To seek first Jesus Christ is to become absolutely obsessed with him.
After all it is the only reasonable response to really seeing and hearing him.
It is not to become weird and unrelateable to make people think you are spiritual and its not to become overly strict and judgmental in not sinning.
But it is a well thought-out “healthy obsession” with the best way for a human being to live.
Did you know all success is not created equal, some success is to be avoided and shunned. It’s a success that is not success at all, we just call it that due to our worldly training and confused attitudes.
Was the rich young ruler in Mark 10 successful? No, he was not, Jesus redefined “success” for us and that kid rejected it because for him it involved financial hardship.
Did you know it’s possible to find success in the kingdom of darkness OR in the kingdom of Jesus Christ? We, for the most part, can choose.
Even a brief look at church history and we can see that for hundreds of years individual Christians, entire denominations of churches, and passionate ministries found big “success” in one or the other. With much different outcomes. At times the church almost ruled the world, while in cohoots with Satan.
There needs to be a massive distinction drawn between what is satanic and what is Jesus success, first and foremost this distinction is for the church world, then the rest of the world will be able to figure it out. After we do this we will be able to put Satan in his place.
Success in the kingdom of darkness doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve become openly evil. It just means we cooperate with and excel and compete well according to the rules and laws of that Kingdom.
But if all success is the same to us and if there is not a distinction between the two in our minds, if we don’t know where to draw the line, first off we are not being discipled well.
Jesus-followers care enough to spend the time to understand which success to shun and which one to seek.
Furthermore, everything church is not to be automatically classified as kingdom of heaven. A great deal of it is under Satan’s influence and even control, Jesus has very little to do with it a lot of church and ministry. And it’s been that way for quite awhile. An honest look at church history and this satanic interference in church is self evident.
Some churches and ministry activities of the past fall squarely in the kingdom of Satan category. And it should not be difficult to see and acknowledge this. It can and does happen. Satan is subtle, and money is VERY deceitful.
But identifying all forms of interference is not totally necessary. It is easy to come out of his influence, to move back with the Lord Jesus, it’s as easy as hearing and obeying Jesus Christ. It’s as easy as repentance, and rededication. It is as easy as dismissing mans leadership in place of Jesus’ direct inner leadership.
Seek first Jesus Christ and his righteousness fixes a multitude of confusion and satanic influences. He himself is our daily course correction and we all have direct access to him.
I will write another post detailing success in the kingdom of heaven.
In the kingdom of Satan this is how religion is done all over the world. It’s very consistent satan-inspired model.
Sincere sheep-like followers, following sacred men (only men), in a sacred place, on a sacred day, alone educated to interpret sacred text.
But in the kingdom of Jesus Christ men and women follow the one and only sacred man Jesus Christ who leads them to gather any day,
who are themselves the sacred place wherever they are,
who have had the sacred text written on their hearts daily by the one sacred man who lives within them.
Sheep-like followers of a priestly class of men in sacred buildings are not normal or ok in the kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Surprisingly Andy Stanley has more to say about this model of religion.
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