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Where Is Your Citizenship?

Where Is Your Citizenship?

by

Tim Jennings, M.D.
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Do you identify yourself as an American, Canadian, Australian, South African, or as some other nationality?

I was raised to be a proud American—to wave the flag, to celebrate Independence Day, and to revel in the storied history of my nation.

I grew up watching movies like Yankee Doodle Dandy and singing patriotic songs like “God Bless America,” “America the Beautiful,” and “America (My Country ’Tis of Thee)” — even Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.”

As an adult, I received a scholarship to medical school from the U.S. Army, completed my psychiatric residency at Eisenhower Army Medical Center, and served as the Division Psychiatrist for the 3rd Infantry Division. So, I know about patriotism, love for my country, and identifying as an American.

But as I grew in my relationship with Jesus Christ, I began to question this loyalty — this heart tie — to my nation of birth. Of course, while on this earth, we all have a legal national identity, and I still do recognize that this identity can be powerful common ground between two otherwise very different citizens.

However, I began to question whether my heart as a Christian should be so firmly tied to my nation. And further, I wondered, can such loyalties cause human division and even obstruct the unity that Christ came to bring?

I eventually realized that my heart’s affections to my nation had not been superseded with heart affection for the kingdom of God, even though I had accepted Jesus as my Savior, believing fully in God. My loyalties were divided and I had not become a full and complete citizen of heaven in my heart.

We cannot be dual citizens; we cannot be a citizen of a selfless heaven while remaining a citizen of this selfish world.

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

The apostle Paul wrote:

In fact, many are Christ’s worst enemies, taking his name while revealing in their characters the attributes of the evil one. They have refused Christ’s true Remedy, and therefore their condition remains terminal; their god is self, and self-gratification is all they pursue. They are actually proud of the lewd, disgusting and shameful things they do. Their minds are focused only on things of this selfish, self-indulgent world. But our minds and hearts—our very citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await the return from heaven of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Philippians 3:18–20 The Remedy).

In order to be a citizen of heaven, several things are required: First, our heart ties must be cut away from this world and its methods of fear and selfishness; second, we must be reborn with new hearts that are tied to heaven and are loyal to God and His principles of truth, love, and freedom.

  • “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live” (Deuteronomy 30:6 NIV84).
  • “Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, circumcise your hearts” (Jeremiah 4:4 NIV84).
  • “Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:29 NIV84).

Whether we’re talking about a biological circumcision or a circumcision of the heart, there is a difference in understanding the need for circumcision and actually having circumcision. Both are painful.

However, the younger we are, with fewer heart ties to this world, the less painful; the older we are, with heart ties more deeply attached to this world, the more painful. But it is a change that we must have.

But how do we experience this change of heart — this cutting away of our affections and loyalty to this world and establishing them with God, instead? By coming to know God as Jesus revealed Him (John 17:3). We must know the truth about God, which destroys the lies about Him and sets us free from fear and selfishness (John 8:32).

However, this is not mere cognitive awareness; it is an experiential truth. We must know the truth about God — who He is, how He governs His kingdom, how His law of love operates, and what His methods of transformation are, so that we can intelligently choose Him and reject the methods and principles of this world.

To become a citizen of any nation of this world, one only has to meet the legal requirements of that nation. One does not need to have a sincere change of heart; one doesn’t even have to love that nation. A person becomes a citizen in this world typically by passing a knowledge test, claim the privilege by declaring one’s desire to be a citizen, perform a ritual (such as holding up a hand), make a public pledge of loyalty, and, finally, receive a legal declaration, such as a certificate or some other document.

Sadly, many people think that becoming a citizen of God’s kingdom follows the same pattern — passing a test (know the correct creed), claiming the privilege (accept the legal blood payment), performing a ritual (be baptized in water), making a public pledge of loyalty, and then being legally declared a citizen (often in the form of a certificate of baptism by a church).

But, becoming a citizen of heaven is not achieved by learning enough Bible facts, by making a legal claim, by performing rituals, or even by publicly pledging loyalty. Becoming a citizen of heaven is not a legal process, but a transformational one.

To be a citizen of heaven, one must experience a recreation of the heart and a healing of the mind — a rebirth, a renewal of the whole being. It is a cleansing from fear and selfishness and a writing of the laws of God into the heart (Hebrews 8:10), laws that are the design protocols of life, the principles of love, truth, and freedom.

God’s laws are not like man’s law, a list of rules to which we must obey. God’s laws are the protocols upon which reality is designed to operate. If we violate those laws, the natural result, without God intervening to heal, is death.

When God says that He will write His law on our hearts and minds, He is saying, “I will heal you from all the damage of sin and restore you to my perfect design. I will restore your hearts and minds to love, truth, and liberty. You will function within my design parameters for life, not because you are afraid, but because you love others and are in agreement and in perfect harmony with me. You will become like me in character, methods, and motive.”

