Have you ever thought about the difference between
seeking and advancing the kingdom of God? There are promises in God’s Word for those who seek the kingdom but not for those who try to advance it (see Mat 6:33, Lk 12:31).
We live in a very works-oriented culture where our merits determine our
value. This pours out into our social lives, work lives and even into our
spiritual lives. We believe that Jesus came so we could have the free gift of
salvation but after that we have to work for our worthiness and value. We have
to advance the kingdom and start amazing ministries to show that we are good
Christians. This is a lie. My worth is not found in what I do. I could be comatose
in a hospital bed for the rest of my life and my value would not change. My
worth would not change. So why is it, I keep trying to advance the kingdom
instead of seek it? Why do I keep trying to work my way into acceptance instead
of discovering what God has already given me?
A friend and I were talking about this and what it came down to was motives. What are your
motives? Are you seeking ministry opportunities or are you seeking intimacy?
Are you seeking God as a means to an ends or are you seeking God because of who
He is? What if ministry is a side effect of intimacy? What if by seeking the
kingdom, the side effect is it advances?
For example, I can seek the
kingdom and it looks like writing and studying. I love to do these things. When
I am seeking God writing is what comes out of my relationship with God. It
comes from our conversation. It is Him teaching me and talking with me and what
I write is just the fruit of that (though not all that I write is from God,
some of it is just me). However, when I am writing for the purpose of proving to others (or myself) that I have
something valuable to say, I am trying to advance the kingdom. I am coming to God so He can
add words into what I am trying to portray. Instead of having a conversation
with Him and knowing Him better I am coming to Him for filler or a topic, etc.
and not for His perspective on the topic. I want something so I come to Him as
the Answer Man in order to validate myself not to know Him and have Him tell me
who I am.
So what does it look like to seek
the kingdom? Seeking the kingdom is like a game of hide and seek. We are
seeking what wants to be found and are exposing it to the light. When we seek
the kingdom, we seek what is already there. When a miner is searching for
treasure he is seeking treasure that already exists. He is just uncovering it.
So it is with the kingdom. We are just uncovering what is already there. When
we talk about identity, we are not calling into existence something that did
not previously exist; we are calling out something that is already there. When
you speak a word of encouragement or prophecy over someone, you are calling out
something that is already there. The lies are covering it but we get to dig
underneath that and call out the truth.
In Romans 8 it says, “For the
creation waits with eager longing for the revelation of the sons of God. For
the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who
subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of
God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the
pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation but we ourselves, who
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the
adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved”
(8:19-24).
Back in Genesis 1-3 we see the
Garden as it was originally intended. Man is in his original environment. He is
with God, and he is ruling over the earth. Then man sins and is kicked out of
the Garden. Sin now ruins the original design and covers it like a weedy vine.
Later, God brings His people out
of the land of slavery and into the land of promise. On the way He has them
build the Ark of the Covenant. On this ark is the mercy seat and above the
mercy seat are two angels. Back in the Garden, God placed two angels with
flaming swords to guard the entrance into the Garden, that place of communion
with God. Now, God says He will meet His people between the two angels on the
mercy seat (Ex 25:22). Every year, the high priest would put the blood of a
sacrifice of atonement (a sin offering) between the two angels. It would look
like someone was slain trying to return to Eden. The high priest would do this
once a year on the Day of Atonement (Lev 16).
Then Jesus comes along in the New
Testament, and He is the sacrifice for our sins. He dies in our place as the
Passover Lamb. When He dies, the curtain in the temple is torn. That curtain
separated man from the place of meeting with God. God was said to dwell in the
Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, the place
where God would meet with man between the two angels. Now, the curtain (covered
with angels embroidered on it) was torn in two and a way was made for man and
God to fellowship freely again.
So how does this all relate to
seeking the kingdom instead of seeking to advance the kingdom? Jesus reveals to
us who we really are. The Father adopts us as sons and daughters and we are His
children. We realize our identity in Christ. No longer are we slaves to sin
because Jesus died and rose again so we could be free from sin. Jesus came that
we would have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10). He came that we may have
freedom (Jn 8:31, 36). He shows us that we are sons of God. Remember how Romans
8 says that creation is longing for the sons of God to be revealed so that it
too may be free? Jesus reveals us as the sons of God. Now we get to free others
and even creation itself from sin and the distortion that sin brought. The
truth is already there about who we are, we just get to uncover it. Sometimes
that means we have to go through the crap to get to the gold but other times it
means we just call forth the truth and let it shine.
Seeking the kingdom is all about
our relationship with God. We seek Him (one of Jesus’ names is Truth—John 14:6)
and out of our seeking Him the Truth is revealed and His kingdom is advanced. Jesus
says to seek and we will find (Mat 7:7-12). We are not seeking the results but
we are seeking Him first. The results come out of our seeking the Father.
Dig into the Word and ask God who
He says you are. Ask Him to give you verses you can hold onto as words
specifically for you. These are our promise verses. They are promises from God
about who He is and who we are and who He is for us specifically.
