What does 'seeking God's kingdom' mean?

Matthew 6:33 (NKJV): But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 

How do you 'seek first His kingdom', and how do you 'seek first His righteousness'? And what exactly does this word 'kingdom' and 'righteousness' mean? I tell you what, it's not something so unattainable or so high up that it's hard to get. It's actually very easy. And I'm going to explain to you why and how. This verse, though it looks simple, is a very deep and profound Bible verse worth our study. And blessed are you, if you are hanging on to what Jesus has said in this verse!

Contrary to what some people believe, this verse is not talking about how many hours or how much time you spend or 'commit' in church activities. It is not about putting church work first and putting everything else in your life second. In fact, church is not supposed to be confined within the four walls of a building. The word 'church', or 'ekklesia' in Greek, is never about a building. Church is a people. This word 'church' means 'a people called out (from darkness into God's marvelous light)'. Therefore, wherever we are (and wherever we are gathered), we are the church! We are the light and the salt to this world. And we can express God's kingdom wherever we are, whatever our calling may be. It doesn't necessarily have to be you serving God 'full-time' in a particular church organization. But rather, it's about what God has called you to be. If you are called to the marketplace, you can still seek first God's kingdom and express God's kingdom; and you can still seek first His righteousness and express His righteousness! 

Remember, we are all 'king and priest'. Royal priesthood. The priesthood of all believers. You and I, whatever our calling may be, whether we are in the marketplace, or whether we are in the neighborhood, we are the royal priesthood! (1 Peter 2:9) Yes, no doubt God raises up the apostles, prophets, teachers, pastors, and evangelists with the purpose of equipping and edifying His people; but this doesn't take away the fact that every believer is a 'royal priesthood'!

Now, the word 'kingdom' in Matthew 6:33 is 'basileia' in Greek. It can mean 'rule, reign, realm'. Based on the definition of 'basileia' here, we can therefore say 'to seek first God's kingdom' is 'to seek His rule, to seek His reign, and to seek His realm' in our lives. In other words, to let Him take over our lives, to let Him rule over our lives, to let Him reign over our lives, and of course to let His realm take over our worldly realm! 

That's why Jesus taught us to pray: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) Yes, let God's kingdom come and let God's will be done in our lives! It means to give God full control over our lives, as we submit and surrender our lives to His way and to His will! 

So, how do we receive this kingdom from heaven? How do we walk in God's way? How do we walk in God's will? By allowing Him to rule and reign in our lives! To 'basileia' in our lives! 

How about this word 'righteousness' in Matthew 6:33? It is 'dikaios' in Greek. It can mean any of these: 'that which is holy, that which is acceptable, that which is justified'. Notice in this verse, Jesus talked about God's righteousness, and not our own righteousness. It means to seek God's righteousness, and not our own righteousness. 

By the way, 'to be righteous' in the context of this verse means 'to be in right standing with God'. How can we be in the right standing with God? Now you see, all of us have fallen short of the glory of God and of the standard of God. None of us is righteous by ourselves. And no matter how we 'suffer' ourselves to earn this righteousness by our own strength or our own effort, we can never achieve it. Because it is by the grace of God that we are made righteous. 

So, 'to be righteous' in the context here is 'having this assurance that because Jesus has died for you on the cross and carried away all your sins, you are now made righteous, and you are now reconciled to God.' In other words, you are now set free from any curse of sin, you have been forgiven, you have been accepted, and you have been justified, through your faith in Him! This righteousness has been given to you, because Jesus has paid the price for you on the cross! Your part now is to believe, receive, and allow it in your life! 

And of course, your part is also not to worry! Because as you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, you are effectively allowing God to take full control in your life. In other words, you give Him full say in your life! Therefore, He will know how to lead you, guide you, make a way for you, and open doors for you! 

That's why Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-26: 'Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?' 

Here, Jesus meant do not worry about all these, or what you will eat or drink, or what you will wear. Because if He knows how to feed the birds, even though they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, what more you, the beloved of God? Now, Jesus is not saying we are to run away from our responsibilities in life. But Jesus is saying do not worry! Yes, do not worry even about your future. Because as you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, 'all these things' (even what's in your future) is assured. He certainly knows what is best for you, and He certainly knows your every need in your life! 

Now, what are 'all these things'? 'All these things' means 'all these things'! It means all that you ever need in your life! Your food, your shelter, your finance, your provision, your health, your protection, your children's well-being, your children's education, yeah, even your house, your car, your computer, your clothing, your vacation, and God knows what else! Remember this: Your God is a great God. Your God is a rich God. Your God is a God of abundance. He is more than enough for you. And He has more than enough for you! 