This is how we become citizens of heaven: by being united with God in mind and heart, thus becoming a member of His family. We are adopted into His family — not in a legal way, but in a functional way. In trust, we open our hearts to Him and adopt His character, His law of love, into our hearts. In short, we become partakers of the divine nature! When this happens, our desires, longings, values, and motives change. The things of this earth lose their appeal. The methods of this world become offensive. The kingdoms of earth will be seen as beastly, coercive, corrupt — and we will distance ourselves from them.

We no longer get tricked into trying to promote God’s kingdom through earthly governments, but, rather, we live under a higher authority than any earthly government. We see all human beings as children of God, and we seek to bring to every person the truth about Him. We invite them to become citizens of heaven with Christ as our true King, as the Lord of Lords.

When our understanding of reality changes, we become spokespersons for God — people who know Him, understand His methods, and are eager to tell others about His principles. We understand reality, what is actually wrong and God’s solution for it. We realize that God’s kingdom is nothing like the nations of this sinful earth, because His law is nothing like the laws that sinful humans enact.

God is Creator. His laws are the protocols upon which all reality operates — from gravity to the laws of health and the moral laws. Breaking any of God’s laws damages and destroys those who break them. However, God is always working through Christ to heal and restore us back into harmony with His design, back to a life of love.

While no quiz or test can determine the status of one’s heart, and therefore cannot determine whether someone is a citizen of heaven or not, a genuine citizen of heaven will grow in their knowledge of God. They will advance in their understanding of God’s methods and principles and ever increase their ability to accurately promote His kingdom of love and tell the truth about Him. With this in mind, I wrote out some questions below that a mature citizen of God’s kingdom would have little difficulty in answering.

  • What is the supreme law of God?
    • The law of love—the principle of giving or beneficence
  • What are some other laws of  God (name at least two)?
    • The law of liberty
    • The law of worship
    • The law of exertion
    • The law of truth
    • The law of restoration
    • The laws of health
    • The laws of physics (such as gravity)
  • From where does God’s law originate?
    • From God’s character and nature of love
  • What is the purpose of God’s law?
    • To maintain the lives, health, and happiness of all His creation
  • How does God’s law function?
    • Design protocols upon which life is constructed to operate
  • What is the problem with breaking God’s law? Why is sin wrong?
    • It deviates from what is necessary for life and causes injury and death to the one who breaks it—like tying a plastic bag over your head will kill you because it breaks the law of respiration
  • What three threads of evidence has God given to reveal truth to us?
    • Scripture
    • Science
    • Experience
  • What is the source of God’s authority?
    • Truth—which ultimately originates in Him and leads us back to Him
    • Reality—all reality is built by God, sustained by God, and operates only upon His design laws and methods; thus, all reality leads us back to God
    • Scripture—the Bible is not the source of God’s authority, but rather His instrument in communicating authoritative truth to us
  • What did Christ accomplish at the cross?
    • The remedy to cure the sin problem
  • How does a person become a citizen of heaven?
    • By trusting God and experiencing a change of heart
  • What promise do you make when you become a citizen of heaven?
    • To be loyal to God—and to love and trust Him with your entire being
  • How do we show loyalty to the kingdom of heaven?
    • By living in harmony with God’s methods and principles (laws)
    • By revealing and telling the truth about God
    • By loving others as God has loved us
  • Name the two supreme responsibilities that citizens of heaven have?
    • To love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and strength
    • To love your neighbor as yourself
  • What are the three great principles of God’s kingdom?
    • Love
    • Truth
    • Liberty
  • What mission did Jesus give to the members of His kingdom?
    • To take the truth about His kingdom of love to the world

If you are not already a citizen of God’s heavenly kingdom, I invite you today to go to God and surrender your heart to Him, to invite Him in, asking for fear and selfishness to be removed and His law of love to be written in. Then go forth every day to grow in your love relationship with God and share the truth about Him and His kingdom with others, inviting them to also become citizens of heaven.

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Tim Jennings, M.D.

Timothy R. Jennings, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, master psychopharmacologist, Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Fellow of the Southern Psychiatric Association, and an international speaker. He served as president of the Southern and Tennessee Psychiatric Associations and is president and founder of Come and Reason Ministries. Dr. Jennings has authored many books, including The God-Shaped Brain, The God-Shaped Heart, and The Aging Brain.

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Testimony 28

I have been following your Bible study class for about a year now. I must say I am impressed with how your ministry has grown. I took it upon myself to listen to all your lesson podcasts from the past and they have both enriched me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I have learnt a lot from this class. I have also noticed how the class has grown in spiritual strength. One of the things that benefited me is that now I am not afraid of God. I use to be, but now it has melted away. The second thing is that you helped me to have a real life relationship with God. Now He is my friend that was always there and I love having him with me all the time. Thirdly, because of this class, it inspired me to take over and lead a class. I have called it “Let Us Reason Together,” adapting your inquisitive style and creating a class of free thinkers.

