Citizen in God's City

"Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. Good Himself will be with them and be their God"
Revelation 21:3,b

When David selected the site for the city of Jerusalem, he chose a piece of land that neither the northern nor the southern kingdom would find valuable. It would be a place of peace where the people could come together in community and worship the Lord. It would be a place where they could go and be in the manifest presence of Jehovah, worshiping Him and receiving blessing. God called Jerusalem Mount Zion, the hill where the people came to meet with Him. He called it His "holy hill,," where only the holy could ascend and have fellowship with Him. On this hill, the people would gather as one, unified by the Spirit of God, under His rule and by His authority.
     Some thought this blessed and holy city could never be destroyed, but it was. Many missed the point that this physical city was fore shadow, a type of the one to come. There would come a day when God would build up His city once again, and those were called by His name would gather together to worship through His Son. Those who are unified in Him are part of this heavenly city, for like the apostle said, they are stones being g built up into a glorious building, with the corner being Jesus Christ.
    The city of Jerusalem was the place where God"s people left the world and congregates as a community. Today, the living Jerusalem is where the people are in communion with one another. This congregation includes all those who are pardoned by grace of God, both living and dead. We are part of the city of God, subjects in the kingdom of Christ with saints from the fast and those in the present. But what keeps us from enjoying this fellowship of the saints?
    Paul emphatically stated that the light does not have fellowship with the darkness, that unbeliever s cannot be yoked with believers, for they worship different gods. Believer are to have fellowship with one another,not with the world. We live in the world. We live in the world and interchange with it, but we do not have intimate fellowship with it we must, therefore,be willing to go outside by city and suffer the shame that Jesus suffered, bearing the disgrace He bore, "for here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come" (Heb.13:14). The city that is to come is the new Jerusalem, the heavenly city,where God Himself will be with us ,( Rev.21:3).
    When you see religious figures ridiculed by the world, what do you think and feel? read Hebrews 13:11-14. Are you willing to bear the same type of disgrace Jesus bore at the hands of unbeliever? Do you have undue attachment to the world that are hindering your walk with Christ? identify those hindrances and remove them.