Therefore, beloved of God, let God rule and reign in your life, take full control in your life, and have full say in your life. And you'll be sure 'all these things shall be added unto you'. Amen!

Click here for the full teaching in TiC YouTube Channel

Let Him make a triumphal entry into your heart!

John 12:12-13 (NKJV): The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' The King of Israel!"

The word 'Hosanna' is 'yasha-na' in Hebrew, coming from two words, 'yasha' meaning 'save, help', and 'na' meaning 'I pray, I beseech'. It was sung as a welcome, a greeting or shout of praise, but it actually means "Save now, I pray!" In Psalm 118:25-26, the psalmist wrote, "Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, grant us success. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! We have blessed You from the house of the Lord."

When news of Jesus coming into Jerusalem began to spread, and as He was getting ready to attend the Feast of Passover, the people came out in droves to meet Him, thinking that He would be their political leader (political savior/deliverer) who would deliver them from the Roman occupiers. They saw Jesus as their 'political messiah', their hope and help. That was why they raised and spread 'branches of palm trees' to honor Him, and called Him 'The King of Israel'. These 'branches of palm trees' those days were symbolic of 'goodness, well-being, victory'.

For the record, Jesus' entry into Jerusalem as King of Israel also marked the shift from private setting to public setting of His ministry on earth. It was to be a new stage in His ministry, and by openly entering the city where He was a marked man, He took the first step towards an open confrontation with those who wanted to kill Him.

John 12:14-15 says, 'Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: "Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, sitting on a donkey's colt."'

You might ask, "Why did Jesus ride on a donkey? Why not horse?"
Because 'donkey' speaks of 'peace', whereas 'horse' speaks of 'war'.

To understand the contrast above, let's look now at the prophecy written in Zechariah 9:9-10, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey. I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem; the battle bow shall be cut off. He shall speak peace to the nations; His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."
By the way, 'chariot' and 'horse' here are symbolic of 'the might of men, or the power of men'. Psalm 20:7 says, 'Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God'.

As you can see here, Jesus did not come as a great and powerful earthly king and warrior-politician, much to the disappointment of many in those days. And within less than a week, many who welcomed Him and praised Him with shouts of 'Hosanna' ended up turning their backs on Him! Because they were expecting a political war-horse, someone whom they could call 'hero'. But instead, He came as a lowly servant riding on a donkey! Not as they have expected! And not just that, He came ready to die, as a lamb prepared to be slain!

It's an irony many who claimed to know the Law and the Prophets those days missed out on who He was and why He came for, and how they missed out the prophecies in Zechariah 9:9-10 entirely! As Jesus put it, they 'had eyes but could not see'.

People of God, let's not make that same mistake again. As we celebrate and commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, may the Lord also open our spiritual eyes to 'see' that Jesus is now here making a triumphal entry right into our hearts!

He wants to see His 'goodness, well-being, victory' live in you (remember 'branches of palm trees'?), and as you shout 'Hosanna', He is here to reign and triumph through you! He wants to set you free from the yoke of slavery, and restore double to you! And that's exactly what Zechariah 9:11-12 says (right after Zechariah 9:9-10), "As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold (fortress), you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you."

This is a time to return to Him, and put all your trust in Him, instead of the 'chariots' and 'horses' of this world. This is a time to meet Him face to face, just as the people who came out to meet Him (see John 12:12-13 again), but this time with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I released these words from the Lord to the congregation on April 9, 2017 (Palm Sunday):
"Prepare yourselves for My glory and My triumphal entry into your hearts! Let Me meet with you and let Me live in you! Let Me reign and triumph in your lives in this new season! Behold, I make all things new! This is a time to believe for a brand new encounter with Me in your lives!"

Indeed, this is a time to let Him meet with you in a fresh new way and let Him live in you! This is especially so for you who have wanted to go deeper, and into a new level of intimacy with Him. You are not satisfied with your current state of spiritual life, and you may even be so tired of 'playing church', but without a true encounter with Him. You do not want to be a 'fake' anymore. You want the 'real deal'.

If you are one of those, this is a time to prepare yourself for a brand new encounter with Him, because He is in the midst of visiting many who humble themselves and cry out to Him. As you let go of the 'old', or whatever in the past that has 'imprisoned' you, let Him have a free hand in your life, and let Him take over every area of your life. He will make all things new for you, and He will even 'make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert' for you (Isaiah 43:18-19). Amen.