T. Banda, Malawi, Africa

 

Testimony 75

Thank you so much for everything you do! Because of all these truths, I’m excited to be with Jesus! I always pray everyday, “COME TODAY, JESUS.” Before finding C&R, I was always praying for delays, “NOT TODAY OH GOD. I AM NOT READY.” I just need to share more, talk more bout this truth, so everybody will be excited for Jesus.

J C Shin

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 17

The blessings of clarity and understanding you and your class inspire me to take from the word of God have impressed upon me so greatly the true, loving character of our Creator. I have found amazing freedom and joy through building a stronger, more intentional relationship with Him. What is new is that this is now a relationship built on love, reverence and respect rather than fear and obligation, and as such my eyes have been slammed OPEN as I am continually impressed by the manifestations of God’s true character in His provisions for fallen man.

T.E.H., Salt Lake City, UT, USA

 

Testimony 1

Thank you! I love listening to the Come And Reason Ministries Bible study classes and am using some of your notes to get the lessons together that I will be teaching. You always have such good quotes and Bible texts and pull things together to make good sense.

T. C., IN, USA

 

Testimony 39

[This ministry is the] biggest blessing I have ever received! Your DVDs and lessons could not have come at a better time in my life. I have experienced in the past year many difficulties that, if it wasn’t for this wonderful view of God that I have discovered through this ministry, I would not have been able to respond in love and forgiveness. My heart is being transformed everyday by the Calvary-looking God you teach. Hallelujah!! I have tears in my eyes as I write, because my life has taken a complete turn from where I was heading.

I am from Central America. Most of my family is scattered in different parts of the world and all have the same view of God that I had growing up; a distant, exacting, and ready-to-punish-us-with-tragedy type of God. So, I have been translating lessons for my family and, to my surprise, they have also been sharing them with others! I can already see the difference. My brother has often said, “Thank you for sharing, I have never heard it this way!” My other family members are taking an amazing turn from a message of “repent or burn” towards a loving God, pleading to us that we won’t reject him because he loves us eternally.

Bless you for all you do.

Sofia S., Ashfield, MA, USA

 

Testimony 40

I was brought up in a different faith and have been petrified my whole life of God. I believed that I would burn in hell for eternity. When I was 12 I started pursuing the things of this world, but for the next 45 years the Spirit was always calling me, as I knew there was a God through nature. I could see the vast sea of stars in the universe and knew there was something bigger out there. Five years ago, through a Revelation seminar, I was blessed to learn about God’s character and government.

Then I found Come and Reason Ministries and have come under some extreme pressure when I speak about the ministry. One time a member sent me an internet article titled “Whats wrong with Tim Jennings?” I asked her what she thought of it and she said “I don’t know, I didn’t read it.”

I have always wanted to find out for myself the truth about God, so I stayed with the Design Law construct and have been liberated to understand the big picture. Once we consider Design Law, all other Bible stories and prophecies seem to fit perfectly. It is truly beautiful to see people grasping how God operates this Universe of Love and the liberation it has provided in their lives. It blows my mind to see how consistent Design law is with what our founders believed. I hear statements like “This makes so much sense.”

Tom W., Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA

 

Testimony 74

Thank you so much for opening my eyes. I’ve been through a lot of ministries that just didn’t show the love of God that I felt he was. You have helped me to begin the process of true healing. I thought I was “too far gone,” now I know there’s hope in Jesus, because he loves us beyond what we can comprehend. Thank you again for all you do. I truly appreciate it and pray more people find you (physical at your studio and through this website).

Dalio M.

Testimony 13

I borrowed “Healing The Mind” DVDs from a friend and showed them at my home for a small gathering of women friends. Neither of my friends are Adventist, but they both enjoyed and embraced the messages you taught. In fact, one of the ladies prayed out loud in our group and that was the first time she had ever had public prayer.

J.B. ,Dalles, OR, USA

 

Testimony 14

We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

Testimony 22

I have found your Bible study class lectures to be very inspiring and useful as I prepare to teach class every other week. I subscribe to the podcast and download your notes on the weeks I teach. The audio and notes are such a great help in preparing. My own understanding of God’s character has grown as I teach the class. Commendations on the thought-provoking and well-prepared material Come and Reason provides. Personally, I get excited by the tie you make between the spiritual and mental/physical domains.

A.A. Corrales, NM, USA

 

Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

Testimony 31

It was very touching to hear the testimony of your class share how viewing God’s true character has changed their lives. My feelings are the same – there is so much freedom in knowing that God LOVES me – regardless of my… just, REGARDLESS! I’m still blown away by the true gospel, the fact that God is not ready to strike us when we fail. He is not arbitrary. He simply loves us and warns of the natural consequences because He can’t stand to see us suffer. I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS GOD!!!

Ceil V.,  UT, USA

 

Testimony 7

Ok, so last night I listened to “The Law of Liberty” and “How to Achieve Victory: Freedom, Truth and Spirtual Warfare.” These are both MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES so far! The logic is just soooooo beautiful. I had to re-listen to them a couple of times. I just want to EXPLODE! (<< we assume with joy and happiness)

N. B., Canada