GOD’S PRIORITIES or FIRST THINGS FIRST or"SEEK YE FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!!"
"Seek ye first the, kingdom of God", He says. And when He says it, His voice is as the sound of many waters, as the sound like the Niagara Falls up close. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His [rightness]" (a), He says to us. I said , "Lord, what about food, clothing and shelter?" Jesus said, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you" (a)
Then God's voice again sounds like the Niagara Falls from the mouth of the Wind Tunnels on the Canadian side directly underneath the falls, "Go ye into all the world, make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey every thing that I have commanded you." (b) I said,"O.K., but. . ." Again the still small voice seems I to roar so quietly that it is deafening! All authority has been given to Me in heaven "and on earth! Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you: and l0, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (b)
I had completed my second 40 day fast on just water. I decided to believe the Bible, but had been frustrated that so many of the promises weren't nitty gritty experiential gut-level reality. I had turned 40 and got a real bad case of "midlife-crisis". My pal, Joey, came to me later and asked me, "Dad, what's a male mental pause?" I said, "That's like when a guy starts becoming forgetful. "
But when I turned 40, all of a sudden I became terrified! Where had all those green years gone? To quote my friend, Louis L' Amour, "Where go the years? Down what tunnel of time are poured the precious days? We are young and the fires within us burn bright. All the world lies before us and nothing is too great to be done, no challenge too awesome. Then, suddenly the days are no more and the time that remains is little indeed." (From chapter 30 of To The Far Blue Mountains.) Why, it seemed that only yesterday morning I had graduated from Bethel College ('61), yesterday noon we got married, finished Bethany Fellowship, and lived happily ever after('64), yesterday afternoon Joseph was born ('66), seconds later Kari came ('68), then Dawn Joy ('70), and Joshua ('72). But now, today noon, I'm 40 already. I said, shaking my head from side to side like some delirious dumb brute animal,"Where has all the time gone?" Yesterday morning I was a kid on the Iowa farm dreaming of the miracles I'd work; only yesterday when the men of God told me of the places I'd minister, only last evening when the English teacher at Bible School asked us to write a theme on what we intended to be doing in five or ten years. She scolded me for not being realistic when I had sincerely written how that by the age of 31 I expected to be healing the sick, raising the dead , traveling in the Holy Spirit, ministering supernaturally in the languages of the people by the Holy Spirit, seeing tens of thousands of people being born again. That was 20 years ago. Now I was 40 and scared stiff! I thought, "I haven't committed the act of adultery, nor have I ever been drunk-yet my sin is very great." I remembered where James said, "To him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin" (c) Brother, I'd known a whole lot of good to do, but had not done it. I thought of the Apostle Paul saying, "I've been faithful to the heavenly vision. . . I've fought the good fight, I've finished the course, henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness that no man can take. . . The blood of no man is on my hands." (d) I couldn't say that. I've known to do
a whole lot of good and done it not. Young buck-yesterday I was reckless, handsome, (I really was), and strong, filled with dreams and visions of what we were going to do for God. Now I was bald-headed-and pot-bellied and 'hain't really did much for Jesus.' It scared me so bad I went on this 40 day fast-no food or juice or pills-just distilled water. (I had gone on another one in 1972 while working as a probation officer for L. A. County.) I wanted to minimize these serious sins of lassitude, insipidity and indecision.
One major thing happened because of this 40 day fast (besides losing weight): I decided to do the will of God. I mean really decided. I don't know if it affected me mentally or emotionally or what, but I decided to do the will of God. I mean really decided! Oh, I had decided before, many times. I remember going to an apostle one time and saying, "Do you witness that I should now I begin walking in the words that God has spoken and confirmed over my life?" He said, "I was wondering when you were going to start." But I I just hadn't meant that much business. Oh, I had gone to church,. sometimes ten time times through the night; and I had ministered; some, three or four brief missionary trips to Mexico, several years as a pastor, also preaching here and there, etc. But there was just too much good I knew to do,but had not done-too much of that serious kind of sinning that wouldn't look so good tomorrow noon at the judgment seat of Christ. "Son," I could imagine the Lord saying, "Why did you not do the blueprint I had for you? Why did you not do the living Works or the creative words I gave you to do and speak?"
