Living as Kingdom Citizens: Embracing Our Heavenly Identity | Deep Dive Week 6

The Tension of Living as Kingdom Citizens

"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our lowly condition into conformity with His glorious body, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself." - Philippians 3:20-21 (NASB)

Kingdom Citizens in a Foreign Land

In Pastor Brad's powerful conclusion to the "Thy Kingdom Come" series, we were reminded of something we don't often think of: we live in the tension of being citizens of two worlds. Like Paul wrote to the Philippians, "our citizenship is in heaven," yet we remain fully present in this earthly realm. This dual citizenship creates what theologians call the "already-not-yet" paradox of Kingdom living.

When I reflect on "This tension isn't a problem to solve but a mystery to inhabit" - I'm struck by how often I try to resolve this tension rather than embrace it. I want everything to fit neatly into categories: either the Kingdom is here now, or it's coming later. But Scripture reveals a more nuanced reality.

The Kingdom disciplines we've practiced throughout this Lenten season - repentance, prayer, fasting, giving, stewardship of time, and Scripture reading - aren't meant to help us escape this tension but to equip us to live faithfully within it. They're practices that form us as Kingdom citizens while we navigate life in a world that operates by different values.

The Mystery of Kingdom Living

Living in this tension means experiencing moments of profound Kingdom reality - glimpses of healing, reconciliation, justice, and love breaking through - while also encountering the stubborn persistence of brokenness in the world and in our own hearts. As Paul writes in Romans 8:22-23, all creation "groans and suffers" while we wait for the complete fulfillment of God's redemptive work.

This mystery invites us to hold two truths simultaneously:

1. The Kingdom is already here, breaking into our world through Christ's resurrection and the presence of the Holy Spirit

2. The Kingdom is not yet fully realized, awaiting Christ's return and the complete restoration of all things

Rather than seeing this as a contradiction, we can embrace it as the sacred space where faith thrives. We pray "Thy kingdom come" precisely because we believe both in its present reality and its future fulfillment.

Practical Kingdom Living Today

How do we live as Kingdom citizens in the everyday moments of our lives? It looks like:

• Choosing reconciliation over retaliation when relationships fracture

• Finding contentment amid a culture of constant consumption

• Being fully present in a world of endless distraction

• Maintaining hopefulness when cynicism seems more reasonable

• Having the courage to speak truth when silence would be easier

Each of these choices embodies the upside-down values of God's Kingdom, where "the last will be first" and we're called to "love our enemies." These aren't just nice ideals but practical expressions of our heavenly citizenship.

Our Heavenly Ambassador Role

As Kingdom citizens, we serve as ambassadors of heaven in a foreign land. Our communities become "embassies of heaven, outposts of the future God is bringing," as Pastor Brad beautifully described it. Through our lives, others catch glimpses of God's coming Kingdom.

This doesn't mean withdrawing from the world but engaging it with kingdom values. It means living in such a way that our lives raise "beautiful questions in a watching world." When we practice generosity in a greedy culture, demonstrate forgiveness in a vengeful society, or show sacrificial love in a self-centered world, we're revealing the reality of our heavenly citizenship.

As we conclude this Lenten journey, may we continue to embrace the beautiful tension of Kingdom living, not as a problem to solve but as a mystery to inhabit. May we live as faithful citizens of heaven while being fully present on earth, allowing God's Kingdom to break, through us, into this world.

Join us next Sunday for Palm Sunday as we begin our Holy Week journey, celebrating Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of the most important week in history!