The Kingdom of God is a citizenship which I belong to.  It is a family that I belong to under the Headship and Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Under His government I live and under His hand I live and move and have my being.  I am grateful to be planted in the King’s domain.  It is not something imposed on me or something that I have to do.  It is something that I choose to do. 

Many of you have paid a great price to be in the kingdom of God.  It has been by your choice that you submit to the rule of God.  The kingdom of God is far beyond going to heaven.  I am not talking here about the kingdom of heaven but about the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of heaven is called such because it came from somewhere into the earth.  It is not the invention of men.  It did not come from the earth or any man’s rulership or government.  This kingdom is not of this world.

Philippians 3:20
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

The word translated as “conversation” in that verse is translated from the Greek word politeuma which means: politics or citizenship.  To interpret the above verse with this meaning would go like this, “. . .our citizenship, our politics is in heaven. . .”

Upon this earth, we are a part of a commonwealth of spiritual Israel.  We are a part of a heavenly political movement.  We are revolutionists of this movement.  We are adamant about our Father and His politics.  Human politics are filled with humanism, falsehood, flattery, idolatry, the list goes on.  In heavenly politics none of that takes place.  Thank God for a righteous King! 

In the heavenly system of politics, we are citizens of a heavenly community even while we are on the earth.

Philippians 1:27
Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I
come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

The same Greek word politeuma is translated here as “conversation”.  Another translation puts it this way, “. . .behave as a citizen of heaven. . .”

There are those that don’t want to live with the rules, the laws, the regulations and they can dismiss themselves from citizenship.

Even in the natural, people pay a great price to gain citizenship in the United States of America.  To come into citizenship, people must adapt to a different set of laws, of government, a different social structure.

To all those who murmur and complain about having to answer to the Word of the Lord, which fellow citizens hold you accountable to in matters pertaining to this kingdom, let me help you with some truth.

I choose to believe the Word and act on it which says that I am a citizen of heaven.  Because of that, it places me into a certain social structure, even as it does you. In that social structure, you have the right to expect certain behavior, just as I have the right to expect certain behavior from you.  As a citizen of the United States of America, there are certain constitutional laws that you need to know about and follow.  These tell you how to behave yourself as a citizen.  If you break those laws this society will ostracize you.  You are taken out of American society if you commit  murder, rape, armed robbery or other violent crimes.  They actually come into your own house and take you out of this society and put you into another society, prison.  They remove you from society because of your conduct.  As citizens of the United States, are you grateful that our government removes these offenders out of society that are dangerous to you?  Of course, you are.  It makes us grateful to be citizens of the United States. 

God has a social structure.  In this social structure, if you do not obey the rules found in the Word of God, you are removed from the society.  I've seen it happen and so have you.  When people get narcissistic and selfish, they remove themselves or are removed because that doesn't work in this society.  Eventually they will be rejected from the world's society, as well. Neither Christian nor secular society will tolerate a narcissistic person for long.  Even in the world, people will figure out pretty quick that a person doesn't care about them but is only using them in order to enhance themselves.

Let me say to those who are disenchanted with this society (Christian), those who are unhappy, angry, bitter, backbiting, gossiping and faultfinding: you have a job to do with your own soul to make a choice, even as I have to do.  You must understand that you live in this society by choice.  No one is forcing you to live in this society.  God isn't and if He isn't, no one is. There are those here, like myself, who have chosen to be here; because of that, those who murmur and complain about being in this society will eventually come into conflict.

This is a Christian society, a social structure, a community under the leadership of Jesus Christ.  It is not communal but it is a community of believers.  We live by certain laws that we have chosen to live by.  I love the rules of God as laid out in His Word.  I love God's law above the laws of the United States of America because of examples like this:

In the United States law it has been decided that you cannot legislate morality.  God's Word clearly lays out His laws for our moral behavior (“Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Exodus 20:14 and  “. . . Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers with themselves with mankind. . . shall inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:8b-6:9

This is a citizenship under the Headship of Jesus Christ.  Our society has rules, boundaries and restraints that have been set forth in God's Word.  These rules or laws have come from the kingdom of heaven to His kingdom on earth.  Through them, God introduced us to a higher dimensional lifestyle.  No other government on earth can lift us into a higher plane of living.  But God's rule can.  Christ came down to bring us up.  He didn't come just to give us salvation from hell, He came to bring us a government --  a King's domain -- a social structure with conduct and behavioral standards expected of us as citizens of heaven.  God brought us eternal life because it was the only way that we could see and enter into the King's domain.  Only through our human   spirit do we have the ability to live in a higher dimension of lifestyle.  When we are born again,   He gives us zoe which overrules our selfish, self-seeking psuche lifestyle.  It causes us to step out of a normal, average, self-seeking lifestyle and brings us into a higher dimension as a life-giving spirit.  He brought us eternal life so that we can live in the realm where He is.

There are three things that you have to have to live successfully in this society:

1. Death
2. Denial
3. Discipline

These three elements are the constitutional laws of this society.  The constitution of God requires that a man deny himself, take up his cross (death) and follow Christ.  According to the constitution or laws of God, a Christian is not to live for themselves but to live for God and for others.  Ours is not a community of self, fleshly or carnal indulgence.  It is not a community that tolerates perversion or immorality.  You cannot just live the way that you want to; this community will not tolerate that, eventually. 

You can leave this fellowship and go any where that you want but you can't get away from God  No matter where you go or where you fellowship, you will have to live according to those three elements.  You would have to get out of Christ to indulge your selfishness.  Jesus Christ will not permit you, as a citizen of His society or a member of His family to live self-centered.  To do so is contrary to His laws-His rules.  Our heavenly citizenship endues us with the power to live beyond that kind of lifestyle.

This is a society of  self-indulged people who came into the kingdom of God to have that taken out of them.  If you came here to better yourself, you have come to the wrong place.  You came here to die to yourself and to live unto God. Here you will find a society where you are always supposed to honor someone else, give to someone else and help someone else.  We are here to be a life-giving, not a life-taking force.  We are here to be empowered by Christ to help others with their lives in whatever part He gives us to do that.

This is a wonderful citizenship.  You can't vote in your President and you can't vote Him out. Jesus will always be the “President” of the kingdom of God.  This is a non-voting kingdom.  It came from heaven, not earth.  If you don't like living in this society while on the earth, let me remind you where you will be spending eternity. . .there is no way that you are going to murmur and complain about this society and then get to heaven and live peacefully ever after.  You are going to come face with Jesus Christ and He is going to say, “That behavior doesn't belong here!” 

Hopefully, you will understand this while you are still on the earth but you will definitely get the message when you get to heaven that this society isn't about you; it's about a Father and His whole family.