Citizen

“I’m now whiter than snow!”

That was her statement just minutes before she and her husband were baptized in their home. Their story is remarkable.  Due to health issues, this married duo of 49 years have never been to attend our church, but they watch the weekly live broadcasts via the internet.   This past week, the Holy Spirit stirred their hearts as they tuned in to the service and after searching the Scriptures, they made a phone call to the church to speak with a pastor.  The end result, the wife surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and asked to be baptized.  The very next day, the husband called the church and said, “I want what my wife got yesterday!”   

That’s a great story isn’t it?  Due to the physical disabilities they are unable to attend our church to be baptized, so Kevin, our Executive Pastor, myself and a couple members of our video ministry went to them. Oh, did I mention, this is the first time any of us have met them?

There is a lot of talk in the news these days about citizenship, immigration and secure borders.  No matter your opinion on the issue, the good news of the Gospel is that no matter who you are, or where you are from, when you surrender to the Lordship of Christ, you are accepted into the citizenship of Heaven.  

I love the picture of heaven that John describes in Revelation 5:9-10,

And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.”

Isn’t that great?  Heaven is going to be filled with people from every ethnic group, all praising Jesus who purchased our redemption by His blood shed on Calvary.  Let’s look at these verses from the letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 2: 4-5,   

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2: 12-13,

…that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2: 19,

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

We praise Jesus for His great love and grace that calls us to Himself.  At the moment we reach up with faith to His amazing grace we are forgiven, adopted and made citizens in His Kingdom.

I invite you to join me each week at Connection Point Church beginning January 14th as we begin a new sermon series entitled, CITIZEN. If you can’t join us on campus, tune in online at yourconnectionpoint.com, facebook or download our app – CPCJackson on the app store.