There is a Greek word for sin-"hamartano" which means "to miss the mark" or the bullseye. How sad to miss the mark or the plan or blueprint God planned for us during our days, months and years! The Bible says God has living words and Works planned for us. Jesus said in John 5:19,30 and other places that He always only did what He saw the Father doing and spoke only what Be heard the Father speaking. I decided that this way of life was for me also, and determined that from now on-no matter what or who-I would do God's will as best as I could determine it. God have mercy on my soul!!!!
I remembered that it's possible to be so good that you are god for nothing. I thought of the ‘one-talent-man’ who had the talent, the commission, but brought the same talent back to God unmultiplied. I believe he was a pretty average Christian. You remember what happened to him? He got set adrift in, and exiled to, the blackness of outer space with wailing and gnashing of teeth-forever! Can you imagine what that would be like?
So, out of 40 years of walking with God, two complete 40 day fasts, (e) over 20 years being full of the Holy Spirit (theoretically), I made two decisions. They both border on insanity, I guess. A disciple, Jeff, asked me one day, "John,- how do you know the will of God?" I said, "Be insanely committed to do the will of God. (I believe the real insanity is not doing the will of God.) A guy called me 'weird' one time, at which I responded, "Friend, if the rest of the world is 'normal,' you just paid me a compliment! Anyway, I decided to do two things with the rest of my life:
1. Matt. 6:33-Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. (JB)
2. Matt. 28:19-20-Go into all the world make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all He commands us. (JB)
Well then, I thought, "If I'm going to spend the rest of my life seeking first the Kingdom of God, I'd better find out what this Kingdom of God is. Oh, I had some vague ideas, but I had to know. . . really know. I mean, I will not base my whole life on some vague idea. So I got out my big four inch thick concordance and looked up every verse on the Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven, the King, Kingdoms, Kings, Lord (over 7000 verses on Yahweh or Yahvah alone), Lordship of Christ, etc. I did the same thing with all the verses on disciple, disciples, discipleship, etc. because I thought, "If I'm going to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, I should know what a 'disciple' is." During this time, I read the entire Bible through 4 times. (e) Many months I studied, and I came to the following conclusions:
1. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE BIBLE.
2. IT MUST BE TAUGHT IN ALL THE WORLD BEFORE THE END CAN COME.
3. HARDLY ANYBODY, INCLUDING CHRISTIANS, KNOWS WHAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS.
Please pray with me.
Heavenly Father, tomorrow noon, when I stand before the Mighty and Awesome Judge of all the Universe, I want to pass the test and have Christ say, "Well done." Grant that I qualify now for an abundant entrance into His Kingdom then. In Jesus' name, Amen.
a) Matt. 6:33
b) Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18
c) James 4:17 (KJ)
d) Acts 20:25-26; 26:19; II Tim. 4:5-8 (JB)
e) My mention here of fasting and reading the Word are not deliberate intentions to brag. I am willing to lose the reward for doing these-if by example and teaching I can be a blessing to you.
Review Questions
HOW IMPORTANT?!
1. Make a list of the 12 most important things in your life in order of importance
2. What does Matt. 6:33 say?
3. What is the Kingdom, of God? (Be brief)
4. What are some of the things that will be added unto us if we seek first God's Kingdom?
5. Where has the Kingdom of God been on your priority list?
6. From now on, where will the Kingdom of God be on your priority list?
7. Name a kind of sin other than a sin where you do something wrong.
8. What is the Greek word for sin which means missing the mark or bull's-eye?
9. What is meant by "Living Works"?
10. What is meant by "Dead Works"?
11. What happens if we speak "idle words'
13. What was the "modus operandi" or method by which Christ Jesus did the Father's will?
14. What should ours be?
15. Did the "one talent man" have a relationship with the Lord?
16. Name three elements of that relationship.
17. What two things happened to him when he didn't produce?
18. Describe what you think it would be like to be exiled and set adrift in the blackness of outer space.
19. What is the Great Commission?
20. Where is it found?
21. Do you think that the Great Commission applies to you?
22. Please give a definition of a "disciple" of the Lord Jesus.
23. Who did Jesus say His brothers, mother and sisters are?
24. Who did Jesus say His "friends" are?
25. Who did Jesus say could not be His disciple?
26. Are you a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ?
27. Give yourself a grade in percentages-1 to100% ?
28. Jesus said that all people would be able to tell if we are His disciples by what?
29. Jesus said that we would do what as proof of our love for Him?
30. Complete this verse, "Herein is My Father glorified, that and so prove to be My disciples.