CITIZENS OF ANOTHER COUNTRY

Paul said to the church at Ephesus, “I want to show you your fellowship in this mystery of Christ.” It is here that we receive our most holy mandate. It is here we see our purpose for being here on the earth.

Ephesians 3:9-12

9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

The Father revealed this scripture’s true meaning in His visitation to me. We must understand our fellowship or part in the mystery that was hidden from the sons of men, but that is now revealed to the Sons of God. The sons of men would never be able to comprehend it because they were not able to see this new Kingdom the gospel speaks of.

Ephesians 3:17-19

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Through Jesus Christ we have been made ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, who are sent to this world to prove its existence. To do so, we have also been given access to principalities that dwell in heavenly places. We have indeed been enlarged. Our authority extends to the domains of satan (for he is the prince of this world), as well as the prince of the power of the air. We have access to both. We are able to manifest the authority we have in the Spirit here in this natural world. It is by our good deeds and the gifts of the Spirit that cause demons to tremble in our presence.

• The knowledge of Christ allows us to understand the breadth or broadness of our place in God. We have indeed been enlarged by our fellowship in the Mystery of Christ.
• To comprehend the length of the love of God refers directly to our ability to discern the distance we have traveled. It reflects on the fact that we have been translated from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light. It also refers to our spiritual development as we traveled from infancy to maturity.
• The depth refers to the extent of the Mystery and its profoundness.
• The height relates to the fact that God has exalted us. We have been brought on high, to be seated with Christ in a heavenly place, (the Holy Ghost); in the presence of God and the angels.

One thing is always true of the new convert; when he is born of the Spirit his first spiritual perception is the awareness of the existence of another kingdom. We realized that we had somehow been translated into the Kingdom of Light, thus having to acknowledge the reality that we were living in the kingdom of darkness. This truth is apparent to all of us who are born of the Spirit. We can literally see the darkness of this world. At the new birth, darkness was appalling to us. We really didn’t want to have any fellowship with it. Instead, we only wanted to fellowship with those who were of our kind. Therefore, it was easy for us to depart from the street, club and party house scene. Jesus said we can see the Kingdom now that we are born again. But is that where it stopped; with us just seeing, or knowing the Kingdom of God is real? This seems to be the case. In the natural world it is common for men to explore a new environment. They seek to learn everything they can about the new land they have discovered. The same is true regarding the saints of God. We too desired to know the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we searched and searched. Sometimes moving from one church to another, or going to this conference and that conference. We were and some still are searching for the knowledge of the truth concerning that which we have been born into.

In our search for the knowledge of Christ, we discovered some very important principles and attributes of this new country. We learned that its citizens must walk in love, forgiveness, mercy, and holiness. But we also learned that each of us was appointed to suffer in the flesh; for suffering in the flesh is a manifestation of our freedom from sin. We are the citizens of the Kingdom of God, but we prefer to submit ourselves to the beggarly elements of this world. You simply must hear the Holy Ghost on this matter. We have come to the city of the Most High; the place sought after by the Old Patriarchs. We have found it and entered into it. Nevertheless, many live their lives according to the course of this world. The question is why? Why do we forsake the laws and attributes of the Kingdom of God to live a life of captivity in this world? Jesus answered that question for us in many of His discipleship sessions with the apostles. We will discuss some of those conversations here.

John 3:19-21

19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

In the past this passage has been rendered entirely from the perspective of the world rejecting Jesus as the Son of God and the light of the world. However, a closer look suggests a little more than that. Jesus is prophesying. He is speaking in terms of the outcome of His mission. Not just the rejection by His own nation, but also the world and many of His brethren who will become members of the Body but later reject truth. The term “everyone” is all-inclusive. It leaves no exceptions. Note also that He is speaking in the past tense (“their deeds were evil”). He knew that many would reject the truth He came to declare. However, those who do or perform the truth, manifest God in the earth realm by the works they are able to do. The Lord said the reality within the church is that many have forsaken the truth we were born to declare.

John 17:6-8

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

7 Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

1. This is the purpose of the Christ and those He has chosen to serve Him.
2. Those who are His are taken out of the world. Though they are in it, they are not of it.
3. They keep or remain true to the Word they receive from the Lord.
4. They know without controversy that Jesus is the Son of God.
5. Finally, they know that God sent Him into this world to declare or bear witness of the things the Father has said and done.

John 17:11

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

Here again we see Jesus prophesying the future. He speaks here of going back to the Father in Heaven, but leaving His disciples in the world to carry on the work He began with them.

John 17:12-13

12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I speak these things before I leave this world so that you will fill them with that which you have given unto me.

John 17:14-16

14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. The world has hated them.

This is a prophecy. He speaks here of the persecution the disciples will endure as they carry out their mission here on the earth. But the reason they are hated is because they are not of the world. They are of the Kingdom. They will only speak those things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. For this the world will not receive their testimony, nor believe on the truth they declare.

John 17:17-18

17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

In the 17th verse, we have a clear definition of the truth. “Thy word is truth.” That which the Father has said is truth. It is the words the Father has spoken in the past through the prophets that the Son came to declare and bare witness of. It is the same mission given to the disciples. It is the same mission given to the saints. I remember John saying, that which we have seen and heard from the beginning, we declare unto you. They were with the Christ and were taught by Him. They came to know and understand that He was indeed the Son of the Living God. Without controversy, they knew assuredly that the words spoken in the Old Covenant were true.

This was as a result of them receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost; the Spirit of the Kingdom of God. It has come to the earth and is now dwelling in earthen vessels. This indwelling of the Spirit established the gospel as a sure Word. We too, have received the gift of enlightenment. We can also testify of the truth. That which is promised is real. We have received the essential part of things hoped for.

John 17:20-21

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

John 17:25

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

Just as Jesus was sent, so were we. This means, even as He ascended from the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth to declare the truth to be reality, so must we who are seated with Him in heavenly places, now use these bodies that have been given to us to testify of that truth in the earth. That is our only purpose for being in this world. Our lives and lifestyle, the power of righteousness and the authority of the Kingdom we bring into this world are to be the proof of our witness; even as it was the proof of Jesus’ testimony.