Here is Part Three

Seeking First the Kingdom – Part Three

In the first article of the series, I talked about Matthew 6:33 and its personal application. The second article dealt with making application for the local church setting. In this third and final of the series, I want to address current threats to the church and how our obedience to this command of Jesus can address those threats.
Did you see the recent article noting the increased percentages of people who claim no religious preference? This survey affirms my long held belief that we are becoming more and more secular. Any general cultural “preference” for religion, and particularly in our regions, Protestant expressions of Christianity, has diminished greatly. Persons in these past surveys, even though they might not have been Christ followers, or church members, generally expressed a preference for the term “evangelical” or “Christian.” That is no longer true for larger and larger numbers of people.
Is this a bad thing? Obviously it weakens the “perception” of strength of evangelical Christianity, but maybe it is time for us to stop taking adherence to our common “Christian” values for granted. We all knew those who expressed a preference for calling themselves “Christians” or “Evangelicals” did not express a true faith in Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is not better off because people identify themselves in a survey as “Christian”. The church is better off when people are expressing their personal faith in Christ by being obedient to His commands and allowing Him to direct their lives.
It is also obvious that in these days that churches face some serious economic threats. Shortfalls in giving threaten our missions programs, our church program activities, our staffing, our buildings, and our way of doing church. But let me ask this question. Even if our church can no longer exist in its present form, are we not better off to seek the Kingdom first? Jesus answered that with his life. He laid down his life for his sheep. Did he not call on us to die to self? Does that command not also apply to the church? Maybe our churches are not dying to self because our leadership (I am starting with me) has not modeled their obedience to this command of Jesus. Stewardship of life and life’s resources (both are gifts from God), is one of the critical issues we face in the 21st Century.
Obviously I cannot address all the threats to the church in such a short article, but one other serious threat is holding a consumer attitude toward church and faith. This mentality picks and chooses what one wants; much like a shopper picks and chooses among merchandise in a store or from menu items in a restaurant. We need to be reminded that Biblical faith is not a matter of choosing what we want to obey or do. Christ followers are called to lives of faithfulness and sacrifice. No one would choose this life for himself. We are called into this life through faith in Jesus Christ. Bonhoffer said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…” not to pick and choose, but to live obediently under His Lordship.
I am praying for your life in Christ to be fruitful for the Kingdom’s sake.

Seeking First the Kingdom - Part Two

In the last post, I looked at how an individual applies the truth of Matthew 6:33, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” In this portion, part two of a three part series; I want to apply those truths mentioned in the last article to the local church situation. We often are quick to make personal or individual application of the truths of scripture, but we are much slower at applying the truths of scripture in the corporate context. Perhaps it is because we live in such an individualistic culture. While our Western culture has stressed the individual for centuries, the scriptures were written with a tribal, village or family/group context. I am convinced that practically every scripture that we have individualized probably also needs to be interpreted and applied in the corporate focus of the congregation of God’s people.
So, to put this gospel truth into congregational context, I might ask the local church, “What are you worried about?” Or, as I learned in Healthy Congregations training, “What raises the anxiety level of the local congregation?
What are we worried about in our churches? I would say the two most likely answers would be “money” and “people,”--- “money” to meet the budget (i.e. keep the utilities open and pay the staff) and “people” to keep the church system running (teachers for classes, deacons to serve, people to attend). When we are worried or obsessed with these issues, we are not focusing on the Kingdom of God, we are focusing on us. This is just like those people in Matthew 6 focusing on what they had to eat or to wear.
When have you seen a church obsessed with ministry in the community in Jesus name? When have you see a church obsessed with evangelistic fervor, dying to reach the people in their community? I dare say you have not seen these. Yet, ministering to the community in Jesus name and reaching the lost in our community are Kingdom issues. Paying the bills and keeping the church system running are not. A key part of our mistake has been equating church activities with Kingdom work, and sadly to say, they are not the same. When our focus is turned inward, we worry about our programs and our buildings. We worry about our staff and about our ability to sustain our level of activities. Yet Jesus commanded us to seek FIRST the Kingdom of God. I am convinced that when we do that as the first order of business, He will take care of the other things. And, I am not so sure that we wouldn’t be better off without so many of our busy activities of church life that wear people out without providing spiritual sustenance they need to be Kingdom citizens. Yet, who will give us permission to stop doing all these things. Guess what. I hereby grant you permission to reorder your church life to focus on the things that really matter (not that my permissions is necessary) and make a Kingdom difference.

Seeking First the Kingdom - Part One

In the Matthew 6:33, we find a verse that is familiar to most Christians, “But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Most of us understand the context of this verse. Jesus discerned the thought processes of the people of his day. He knew their concerns. He lived among them. When you spend time with a person or a group of people, you come to know their concerns. He recognized the people of his day were focused on what they would eat or what they would wear, simple projections of the basic human needs. But, the times in Jesus day were difficult for the Jews. They lived in occupied territory. There was hardship all around. These were legitimate concerns. You and I recognize that the issues confronting people in our day are not much different from those mentioned in this passage. Often we clothe this passage in the context of simple “worry.” In reality, I think it is much deeper than that. It’s not just about worry, though Jesus uses that word. It is about the thought processes that dominate our minds and our moods.
Today’s news shows are dominated with talk about our economy. What occupies your mind most of the time? I confess, I watch TV programs to see who can explain the economic mess we are in, without much success. I doubt I am any better off for it.
But in these days of economic uncertainty, what occupies your mind?
Jesus’ challenge to those hearers and to us was to focus primarily on the Kingdom of God. Instead of seeking after wealth or personal security, he challenged us to seek the Kingdom (rule and reign) of God. What does that mean? I think it simply means to live in a relationship of complete reliance upon God, seeking to fulfill God’s will for our lives. It means that God sets the agenda for my life, not me. Uh oh! Do you fall into that trap like I often do of not allowing God to set the direction? I confess! If you pair this verse with Luke 9:23, you understand that “denying self and taking up the cross” means getting off our agenda and getting on God’s agenda.
What is Jesus’ promise that follows this command? It is a promise that we will have those things (basic needs of life) added to us (by Him). In other words, what we were concerned about – i.e. the basic needs of life – food and clothing, He will provide when we first seek His Will.
If I am concerned about my retirement fund, what I am looking for is long-term security after I retire from full-time work. That is why I have for the last 32 years put money into my retirement fund. But, the truth is, that if I trust God, He will provide for what I need, even if my retirement fund is not there when I retire. What I have to do now it to get busy seeking His Kingdom.