How Do I Seek First the Kingdom? | Seeking His Presence

by Angie Wyatt

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:19–22

Every Sunday, my dad would get up early and go to work. Like most pastors, he got to church early, prayed and made his final sermon notes. As the service time approached, people always congregated outside my dad’s office. They wanted him to be available for prayer or spiritual counsel. But, when I showed up, I ran right past them all and burst into his office without even knocking on the door. When I saw him, I would jump into his lap and give him a big kiss. To me, he wasn’t the preacher, he was my dad. 

My relationship with my dad reminds me of my relationship with my heavenly Father.  No matter where I am in life, I know I’m welcome with my Father. I may be messy and unpolished.  I may not follow all the right etiquette, but He’s always happy to see me, and I’m so happy to be with Him. 

Throughout the Old Testament, God was distant from His people. Only the priests could come to His holy place. But now, all that has changed. In Hebrews, we read that Jesus became the final high priest. We can come to the Father through Him. We can enter the holy place of God’s presence because we are loved, accepted and welcome. 

In God’s presence, we find all of those things that characterize Him. We find His peace, love, mercy and goodness. He embraces us with His love. He answers our prayers. He visits with us. When we seek His presence, we are seeking His kingdom.  The Bible promises, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8). Enter into His holy place, and you will find Him ready to embrace you.

1.  What keeps you from seeking God’s presence?

2.  How can you pursue God’s presence?

3.  What is the Holy Spirit saying to you?

How Do I Seek First the Kingdom? | Being God-Centered

by Bob Hamp

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
Mark 8:35–37

His funeral was attended by three people who did not know each other and a hired chaplain who had never met him before. This small group gathered around a casket, looked in at the man’s body and struggled for meaningful words to say about his life. He died in prison after leaving his wife and kids to pursue the life he was sure would make him happy. He died alone. The sadness in the room seemed to be as much about lost opportunities as it did a lost life.

We have an opportunity to make something the center of our lives. All of us have some idea about what will make life work though not everyone has the same idea. Many things men seek will actually take their lives away. One thing will give life back. What is it? We should all answer that question.

A lamp produces light, but it can’t be plugged into itself. Only a power source produces what the lamp needs to function. The equation is simple: Make your desires first, and you will have none of them fulfilled. Seek to connect daily to the Source of life, and your life will be changed.
     
Jesus never said to make church or good works the center of your life. The gospel is simple—God is here among His people. God is looking for daily, consistent acknowledgment that He is in your home and your car—that He goes to work with you. He desires ongoing two-way communication. Living a God-centered life is not about you working for God every day, it is about Him working in you.

1.  What is the first thing you think about when you wake up?  When you get off work?  When you're tired?

2.  How do you hear God’ s voice when you ask Him questions?

3.  If God were sitting in the front seat of your car this morning, what would you ask Him?

What Is the Kingdom? | New Creation

by Alan Smith

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away …  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."  Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."
Revelation 21:1, 4–5

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Four of us checked in to a Marriott Hotel in Guatemala City when we first arrived in the country. We stayed one night and then drove four hours into the mountains for three full days of ministry. We then returned to Guatemala City and checked back into the same hotel, but it wasn’t the same hotel at all. Marriott sold the hotel to a company called Barcelon, and the transformation took place quickly between our stays. No trace of the old Marriott identity was anywhere to be found. There was new management, new branding, even new towels and new soap!

That’s what it will be like when God’s kingdom comes in fullness. All the old will pass away and everything will be made new. All that Jesus purchased for us through His death and resurrection will be fully appropriated. All that God purposed for creation will be fully realized. The only appropriate term for this is “new creation.”

We do not have to wait for that day to know what this will be like! God is now doing in you what He will one day do in all creation. He is causing all the old things to pass away and making everything new in your life now. You are a new creation! Those who have opportunities to observe this transformation will, through your life, get a foretaste of the new creation that is yet to come.

That’s what happens when the kingdom of heaven comes. Old things pass away. Everything is made new. Tears, death, sorrow, pain— these are old things. The kingdom brings such newness that these old things are displaced with God’s presence, voice, joy and health.

1. What are some old things that need to pass away in your life?

2. How is experiencing God’s kingdom a better solution for getting rid of these old things than simply trying harder?

3. In what ways have you already experienced new creation as a result of God’s kingdom in your life?

What is the Kingdom? | Already and Not Yet

by Alan Smith

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Ephesians 1:13–14

Years ago, my dad was selling his truck. The ad he placed in the newspaper generated several calls, and before too long, we had a series of potential buyers kicking tires in the driveway. The fourth one decided to buy it, but wouldn’t be ready to pay the full price for a couple of days. No problem. He gave $500 as a guarantee of the full price he would pay later in the week.

