SUDDENLY
I’M AN ALIEN?
“I don’t belong here any
more!
I feel like an alien!”
Sooner or later
everyone who follows Jesus makes this discovery. The more you fit into the ways of God’s
Kingdom, the less you belong to this world, until you discover that you don’t
belong at all.
It is
impossible to be a dual citizen in the
If
you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of
the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his
master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word,
they will keep yours also.
But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him
who sent me.
John
15
We vote and pay
our taxes. We go about our daily work,
shop for groceries, fill the gas tank, take care of business like everyone
else. But we belong to the world beyond,
to God who is the single light of our life--- who speaks to us through his Son.
“My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me;
and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall
snatch them out of my hand.”
John
10
But what is it
that makes us so different? We are
different from the world around us in three ways:
We
serve a different Lord.
We
trust a different Provider.
We
are moving toward a different Future.
We serve a different
Lord.
For all the
cultures and religions in this world, there is only one world system. For all the
idols that dot the landscape, the world
system is controlled by a single ruler.
He is called the Prince of the World, and described by Jesus as the
Father of Lies.
All
governments, all the armies, all corporations, all religious institutions, are controlled
by the Prince of this World. They are
his servants, whether they know it or not.
We were his servants too, until we found our true Master.
Jesus rose from
the dead as the Firstborn of the New Creation, stepped out of his tomb as Lord
of the World to Come, and will soon appear as Judge of the living and the dead. Once we answer his call, he is our Master. We
are his servants. We belong to him
alone.
If we are
focused on serving our King, the Prince of the World no longer has power over
us. We are under the protection of our
Master. We may suffer persecution. We may even be martyred. But through it all we are enveloped in the
fire of heaven’s glory. The Prince of
this World has no power over us.
We trust a different Provider.
"No
one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other,
or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God
and mammon.”
Matthew
6
The Prince of
this World holds his dominion together by the power of Mammon---money. In this world, money is power. Money is security.
Money is the
master of the politician, the CEO, and all too often of the bishop and the
preacher----all the way down to “man/woman on the street.” Money is seen as the “Provider” of
everything from daily bread to political power.
The problem
with money is that one never knows what might happen to it. Will I have enough? What if I run short?
Once we enter
the
Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall
we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'
For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you
need them all.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be
yours as well.
Matthew 6
Of course, when
God provides us with money, he expects us to be faithful to him in the way we
use it. Money becomes our “practice
material” with which we learn how to be faithful to God in “earthly
things.”
"He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he
who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.
If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust
to you the true riches?
And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you
that which is your own?”
Luke
16
We are moving toward a
different Future.
With every day
that passes, each soul on earth is moving toward a final destination. What we believe that destination to be
determines how we spend our days. For
the citizens of this world there are three basic futures:
1.
“When
we reach the grave, it’s all over.”
2.
“We’re
all going to a better place.”
3.
“Heaven
is waiting for our tribe alone.”
When we reach the grave,
it’s all over.
“You only go
around once, so get all the gusto you can,” is the creed of those who see the
grave as the end. The important thing
is to make sure you get through your bucket list before death catches up with you.
It’s quite
liberating to know that it’s all over at the grave, that there are no
consequences waiting for us over there on the other side. There is no “other side,” so go ahead and do
as you please!
We’re all going to a
better place.
Travel the
funeral circuit and listen to the comforting words that rarely change. “He’s gone to a better place.” “She’s up there singing with the
angels.” “Didn’t Jesus die for us all?”
Ed was so tired
of bashing heads, breaking legs and getting high that he deliberately took an
overdose. Before he expired he wrote a
note to his brother: “See
you in Hell, Jack!”
At Ed’s funeral
the church was packed. Banks of flowers
covered the walls. The kindly minister assured
the gathering that Ed was now in glory land.
And everybody said “Amen!”
Heaven is waiting for our
tribe alone.
The world is
full of folks who believe that there is a heaven over there beyond the grave,
and that this heaven is reserved for the righteous.
But here’s the
catch: the righteous are “those who
belong to our tribe”--- no one else. What a strange heaven! What a strange god!
The Kingdom
Those who
belong to the
Those who
belong to the
Then
he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from
the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city;
also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of
fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations.
There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb
shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him;
they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.
And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God
will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation
22
What makes these people worthy
to live in such a place? Is it because
they claimed to be “saved”? Because they
belonged to a church? Because they
performed signs and wonders?
No. These people are accounted
worthy to enter such a place because they lived in this world like sons and
daughters of God. By the power of God’s Spirit they consistently manifested God’s grace in actual
deeds.
I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison
and you came to me.
Matthew 25
Aliens no more
When God’s world breaks into
this world and brings all evil to account, those who answered God’s call and
walked in God’s light will no longer be aliens.
They have finally arrived at the Kingdom prepared for them before the
foundation of the world.
God grant that we may be among
them.