The focus of this series is being an ambassador for Christ, and everything He said about His kingdom and our citizenship is amazing. His kingdom is not of this world; He did not take it from this world nor can His kingdom be taken or conquered by this world. Jesus passed through the hands of those who sought to kill Him until the time came for Him to submit Himself to arrest (Luke 4:28-30; John 8:20, 13:31). On trial, Jesus reminded Pontius Pilate that he would have no authority over Jesus if it had not been granted by the Father (John 19:10-11). Jesus even passed in and out of rooms with locked doors after His resurrection (John 20:19; Luke 24:31).
God’s work in our lives has regenerated us by His Word, making us genuinely and eternally His children—brothers and sisters of Jesus, citizens and ambassadors of His kingdom. As ambassadors of the kingdom of heaven in a corrupt, materialistic world, we can begin to appreciate something like diplomatic immunity. We are aware of and experience the forces of the world around us but we are not subject to those forces. God has given us the life of His own Son, which transcends every means of the devil, the world, and our own flesh to take it away. We are not afraid of the world around us because love casts out fear. We cannot be manipulated by the threats, deceit, or harm from the world around us because God’s Word is light that exposes darkness and God’s Word conveys love that covers a multitude of sins. What genuine peace and liberty it is to be in the world but not of the world; to respect the laws of the community we live in but to freely serve a greater ideal as we extend knowledge of and benefits of citizenship in the kingdom of heaven.
Next week I will explain what the world around us thinks of religion and what the truth about religion is.