Welcome to Wednesday’s podcast.  I hope that you are having a good week.

Today our Bible passage is Philippians Chapter 3 vs18 through to Chapter 4 vs1; and we’re going to be focus on verse 20 which says,

“But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

REFLECTION:

In a strange twist of fate my podcast weeks in the last term have fallen on the original Brexit day – 31st October 2019, the General Election, and then this coming Friday on the actual Brexit day – 31st January 2020.

Discussions about citizenship, immigration and national identity are never far from the front pages, and it’s not just Brexit related.  There’s the Windrush scandal, the desire for Scottish independence, and even the media frenzy about Harry and Meghan spending half the year in Canada.

In the UK at the moment, our views on citizenship are being strongly shaped by the political and social context that we find ourselves in.  The same was true of those in Philippi at the time Paul was writing to them.

Philippi was a Roman colony in Northern Greece.  Thousands of Roman soldiers had been given land and positions there.  And then alongside this were the original Greek families, who were not all that thrilled about the way in which their town had just been taken over and colonised by these Italian immigrants.

And so it is into this context that Paul writes the words, “But our citizenship is in heaven.”  He wants to cut across political debates and social divisions with Godly truth.  And the Bible has the same power and authority to do that into our own 21st century context and situation as well.

Now, both in Roman history and British history, colonisation has been used to justify some dreadful behaviours and attitudes, which I am obviously not supporting.  But the language and imagery of colony and colonisation is important to understand in order to see the godly image of citizenship that Paul is trying to paint here.

Firstly, the point of being a colonist is to bring your culture, your influence and your way of life to the place in which you live.

And so when Paul says “our citizenship is in heaven” he is not saying, “Don’t worry, just look forward to when you can leave and go and live somewhere better.”

What he is actually saying is, “Remember that you are citizens of heaven and, as the church in Philippi, you are a colony of heaven.  Your role is to bring heaven’s culture, heaven’s influence, and heaven’s way of life to the place in which you live.”

As citizens of heaven, we are part of God’s plan – he is going to use us – to help bring transformation into the lives of the citizens of earth who don’t yet know Jesus.

So, how are we helping to bring heaven’s culture to our workplace?  How are we heaven’s influence on our street?  How do we encourage heaven’s way of life in our families?

The second thing about being a colonist is that it takes perseverance, commitment and determination.

Paul acknowledges that the Christians in Philippi are finding it hard to keep going as representatives of heaven in this Roman colony; surrounded by its hedonistic culture, the worship of pagan idols, and endemic political corruption.

This is why yesterday we saw him write the words “press on”, “strain forward”, and today we hear him say “stand firm.”

And we need to hold onto those words, just as much as the Christians in Philippi did.  The distraction of earthly things and the pull of a culture that does not follow the ideals of heaven – and in fact stands in complete defiance of them – is exactly the same for us today.

Where do we need to stand firm in our calling to be a citizen of heaven?  Do we need to say no to that extra pint when out with friends?  Do we need to stop dating non-Christians?  Do we need to challenge a friend over what they are sharing online?