Pathway to Heavenly Citizenship

Citizenship comes with many privileges. All of us are citizens of the country of our birth. These days we hear a lot about ‘Pathway to Citizenship’; when that finally happens, it will be a dream come true for millions of people. Apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, writes about another kind of citizenship-that of heaven. In his epistle to the Philippians, which he wrote during his Roman imprisonment, he made mention of it. Paul used his prison time, which was the result of his unwavering commitment to the gospel of Christ, to exhort the fellow believers through writings. 

He wrote four epistles during his Roman imprisonment-Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. These epistles have touched millions of lives over the centuries. The Church at Philippi was the first one of its kind in the continent of Europe. Philippi was a Roman colony named after Philip, the father of the famous Greek emperor Alexander. Apostle Paul had preached the gospel there a few years earlier and God had miraculously touched a woman by name Lydia, who became the first convert in Europe. Later a young girl who practiced divination was delivered and so was a Philippian jailer, who along with family came to Christ. Thus, a church was established at Philippi. You can read the details in Acts 16:11-40. 

Years later, while facing his Roman imprisonment, Paul exhorted the Philippian believers with these remarkable words, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4). Can you also rejoice like Paul, when everything is going against you? Yes, you can, if you know Jesus! 

Please note that Apostle Paul was a Roman citizen. Rome was the ruling empire of the day and its citizens had special privileges; no one could beat a Roman citizen before being condemned in a trial. “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, “Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman”. Then the commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes”. The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship”. And Paul said, “But I was born a citizen”. Then immediately, those who were about to examine him withdrew from him; and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him”.(Acts 22:25-29 ) From this passage, you can see the power of Roman citizenship during Paul’s time. Once they realized that Paul was a Roman citizen, they became extremely careful in their dealings with him. 

In addition, no one could execute a Roman citizen through crucifixion, the worst form of capital punishment in those days. Church history tells us that when Apostle Paul finally faced execution for the sake of the gospel, the Romans used a sword. But Apostle Peter was crucified, since he was not a Roman citizen. He supposedly had one final request- “Crucify me upside down; for I am not worthy to die like my Master”. His Roman executers granted that request, as per church history. (Please note that the mode of execution of Paul and Peter are taken from church history and are not mentioned in the bible)

So we learn that Paul was a Roman citizen which helped him greatly in many different ways. But in the epistle to Philippians’, he talks about heavenly citizenship; “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself”. (Philippians 3:20, 21) A great promise indeed! In these words, Paul refers to our heavenly citizenship. How can we obtain the heavenly citizenship? Our earthly citizenships can be obtained in more than one way; but there is only one WAY to get our heavenly citizenship. Jesus said to him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. (John 14:6) Just like we became citizens of our earthly country through natural births, we become citizens of heaven by a process of rebirth-known as being born again. 

We read about it in John 3:3-5. Jesus answered him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.” The water in this context refers to the Word of God and the Spirit, to the Holy Spirit. When you hear the gospel message that you are a sinner, and that Jesus Christ died in your place on the Cross of Calvary, the Holy Spirit will convict you of your own sins. When you genuinely repent of your sins, turn to God and accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you become a citizen of heaven. Moreover, the best part about the heavenly citizenship is this; that it is free. It is offered to you free, not because it is cheap but because it is priceless. It cost God everything; He gave His only begotten Son for you and me. 

While talking about heaven, many people get excited about its streets of gold and all the precious stones. However, the joy of heaven is not its gold and precious stones: it is Jesus, our Lord. The scars and the nail marks are still going to be on His glorious body when we see Him. What a great day will that be when we see Him face to face. After we accept Him as our Lord, we must eagerly wait for His coming. What will he do when He comes back? He will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself”. Can you foresee that day? A day when our lowly body will be transformed into the likeness of His glorious body! That is what is going to happen at the Second Coming of Jesus! But it is a benefit offered to those who are citizens of heaven. Dear friend, are you a citizen of heaven? Are you born again? If not, please pray this prayer now. “Dear Father in heaven, I am a sinner. I admit that I cannot earn heaven by my good works. I believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary for my sins. I believe that He rose again from the dead on the third day. Lord, wash me and cleanse me from all my sins by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. I receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior now. I want to live according to your WORD daily. Thank you Lord”

If you have prayed this prayer sincerely, your sins are forgiven and you are now a child of God. You are a citizen of heaven and a fellow citizen with God’s people. Please make it a point to meditate on the word of God daily. Attend a bible believing church and lead a holy life. Prepare yourself for His coming according to His Word. Speak to friends, family and people around you about the message of salvation through JESUS. Share a copy of this message with as many people as you can. May He bless you and your family richly. Never give up! Remember, with God all things are possible. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11)