Seeking First the Kingdom
In Chattanooga in 1975, the First Presbyterian Church on McCallie Avenue closed its doors with a sign stating, “Closed for the Super Bowl.” This was “Super Bowl Sunday” evening service (called vespers). When we were turned away by that sign, it was the last time we went to church. We started having our own meetings, which we would never close for the love of the world and the things of the world.
It would seem that Romans 5:5 and 1 John 2:15 go together and show conclusively whether Romans 5:5 has ever happened. The whole church was watching the Super Bowl. Is watching sports on TV one of the “things of the world” in 1 John 2:15-16? Could the Super Bowl qualify as one of these three disorders for the disciples of Messiah?
Everything that belongs to the world — what the sinful self desires, what people see and want, and everything in this world that people are so proud of — none of this comes from the Father; it all comes from the world. (1 John 2:16)
Are Christians disciples? That is the question! In Luke 14:26-33, the Master qualified who is and who is not a disciple of His.
John 17:14-16 speaks of disciples. Disciples are in the world, but not of it. Gentiles are in the world and also of it. They may go to church on Sunday, or may even be successful preachers, but they are still those who love the world and the things of the world,1 like football, baseball, basketball, TV, movies, Internet pornography, etc.
Gentiles refers to all who are not saved from self-life by the Blood of the Lamb.2 The term gentiles today includes both Jews and Gentiles, since no one can technically call himself a Jew today except those who are true Jews.3
How then does Luke 12:22 apply to you? What does He mean by “life”? Do not worry about your life. Matthew 6:31-32 concerns the non-believer who is in the world and of the world, considered a gentile, which is not necessarily condemning since everyone in the world must make a living, or else starve to death.
What, then, does He mean by Matthew 6:33? Who is He speaking to? Is He speaking to you, or are you then a gentile? Since He said in Matthew 6:32, “For after all these things the gentiles seek,” and, “For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things,” but then He adds verse 33. Are you one of the “you” in verse 33, or are you a gentile? These two verses in Matthew 6:32-33 distinguish His disciples from gentiles who are still in and of the world, though as 1 John 5:13 (KJV) suggests, some who “believe” don’t know they are yet gentiles. They only believe in Him as did the “believers” in John 2:23-25, but He doesn’t believe in them. But as 1 John 5:13 says in the King James Version, you can come to believe if you admit that you really don’t.
To seek first for His kingdom is not just to recite the so-called “Lord’s Prayer,”4 but to actualize it in daily living in the Body of Messiah,5 as was done in the first church, serving Him where He is:6
Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there will My servant be also. (John 12:25-26)
He meant to hate whatever would stand in the way of having eternal life, which was the very thing the rich young ruler wouldn’t do:
17And as he was setting out on his journey, a man ran up and knelt before him and asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
21 And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.
28 Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left everything and followed You.”
29 “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.” (Mark 10:17,21-22,28-30; see also Matthew 19:16-30 and Luke 18:18-30)
This is included in what all disciples must be taught,7 as well as what it means to be included in His family.8 Whoever was willing to do the Father’s will would know the truth from a lie,9 and who is and who is not a true sent one.10
And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him. (Acts 5:32; see also 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 and John 3:36 in the NASB)
All others will be left behind,11 since they did not obey the gospel.12 If mothers, brothers, sisters, etc.,13 and all one’s own possessions are not left behind, the supposed disciple will himself be left behind when the Master comes, if he does not leave everything behind to follow Him now.
Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:34-38)
