The Bible makes mention of the fact that we carry dual citizenship as citizens of the kingdom and citizens of the world. But these identities are not equal. If there is ever a conflict, the values of the kingdom must come first. There is a level of confusion in the minds of many Christians equating being a Christians with being patriotic, but they are not the same. Jesus said that anyone who loves mother or father, brother or sister, “is not worthy of me.” We are a God-first people who put the cares of God before all others. Therefore, we are made better citizens of the state because we are concerned about those who are not deemed worthy of attention.
“Kingdom Building for the 21st Century” is the theme of Bible studies planned for commissioners to the 223rd General Assembly (2018) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), meeting June 16–23 in St. Louis.
Building on his plenary address delivered August 10 at the Go Disciple Live “Be the Light” evangelism conference—in which he asserted that “being a Christian always involves making another disciple”—Mike Breen, in his closing sermon, traced the broad sweep of salvation history to show how a more intentional culture of discipling might begin to take hold in today’s church.