Citizenship - 4th of July, 2021

Sunday, July 4, 2021

  1. Do you know your family’s nationality? 

  2. This week, one of our deacons, Glen Duerr, taught us about a biblical understanding of citizenship. How do you define citizenship? Beyond a basic definition, what does a healthy citizenship look like? 

  3. On a “continuum of citizenship”, there were 6 major types:

    • Globalism - No local citizenship. No national boundaries. We’re all just citizens of the world. 

    • Regionalism - Citizenship is based on a greater region, not a specific country. 

    • Patriotism - Strong love, devotion, and attachment to our country and its interests. 

    • Nationalism - Love of country, ready to defend it and support it even if detrimental to other countries. 

    • Colonialism - Acquiring control over other areas and making them our own.

    • Hyper-nationalism - Our country is better than all others so we can do whatever we want if it’s good for us.  

      Which of these do you see as the healthiest view? Which is the biggest threat? 

  4. Read Philippians 3:17-21. In light of those verses, who has heavenly citizenship? How is it acquired? 

  5. Glen challenged us to “hold our earthly citizenship, but always remember that heavenly citizenship is our ultimate destination.” This is the “Christian transnationalism” that Glen described. What are some of the tensions we feel between our earthly citizenship and our heavenly citizenship? Why do those tensions exist? 

    • What happens when we get too focused on our earthly citizenship and lose sight of our heavenly citizenship? 

  6. Glen quoted Daniel Akin - “We must never forget that we have more in common with a Chinese Christian, an African sister, and a brother in South America than a next-door neighbor who does not know Christ.” How is it that our Christian commonalities hold more weight than our physical/geographical commonalities? 

  7. Looking to Jesus, how do we see Him as both a good earthly citizen while also being a good heavenly citizen? Give examples. 

  8. As Philippians 3 told us, we are anxiously awaiting the return of our Savior who will take us home and make our heavenly citizenship even more real than it ever has been. In the meantime, how are you challenged to “hold the baton” of your earthly citizenship? 

    • What is one thing you feel challenged to do, grow in, or better understand?

Phil Wing