Very vital to maximizing our relationship with God and living a life of the Kingdom on earth is understanding the concept of citizenship. We are not only children of God, we are also citizens of His Kingdom.
If you don’t stand in your rightful place as a citizen, you will miss out on a whole lot that God is offering.
The Kingdom Concept of Citizenship
We are citizens because there’s a Kingdom. A kingdom is not a religion and it is not a democracy. It is the governing influence of a king over a territory, influencing that territory with his will which forms the culture of the people. It is centered around a king. If you don’t understand the concept of the Kingdom, read the following posts before this one.
According to Dr. Myles Munroe, a “citizen” is someone who owes allegiance to a government and who is therefore entitled to receive protection from mistreatment and also to enjoy special rights and privileges that come with citizenship.
A citizen is automatically connected with the seat of power of his government. That is why people want to become citizens of successful and wealthy nations; once you are a citizen you can expect your life to improve.
Citizenship Vs Membership
Because God is the King of a Kingdom, not the founder of a religion, His people are not members. There’s a big difference between being a member of a society and a citizen of that same society.
Citizenship comes with more guarantees and privileges than membership does, along with specific responsibilities. Citizenship is a legal position. Membership is more of an accommodation.
You can apply for membership in a club and they can decide whether or not to accommodate and include you. They can also decide to de-member you, making you a non-member. But once you are a citizen, no one can take away your citizenship just because they don’t like you, not even the government.
Having legal citizenship entitles you to certain rights, and those rights do not depend on feelings or emotions; they depend on much more powerful things: position and law.
Declaring Independence From God’s Kingdom
Now even though a country will not remove your name from the citizenship rolls, a citizen can remove his name if he or she chooses. In any kind of kingdom, that is called rebellion, and it happens all the time.
A declaration of independence results in the loss of citizenship. You may not even know what you are doing, but the result is the same. If you change your mind, you may decide to seek citizenship again, and you may eventually be
repatriated. But it will not be easy to regain your citizenship once you have lost it.
In God’s Kingdom, you also lose your citizenship by declaring independence from God and choosing to do things your way.
Citizens of God’s Kingdom Have Dual Citizenship
Even among earthly countries, it is possible to have citizenship in more than one country. When this happens, the person usually tilts to the culture and government that holds more promise for them.
As citizens of God’s Kingdom, we have both our citizenship with God and citizenship with the earth. But we must make sure we make our heavenly citizenship our primary call. We must tilt towards the culture of God’s Kingdom and live with the consciousness of being heavenly citizens more than we do on earth.
Whenever Jesus was asked where He was from, He always replied He came from His Father in heaven. He had that consciousness and lived it naturally— expecting the backing and welfare of God.
At the same time, He also paid taxes and obeyed other laws of His earthly country as long as they were not in conflict with the laws of Heaven. That should be the right balance between our dual citizenship.
Benefits of Kingdom Citizenship by Dr. Myles Munroe
Becoming a citizen of God’s Kingdom brings you under the Commonwealth of the Kingdom.
What this means is that all the resources of God are now available to you. The Bible says you are sheep of His pasture. The pasture is there for you.
It secures governmental obligation to you
It secures governmental protection
It secures governmental support
It secures governmental provision
It secures governmental commitment to you
The government becomes responsible for you, and
You activate governmental action on your behalf
How To Become A Citizen of God’s Kingdom by Dr. Myles Munroe
Becoming a citizen of God’s Kingdom can only happen through naturalization or birth. You can’t become a citizen by residence or marriage; you must be born into the Kingdom. This happens through what Jesus called, “being born again.”
You become born again by believing in the work of Christ to save you. See details here. After being born again, the following steps will help you live the fullness of your citizenship.
1. Experience it right now
You do not have to wait until you are older and you do not have to visit the capital city. If you are a citizen living in a colony, you do not have to wait until you can travel to the country that colonized your region. You can experience your citizenship right where you are.
2. Explore your citizenship.
Just becoming a citizen does not mean you know everything about your country or its freedoms and restrictions. If you are a citizen of the United States, you have fifty states and the District of Columbia to explore.
You have millions of people to meet, different languages to learn, and different foods to taste. You could spend the rest of your life exploring your country.
3. Apply your rights
Lay hold of the benefits and ask for protection. Enjoy what belongs to you. Being a citizen who does not know his or her rights is like being a non-citizen. You know your rights by studying the Bible and enforcing it through Kingdom prayers.
4. Live in the culture where you are a citizen
Embrace more of it. Live a lifestyle that befits a citizen of your country.
5. Submit to the constitutional laws and codes of conduct of your nation
Not only will you stay out of trouble, but you will also reinforce your claim on the rights and benefits that are yours by your citizenship status.
Kingdom Citizenship is not something far off. You can live the Kingdom Life TODAY. Because you read this far, I want to give you Lifetime Access to over $1,000 worth of mentorship materials from Dr. Myles Munroe on purpose, leadership, success, wealth, and the Kingdom. Get instant access to all life-changing materials now!
Olusegun Iyejare is a career coach and certified counselor. He helps individuals discover and maximize their potential to live satisfying lives regardless of obvious limitations holding them back.
