THE ROLE CALL FOR HEAVENLY CITIZENS Matthew 5:1-20

This Role Call is for Citizens of the Blessed Heavenly Kingdom

1. The Poor In Spirit: Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (vs.3) - empty yourself of the old stuff of the past, of sin, of pride and arrogance. Then can you receive of the blessing and possession of the Kingdom of Heaven. When your own little spirit is in charge, God's Holy Spirit will not come in.
2. Those that Mourn: Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted (vs.4) - those who mourn for what? Those who mourn over the present situation in the world: God's rule is rejected; Christ is rejected; the Holy Spirit is quenched; the church lies in desolation and scorn. Christians are persecuted and killed even legally in many nations. All this is done in spite of the fact that Christ has paid for all the sins of the 6 billion+ people in the entire world! Those who mourn because of this, shall be comforted.  
3. The Meek: Blessed are the Meek for the shall inherit the earth (vs.5) - the meek cannot resist opposition, that is, opposition of the life of righteousness, opposition of Christ, opposition of the Gospel message, opposition of themselves merely because they are Christians. Christian endure such persecution, while still loving the people who persecute them! (Matthew 5:43-48).
4. Those who hunger and thirst after Righteousness: ...for they shall be filled (vs.6). Righteousness is living daily under the direction of God, being led by His Holy Spirit, walk in the precepts he has set forth in the Bible. Those who hunger after righteousness will want to see a change to the moral decadence in the developed world, the wickedness, racial discrimination, the corruption in many developed and developing nations, the breakdown in the family. They will want to see the standard of God upheld and the love of God spread. God said they shall be filled.
5. Those who are merciful: Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy (vs.7). Someone offends you, you forgive them, whether the deserve it or not. Someone is in need, you help them out. You become a good neighbour (Luke 10:25-37).
6. Those who are pure in heart: Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God (vs.8). This as clear as it can be. In an age where pornography is legalised in some quarters, when purity of thought and of heart is not highly regarded, when righteousness, holiness, purity are all relative to what you feel or what you allow based on your own selfish desires. Immoral behaviour is accepted. Sexual perversion is accepted. The old other is changing. Children of the Kingdom are told to remain pure in heart. And only they shall see God. They must be single-minded in living for God and making effort to accomplish God's will on earth here (Matthew 6:10).
7. The Peace Makers: Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the children of God (vs.8) - live peaceably with all men as much as lies in your power. Our God is the God of Peace. His children must also be children of peace.
8. Those who are persecuted for the sake of Righteousness: ...for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven (vs.10-12). Aside from the Jews, Christians are the most persecuted of all organisations since its inception. Christians are still imprisoned, persecuted, denied rights, denied jobs, denied position which they qualify for, denied the right to vote, denied the right to be voted for, denied the right to freely worship God, denied access to medical care, their children denied education... the list is endless. All this is done to them fir the sake of Christ! In fact in some religions, when they kill Christians they even say they are doing it for God! That is so clearly predicted by Christ (John 16:1-2)

Christians are the light of the world as their Lord and Master, Jesus is the Light of the world. Our light must so shine as we live out the Beatitudes in our daily life, that the world may come back to believing and submitting to God. In all the global conflict between good and evil, Christ is the Winner. He is the victor. His Church will never perish despite persecution. His Church will triumph in the end! Praise God!

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World Salvation Only In Christ

A. M Hodgkin wrote a book titled Christ In All The Scrispures. It is a very old book but, one that will richly reward time spent reading it. It summarises the evidence that the whole Scripture, both Jewish and Christian is about Christ and His work of salvation.
Jesus told His challengers, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad... Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:56-58). This is an amazing statement and it  infuriated His Jewish listeners. He said to them, "if you believed Moses you would have believed me, since he wrote about me" (John 5:46). This too is a powerful and authoritative statement. Christ expected His hearers to find Him in the written, Holy Scriptures. He challenged them, ""You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me (John 5:39).

Jesus claimed that Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms wrote about Him (Luke 24:44). He claimed to the Way the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). His Jewish apostles wrote, "There is salvation in no other for there is none other name under heaven give among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12 Kjv).

The prophet Isaiah gazed prophetically into his person, work, His suffering for the redemption of mankind (Isa.9:6; 53:1-12). The more you read these Scriptures, the more you come to believe in Christ as the only Saviour of mankind.
To the Jewish rabbi, Nicodemus who was facinated about His teaching and work, He said, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
He is the universal Messiah. If you do not yet believe in Him, it is possibly because you haven't really searched the scripitres. You can begin to do so now.