Claim Your Citizenship - Acts 22:23-30

As Christians we are citizens of Heaven even though we live in Ohio or Wisconsin or another country in this world. Citizenship affords us some privileges. Upon reaching a certain age I can get a driver’s license, get married, vote and apply for Social Security benefits. 

As a citizen of heaven, I have God’s promise of a better life someday, a healthy body and a new name. I didn’t buy this, but Jesus did. I didn’t earn this right, but grace has been bestowed upon me and I am forgiven and free.

In the lesson today, Paul is claiming his Roman citizenship to save him from a severe beating and possibly even save his life. Paul knew he had many people to reach yet, and he also knew the value of his citizenship. He had a right to a trial before punishment and he spoke up.

"The commander went to Paul and asked, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”

“Yes, I am,” he answered.

Then the commander said, “I had to pay a lot of money for my citizenship.”

“But I was born a citizen,” Paul replied.

Those who were about to interrogate him withdrew immediately. The commander himself was alarmed when he realized that he had put Paul, a Roman citizen, in chains. (Acts 22:27-29)

It is good to claim our citizenship, to take advantage of the rights and privilege which accompanies our status. As people who have been claimed by Christ we have a duty to share that with others; to offer the same opportunity to our neighbors. Let’s take a lesson from Paul and speak up.

Read the Acts 22:23-30 text here.

Paying Taxes - Matthew 22:15-22

Was there a particular food you hated to eat when you were a kid?  I hated peas and bread crusts!  I would try to slip the crusts to Whiskers, my black lab, who was always poised under the table by my chair. I would slide peas off the plate and conveniently hide them, just under the rim, out of site.  Sometimes I would get away with this trickery, often I did not.  The punishment was to sit at the table until I finished every bite.

As adults, we find some things difficult to swallow; taxes for instance.  We explore every legal option available to avoid paying more than we need to pay.  Like peas, taxes are part of our life, if unpleasant to many citizens.  We see the value of each but that doesn't mean we enjoy them.

When Jesus was asked about taxes and if He paid them to Caesar or not he said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's..." He further told His listeners they needed to acknowledge the authority of Caesar.  He recognized the taxes paid for the benefits citizens received, like roads to travel on.

There is more to the scripture verse quoted above.  The last part of the sentence is, "and to God what is God's."  Perhaps Jesus is referring to the tithe with this statement.  As citizens of this land we have responsibility to our nation to pay taxes and the privilege to tithe to our God.

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