place acted as good worldly authorities should. That is how systems of this world are set up to work until Jesus comes back. I believe that we can all be grateful to God that he does not leave us on this planet that is full of evil without placing systems in place to bring correction and to combat that evil.

That being said, for those who follow Jesus, we must remember and be formed by the fact that there is also another system that is already in effect. It is the system which followers of Jesus live by and within. This system is characterized by love, beauty, forgiveness, hope, awe, mercy, grace, kindness, graciousness, peace, hope and more.

So, as a citizen of this kingdom, the kingdom that we are actually invited into to experience life:

       How do you feel that a human life was snuffed out? Do you    
       feel God’s pain? 

       Do you feel the heart and grief of Jesus that a man who He 
       created in his image chose to walk a path that did not glorify or 
       reflect God’s beauty and glory on earth?

       Do you grieve over the fact that violence only perpetuates 
       violence and the cycle goes on and on and on?

       Do you grieve that this man whom God loves with all of his 
       life, might now never know the amazing gift it is to walk with 
       God and to share life with him?

       Is there a part of you that hopes this evil, violent murderer 
       found his way to the Creator of Love before it was too late?

If we cannot answer these questions with a ‘yes’, (and I believe that very few of us, myself included, can) then perhaps we could agree that religion is a crutch for those who are too weak to experience this kingdom life on their own. Perhaps we could make our way to Jesus and ask him to empower us to experience life more fully, as he intended, lives that are identified by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, beauty, awe, generosity, graciousness, grace, mercy, hope and more. Lives that understand that no one, not even our super awesome selves, is worthy of redemption, yet Jesus crushed death in order that all might experience this beautiful hope.

Finally, I did not personally lose a loved one in 9/11. If there ever comes a day when I am faced with this type of horror and terror on a more personal level, I pray for the grace of Jesus to empower me to actually desire to follow him through it. If you are one who has personally been affected by this type of horror or terror in your life and you are desperately trying to figure out this kingdom life, I do not know nor do I pretend to know what it is like to be in your shoes. I am deeply sorry. And I promise to pray that as you wrestle through what must be the darkest of days, that you would have glimpses of hope and light in your heart and that Jesus would somehow be real for you in this time.

Grace and peace.

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and join in the conversation. Agree. Disagree. Just be respectful of one another.

Working to Right What's Wrong in the World

Last year, a friend of mine began making purses called Umweo Bags. She sells these purses and 100% of the profit goes to providing food for malnourished children in Zambia, Africa. (Read her story here).

A different friend owns a boutique in New Orleans. Not too long ago, this store began to carry these Umweo Bags as a way to fulfill their larger vision of creating a better world for children to live in.

Umweo Bags sell for about $30 each. Recently, the store owner asked if they could have a 'one-of-a-kind' bag to sell for around $75. The logic here, as expressed by my friend, is that often times, when two women enter the boutique together, they will try to out buy or 'one up' one another. So, if one girl decides to purchase an Umweo Bag, her friend will be inclined to purchase the more expensive one-of-a-kind Umweo Bag in order to 'win'. Unfortunately, in this particular situation, the spending of more money to purchase a more expensive bag is not driven by the desire to feed more children, but is driven by a desire to be the winner.

It's an interesting place we live in, this land of America. I absolutely love the fact that I live in America, however I often wonder just how disconnected we really are from the rest of our brothers and sisters around this globe. To begin to truly understand and grasp the thought that today over 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water. And they won't tomorrow. Or the next day. To begin to grasp the fact that a child will die every 15 seconds today due to water related illnesses or for lack of food. (Stats)

There seems to be incredible irony that two women shopping today will try to outspend one another and due to their insecurity and selfish motives they will spend more money which in turn, will provide food for starving children.

But I do not wish to simply pass a flippant judgment against these women. Because I too am guilty of careless spending based off of my own insecurities and selfish desires. It's quite sobering and it makes me wonder, do I personally realize how dire the situation is on our planet? Am I personally allowing myself to be acquainted with the fact that brothers and sisters that I share this world with are in desperate need and that I can make their life and existence better by being transformed in my own heart to live a more selfless life?

How about you? What strides are you making towards becoming a more selfless person? What role are you playing in making this world a better place and better existence for the millions of people who are not currently experiencing 'better'? Perhaps, allowing ourselves to become acquainted with the reality of the situation would be a good starting point for many of us.

My friend is spending her free time making and selling Umweo Bags. Keep up the good work, friend!

Brian's World

My wife Kristy and I share the joy and privilege of raising 4 children…all boys.

Micah: age 4

Jonah: age 3

Nate: age 2

Lucas: age 6 months (obviously not in the pic)

Needless to say, with four small boys running around our home, there are many funny words and phrases uttered at any given moment. I love writing down these words and phrases and looking back on them when I need a good laugh. Just for fun, I thought I’d share a few.

“Nate, take the pizza off of your head!” – Brian

“Jonah, we do not put our head in the toilet!” – Brian

“God…food….amen.” – Nate’s prayer at the dinner table

“Jonah, there is no pooing in the tree house!” – Brian

“Daddy, can I go down the slide naked?” – Micah

“Jonah, we don’t climb on the dresser! Micah, we don’t push Jonah off of the dresser once he’s up there!” - Brian

“Daddy, can I pee on the fence?” – Micah

“Jonah, just pee on the fence!” – Kristy

“Mom, is my booty clean?” – Jonah

“Micah, we don’t sit on our brother’s heads!” – Brian

“Jonah, do not pee on your brother!” – Kristy

"Mom, is there poop in here?" - Micah to Kristy when she placed dinner on the table

…and then there’s my favorite…

“Hey Dad! Nate’s got a little weenie. Jonah’s got a little weenie. I got a big weenie!” – Micah

In response to Micah’s comment, I replied, “Micah, we don’t need to talk about each other’s weenies. Let’s talk about something else.” I could see the wheels in Micah’s head spinning and then he looked at me and said, “Let’s talk about snakes!”

….and to think…Lucas isn’t even talking yet.