The Good Citizen

The point has been made repeatedly that our emphasis needs to be on the Kingdom of God. Jesus constantly talks about the Kingdom and when he uses the word "Church" he is still talking about the Kingdom. Of course, scripture also says a lot about the local church but it is always in support of the Kingdom. But what does that mean for the local church and individual followers of Jesus?

In the "Lord's Prayer" Jesus lays out the Kingdom mission when he prays, "They Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." We understand then that we are to live in light of this mission. But what does that mean? I think we have a tendency to make it a lot more difficult to understand than it is.

One thing that we understand quite well is good citizenship. Not they we necessarily see a lot of good citizenship but we understand the concept and we talk a lot about it. though there are some significant differences I think we can apply our understanding of citizenship with being a citizen of the Kingdom.

A good citizen does his part for his country. He wants what his best for his country and understands that he has a responsibility to his country to do his best to make his country the best it can be. A good citizen is required to use his gifts and abilities for the good of his country. He has a part to play on a national level as well as regional and local level though most of the focus for most citizens will be at the local level where he wants what is best for his community and fellow citizens. He is obligated to represent his country well where ever he goes and what ever circumstances he finds himself in.

A bad citizen doesn't feel this responsibility and obligation. He lives with a sense of entitlement and has an adversarial relationship with a good percentage of his fellow citizens. He feels no compulsion to serve his fellow citizens or his country because he believes it is the responsibility of his state to serve him. He wants all the benefits of the state without having to make a contribution of his own.

The same holds true for the Kingdom of God. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, administering God's grace in its various forms." As a citizen of the Kingdom I have a responsibility to use my gifts and abilities to serve others. I need an "ends of the earth" perspective but I spend most of my time and effort locally. I am not simply a receptacle of God's grace, I also do my part in administering God's grace. I need to be a close observer of my local community and do my part to help it reflect the Kingdom positively.

It is easy for citizens of the Kingdom of God to simply sit back and expect the King to take care of all the problems in our location. It is easy to ignore our responsibility and obligation in that process. It is easy to blame our fellow citizens for the problems. It is easy to care little about the well being of our fellow citizens and proclaim they deserve what they get. But that is being a bad citizen of the Kingdom.

With the high level of patriotism we have in the USA you would think we would understand what it means to be a good citizen. How much more should be good citizens of the Kingdom of God.