By Pastor Luis.
This past weekend I was blessed to attend my oath ceremony for my citizenship, as I sat in the room in which I found myself surrounded by another 139 people that were there for their oath alongside me. I started to think that maybe this is how heaven will be like. There we stood from all peoples and all nations, ready to swear alliance to the United States of America and give up our previous identity to our country of birth. Then I thought, many people try to obtain this citizenship, many people die trying to get into this country, because as a Mexican expat I can say that the U.S has provided me with many opportunities that I would have not had if I was still living in Mexico. People are willing to die trying to get into this country that has been bless and just as the song says “America! America! God shed his grace on thee” for it is a country that its worth dying for.
But this brought the following thought, for us Christians we enjoy a citizenship that surpasses any nation on this earth, one that gives us rights and justice, one that gives us eternal life, but people are not lining up to become citizens of this great heavenly nation, on the contrary people reject the invitation to it, in a way it is baffling that a nation that enjoys of all the goodness of God, people would reject its invitation. God’s country is the only nation that sends its ambassadors to invite people to come and be part of it, but as Christians, we must ask ourselves the question, am I willing to die for people to come into God’s country? As my wife and I talked about this, I mention to her that the Kingdom of Heaven is like America but in reverse, people are willing to die to get to America, and people are willing to die to not get into the Kingdom of Heaven. America has a strict immigration screening process that one must go through in order to become a U.S citizen, the Kingdom of Heaven has an open border policy all are invited not just the Jew but the Greek and the gentile and thank God for that because I don’t think I would have passed that screening process.
On that day when we are all together with our Lord Jesus, I imagine that it will be like my oath ceremony where I stood alongside 139 others that were from all peoples and all nations, but instead of swearing allegiance to a flag, we will all praise the one that its worthy of all praise, singing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lam.
Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” Just as the words from this verse reminds us that we don’t belong to this world anymore, that our true home is in heaven with Jesus, lets us be good ambassadors for Christ, so that many may come and know him, and they too can enjoy the benefit of being citizens of the greatest kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.
My prayer this week is that we become better ambassadors of Christ, that we can live by our church motto, “To know Him and make Him known” so that many may come and be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Along this prayer keep our children and volunteers that are going to their summer camp this week, for them to have fun and be able to know Him, so that they too can make Him known to others.