Tag: theology

A Heavenly Citizenship

by Emily Rose MasseyDevotionals / DiscipleshipLeave a Comment on A Heavenly Citizenship

About fifteen years ago, there was a popular Christian apparel company called “Not of This World.” I used to own a few of their t-shirts and would often spot their NOTW logo on cars in my church’s parking lot where the merchandise was sold. The company’s name came from the phrase found in John 18:36 where Jesus says that His kingdom is “not of this world.” The NOTW logo on my t-shirt was a small reminder that although I live in this world, I am not of this world as a child of God, so my eyes need to be fixed heavenward. As a daughter of the King, I am a part of His Kingdom and ultimately, a citizen of heaven. Although I experience various trials and pain in this life, my eternal hope in Christ means that heaven is my true home where all suffering will cease. It’s important that no matter what is going on around me, that I fight to remember where my journey here on this earth leads. 

The Apostle Paul reminds the church at Philippi about this eternal perspective:

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Philippians 3:20-21, ESV).

Intersecting Faith and Life:

As believers, because of our faith in Jesus Christ, our names are written in the Lamb’s book of life- the paperwork needed for entrance into our awaited home in heaven. This heavenly citizenship means we are to be set apart from the world as believers. Does your language, dress, entertainment, etc. reflect your heavenly citizenship? What area of your life may look more like the world?

If Christ has saved you, He has given you the privilege of knowing Him and anticipating His full fellowship. The more time we behold our King, the more we become like Him and long to reflect Him to a lost and dying world. The world needs the hope of Christ, and we are to be carriers of that message that sets the captives free and gives them life eternal in Christ alone. We are to be eagerly fixated on the return of King Jesus, but all too often temporal, worldly desires have our gaze. We cannot allow the temptations of this world and our weak flesh to entangle us into bondage Christ gave His life to set us free from. We must pray and ask God to strengthen us so that we do not give into these temptations and worldly desires. He always provides a way of escape from these temptations, and we must trust that He will never lead us astray. His ways are so much better than ours!

While here on earth, we can enjoy a small taste of glory as we become conformed to the image of Christ, by God’s grace and the power of the Spirit. The Christian life is the process of growing in Christ-likeness- transformed through sanctification. The path of transformation leads to an eternity of transformation. Our bodies will be transformed from our humble state into the conformity with the body of His glory. As believers, we joyfully submit to Christ’s Lordship in all things in our life. In the end, Jesus Christ reconciles all things to their right place; He sets all things right by the authority and might of His power. When the world gets dark, let’s remember to fix our gaze on our heavenly home that awaits us!

Further Reading:

  • Ephesians 2:19-20
  • Colossians 3:4-5

Tagged : / / / / / /

Ordinary Discipleship

by Emily Rose MasseyDevotionals / Discipleship1 Comment on Ordinary Discipleship

My church prides itself on being a “disciple-making church.” As members of this church, we are encouraged to take personal spiritual responsibility for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Our church has even come up with its own definition of discipleship for us to help us remember this important task set before us as believers: “Disciple-making is the privilege of every believer to purposefully exemplify in oneself and reproduce in another, through the vehicle of an intimate Christian friendship, measurable, spiritual progress.”

Although my church puts an emphasis on discipleship, this privilege of making disciples isn’t just for one particular church, group of people, or for the clergical elite. Christ has called all of His followers into a life of discipleship. We see this in what’s called “The Great Commission” in Matthew 28:

“And Jesus came up and spoke to them [the 11 disciples], saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you [f]always, even to the end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20, NASB).

We have been given a deployment from our King: Go and make disciples! 

Intersecting Faith and Life:

What is a disciple? A disciple is one who learns, obeys, and lives out what they have been taught. This person is teachable (not prideful) and responsible. A disciple of Christ trusts His teaching and longs to obey Him and follow Him. By God’s grace, a disciple of Christ makes an intentional and purposeful effort to walk in repentance and faith every single day. When Christ followers take the command of making disciples seriously, they see a life filled with relationships where hearts are knit together with those who love the Lord just like they do. Brothers and sisters in Christ who are intentional about discipleship will experience joy and progress in their faith as they learn how to spur each other on in the faith (Hebrews 10:24-25) and encourage one another when one’s trust in Christ is lacking. Discipleship happens within the ordinary days that we are blessed with here on this earth. It’s doing life with brothers and sisters and pointing them to God’s Word where minds are renewed, and lives are transformed to look more like Christ. There are over 60 “one another” passages in the Bible that encourage believers to live out. Some examples are “love one another,” “honor one another,” and “be devoted to one another.” We cannot do that without the help of the Holy Spirit, so our reliance on Him is crucial if we want to make disciples and grow spiritually together. 

One does not need to be a scholar or an excellent theologian to be able to make disciples; They simply need to trust in the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ and live a life of repentance and faith in Him, abiding in Christ and reaching to know Him more through spiritual disciplines such as Bible study and prayer. This deep love for Christ begins to overflow and affect those all around us, as we learn to love Christ and love one another (a strong vertical relationship leading to strong horizontal relationships). A mature disciple committed to a relationship with Christ focuses on personally worshiping Him, walking with Him, working for Him, and witnessing of His power and mercy. That person will experience significant growth in personal sanctification and therefore, will experience a closer personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as they become “mature in Christ” (John 15: 4-5; Colossians 1:28). We should be committed to multiplying these godly characteristics in others, by God’s grace, as we grow closer to Christ together, representing Him to the world. This multiplication of ministry is key to the healthy growth of the church as we seek to obey Christ and make disciples to see the gospel advance and His Kingdom spread, all for God’s glory. 

Further Reading:

  • Matthew 4:19
  • Matthew 10:37-39
  • Luke 14:25-27

Tagged : / / / / / / / / / /