Acts 22

In this chapter Paul to the crowds as he is being arrested. He tells his testimony until the crowd gets riled up again. They start to take him to the barracks and flog him when Paul mentions that he was a Roman citizen. The man who heard this went to the commander.

"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 big price for citizenship." "But I was born a citizen," Paul replied." v. 27-28 (NIV)

Now, I don't know anything about why it was so important that he was a Roman citizen, but these words bring to mind a few passages about our citizenship in heaven.

Acts 8:20 "Peter answered: May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!" (in response to Simon the sorcerer)

John 3:3 "In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, n one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

John 1:12-13 "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

Phil 3:20 "But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior." (NLT)

Eph 2:19-20 "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone."

Basically, becoming a citizen of heaven cannot be done by money, or our own efforts, but by being born again, receiving Christ who Himself has paid the price by the cross to adopt us as God's children.