Acts 22:24-29 KJV
24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.

Migration of the world comes with people not born of the USA living in the good old USA because of job and work opportunities they do not have else where. Americans migrate overseas because of jobs and setting up business is cheaper for some companies else where. A new language, a new idea and new change part of life. Paul was in Israel though he was citizen of Israel by Jewish faith by Roman law he was also a Roman because his citizenship was island off of Italy where he was born. Paul really had dual citizenship in a since, but he was born free Roman citizen. I am American born and ancestory if I go back a few generation were migrants here to the United States. I little history of the people that cross the ocean or the people in lands no in America. What I know is I grew up American with my people being American not knowing ancestory roots. Only native Americans like Indians or indian heritage can say they been in America the longest. We all that live in America came from somewhere do to migration. Some people marry outside the country like soldiers, business workers and occasionally you hear someone traveled and meet someone online and married a person overseas. I married a local man to the area I live in. I only been out of the country by internet. And people are people.

The problem Paul had when he traveled is no one knew who he was or where he was from. Not to unusual because Paul traveled a long distance. The known world was Roman. Yet there were people not of Roman origin, but Roman only because they were enslaved to Rome. There country perhaps taken over by Rome and so they were not Roman citizen but becyond the fact of captivity of some sort. If you thought to be a slave, or a person not of Roman origin they would beat you and even stone you before allowing you to speak before Roman court. Paul was born free because he was Roman. The beating that occured came because of him not speaking out who he was and when he did, he would be set free or imprison. His Roman citizenship gave him a get out of jail free card, or get out of free from a public beating until seen by the a court. This entitlement was not questioned. I would hate to see what happened to someone that claimed to be a Roman citizen and was not. Preferential treatment.

In American the one that commits a crime is often sent back overseas and admittance no longer allowed to remain in the USA or traveling here. Americans go before a judge in American court systems. In some country they try everyone including people not citizenship and punish them. Most Americans only hear about foreign criminals be export to their homeland. Paul had a right to appeal all the way to Caesar over a problem because he was Roman.

His Roman status declared him born free. When I hear the words born free, I think of Elsa the lionness being born free and turned back into the wilderness, when she became to much for those who cared deeply for her. She care for them, but found a way to live in the wild once more. When we are spiritual reborn by God's Spirit when we become saved through faith in Christ Jesus, we have to relearn how to live in our environment. It not about how good you are, but living as Christ wants us to live and according to his will.

Some born free through faith in Christ find themselves free from sin, but not from the life that lead them to sin. We are living in the captivity of our sinful environment. When a believer approach the throne of God in prayer, we have a lawyer/advocator name Jesus. When we stand before him, he sees the payment of his Son upon us(writing of the blood covering). This covering exempts us from the punishment an unsaved or lost person standing in the precents of God will face if they repent not and believe not. In fact they are not protect by the promises of God if they are not believers in Christ. The devil believes, trembles and finds himself in a dark domain. His citizenship is not of heaven anymore. Yet at one time his citizenship was in heaven as the serpent that deceive Eve. Our citizenship of faith is to live in the promise land of faith with God, His Son and Spirit that will be the light to all that live there. Our citizenship of Beulah land, the New Jerusalem(the spiritual Jerusalem). Our citizenship status gives us a passport to our eternal home one day. All others will find them spiritual home not of God but design by God call the eternal lake of fire. Freedom will not be in that lake of fire instead you find out your going to be tortured all your eternal days. As believers in Jesus the punishment of sin is no more for us for us in eternity, yet when our humanity gets the best of us and we sin on earth, we may face punishment by the laws of our land. Our independence is based on the priced paid for by Jesus, meaning our forgiveness from God is complete through the cross for eternity. Yet we live our life until it time for us to go home in a foreign land called earth where rules and laws exist until our death. Then when we reach our eternal home, we find the laws of God by his Spirit still reigning because they are the fruit of God's Spirit that transformed us and reshaped our life through the cross of Jesus and the testimony of God's Spirit in our life.

Tomorrow is fourth of July. America will be celebrating Independence day. However it took two days for news to spread across our land that freedom had come to those in America, because the war was over. The war between England and America. England will aways be a part of our History. Yet the distance at the time of our independence came because they could not control or rule us at such a great distance. I do not American were a little tired of waiting for news of Englands decision on matters in our world. Our freedom with big brother involved in every aspect of human life seems far stretching but out of sink with the founding father's idea of freedom. Yet God idea of freedom is eternity with him. He sees all and yet he will to forgive our mistakes. He will to allow Jesus to intercede in our behalf. To allows us to continue in faith when we fail him. He knows the world we are in, designed by him is meant for destruction, but our eternal life is meant to go on and on. We can either experience with his love or with his wrath. Your choice. God is a forgiving God.

When we are born again it is not with seed of corruption but of incorruption, because it the word of God that causes us to be born again with faith in Jesus. Don't give up when you fail to live up to all God has called you to, confess it and continue on in faith, knowing Jesus paid it all.

Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you Jesus who gives us eternal life with faith in HIm. Thank you for making a way for us despite our sin. Making us free from the yoke of sin for eternity. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

Continual Scripture Study: 1 John 2:1-8 KJV
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
7 Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
8 Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth.

1 Peter 1:23-25 KJV
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.