We all understand the concept of a down payment. We receive a portion of something now as a guarantee of the fullness of what we will receive later. The kingdom of God works kind of like that too. Many think of the kingdom only as a future reality, with no benefit in the present. Others consider the kingdom only in terms of the present, with no sense of anticipation for that which is yet to come. But this is not an either/or proposition. God’s kingdom is a present reality. God’s kingdom is also a future reality.

We have entered God’s story during the in-between. Jesus has fully provided for the complete restoration of all that is broken in God’s good creation. One day, when Jesus returns, His full provision will be fully appropriated. What a great day that will be! In the present, God has given us the Spirit as a down payment on what is to come. We can live according to that future reality now by the Spirit; we can begin to implement Jesus’ complete victory now by the Spirit.

When we choose to live as kingdom people, we choose to live in the present in light of that future reality and on the basis of Jesus’ finished work. We are spending the down payment! Our faith determines how much of that future reality we get to experience in the present.

1. What will God’s future kingdom be like?

2. How would your life be different if that future kingdom began to invade your present reality?

3. If faith grows as a result of hearing God’s voice (Romans 10:17), then how is learning to hear God’s voice connected to our experience of the kingdom in the here and now?

What Is the Kingdom? | The End of the Exile

by Alan Smith

Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Genesis 3:23–24

He broke the rules and was banned for life from Major League Baseball. How many sports talk shows have filled their airtime discussing whether or not Pete Rose should be allowed in the Hall of Fame? Too many! Few argue that he’s not guilty, but many still desire to see the all-time hits leader restored to the game he was so clearly destined to play.

We too have been banned for life—exiled. God promised that one day the exile would be over. The story of Israel is a story of exile and return. When Jesus arrived, Israel was longing for an end to their exile. They longed for YHWH to forgive their sins, return to Zion, restore the Temple and priesthood, defeat their enemies and vindicate the faithful who truly belonged to Him.

When Jesus announced the arrival of the kingdom of God, this was heard and understood as an announcement that, in Jesus, the exile was finally coming to an end. Of course, they were thinking too small and expected this to manifest in the defeat of Rome, but in a real sense, Jesus came to do exactly what they were expecting Messiah to do. He embodied YHWH’s return to Zion. He provided for the forgiveness of sins. Our bodies are now the temple. His people are now a holy priesthood. He has defeated our true enemy--the serpent, the devil. The exile is over.

Your sins are forgiven. The relational distance between you and God is no more. Your body is His temple, the place where His glory dwells. You are His priest. Your enemy is defeated. Your exile is over. That’s part of what the kingdom of God is—the end of your exile. Start living like it!

1. In what ways do we as believers sometimes live as if we are still in exile?

2. The end of exile means that we are no longer separated from God’s presence. What can you do to live more fully aware of God’s presence in your life each day?

3. Your enemy is defeated! Are there some areas in your life where you need to experience this reality? Take a moment to declare God’s victory through Jesus in each area that comes to mind.

What Is the Kingdom? | On Earth as in Heaven

by Angie Wyatt

This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’
Matthew 6:9–10

In 1952, Mother Theresa opened Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the deathly ill. She believed that every person ought to die with dignity. She offered kindness and love to the destitute street people who were dying in her facility. But, to her surprise, many of these severely sick people went on to live. When embraced with acceptance and love, they found hope and the strength to heal.

As Christians, a major theme of our faith revolves around what happens to us when we die. We know we go to heaven. But, how often do we ask, “What happens to me between now and then?” Is the point of the kingdom of God only about what happens when I die?  Because of God’s love displayed through Mother Theresa, people found life in the present. Heaven came down to meet them. People gained spiritual and physical life for this world.

Jesus prayed to the Father, “Let Your kingdom come … on earth.”  Yes, Jesus is concerned with people meeting Him in heaven after their death, but He is also concerned with heaven coming to earth. He demonstrated this throughout His ministry. Jesus healed blind eyes, freed prostitutes of their shame and stood for justice. He lived on earth as if heaven were present in and through Him.  

As believers, the kingdom of God is present on earth in and through us. If we live our lives only for the promise of heaven to come, we’ll miss a huge part of God’s will for our lives. God wants to establish the life, hope and power of His kingdom on earth through us. His new life is available to all of humanity today, as well as after death.  

1.  What would it look like for God’s kingdom to come to earth in your family?

2.  What would it look like for God’s kingdom to come to earth in your career?

3.  As a believer, how can the kingdom of God come to earth through you?