Citizen by Rob Peabody - REVIEWED

About the Book:

For Rob Peabody, the young pastor at a mega-church in southern USA, the realization that his faith had little real connection with the world around him meant that something had to change. He redirected his church towards the poor on their doorstep and then took the larger step of moving to the UK to establish the missional fellowship ‘Awaken’. 

In Citizen he outlines the Kingdom-centered identity that is given to followers of Jesus. It's a wake-up call to the church in the West.

Jesus' death and resurrection initiates and invites people into a life of so much more than the status quo. God is re-building, re-newing, and re-creating that which is broken and marred by sin, and he is doing this – setting things right in the world – through Jesus. As citizens of the Kingdom, we have been saved and set apart for this work. We have a new allegiance, a changed identity, and a new mission as we seek to establish the rule of God on earth as it is in Heaven.

My Thoughts:

“But in the meantime, as we (the church) live between Jesus’ first coming to earth and His next, we live primarily not as Brits or Americans or Australians, but as citizens of the Kingdom of God. This is our new identity, the identity that supersedes all others as the ultimate reality of our existence.”  (p. 53)

Rob Peabody has stated a truth that, if allowed to be birthed into your heart and mind by the work of the Holy Spirit, will transform everything about your life!  Rob unpacks all of the aspects of our citizenship in his book Citizen.  He uses Biblical history, scripture, personal experiences and a boldness that comes only from God to relay the message he has been given.   

Think about this:  Being sent out as King Jesus’ ambassadors is non-negotiable; it’s not just for the vocational missionaries or the super-holy; it is for everyone whom Jesus has claimed. It is now a part of your identity. (p. 166-167)  This is what Jesus taught His disciples.  This is what he modeled – a called, submitted-to-the-Father way of living.  Rob wants us to live intentionally, seeking the community of other believers to help us grow and be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.  Iron sharpening iron. Rob unpacks several passages in the New Testament that illustrate this truth.  It’s not about religion, or denomination it’s about living the truth of God’s Word intentionally in a world that is desperate need for a Savior.  A Savior that has sent His ambassadors with a message that has been profoundly mixed up with religiosity, duty and busyness to the point where our citizenship isn’t even clear to us sometimes!

I highly recommend Citizen to believers everywhere!  To churches hungry for God’s presence who want to discover God’s purpose and plan for living in this broken world.  This is a powerful book!  A book that calls to awaken to the Truth of God’s Word!   

About the Author:

Rob Peabody serves as the co-founder and director of Awaken, a non-profit charity that exists to resource the church for action. In 2011, Rob, along with his wife, Medea, and their two boys, left his position as lead campus pastor of a megachurch in Texas to pioneer and lead fresh expressions of church seeking to engage unreached 20’s & 30’s in northeast London.

This work is commissioned by the International Mission Board of the SBC and in partnership with the Church of England. Rob currently serves as a missional consultant for multiple church networks in the UK, is a member of the Speaking Team at Spring Harvest, and is charged with casting vision and leading a new upcoming national UK 18-30’s conference - The Pursuit - taking place May 2015.

Beyond speaking at conferences in the US and UK, Rob has also written a small group film series entitled Kingdom Rise, released March 2013.