Our Citizenship

Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,

As an international church, not only is IBCZ made up of people from many different countries, but some have dual citizenship.  For instance, some of you retain your citizenship in your home country, but have also acquired Swiss citizenship.  

That is actually true for all of us.  We are citizens of this world – specifically of our home country – and citizens of heaven at the same time.  Paul wrote in Phil. 3:20-21, “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”  Of course, Paul is affirming that because we belong to Christ, we will spend eternity with him in the heavenly kingdom.  He will even change our physical bodies to be like His glorious body – a body that will last perfectly forever.

But just because our true citizenship is in heaven, that does not mean we are unconcerned about this world where the needs are so great – people suffering physically, financially, emotionally, and relationally from Covid 19, injustices of many kinds, broken families, feelings of despair, etc.  We are not simply waiting to go to heaven when we die.  Rather it means that for however long we should live in this world, we live by the values of heaven, seeking to bring God’s purposes to pass for this world that has strayed so far from Him and His ways.

Scripture makes clear what this kind of life looks like.  It includes things such as love, justice, mercy, and compassion.  It means we care for those who are overlooked by this world.  It means we are growing in Christ-like character so we can have a Christ-like influence on those around us.  Of course, it includes proclaiming through our words, actions, and lifestyle the good news of God’s love and forgiveness through Christ.

Jesus taught us to pray: Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  God could just bring that to pass by His own power; instead He chooses to work through us as we live out our heavenly citizenship right here and now.  What a privilege we all have!  Let us commit ourselves to be this kind of people and this kind of church.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Bob 

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