January 6, 2019

Intro to Seek First and Prayer Vision

Intro to Seek First and Prayer Vision

Intro to Seek First
Seek First: This series will be based on this passage in Matt 6 and the parallel story in Luke 12
• For the entire series we will focus in on the statement that Jesus makes to “Seek First His Kingdom”
The theme of this series is “Seek First the Kingdom …and grow
o The goal is to see us all become more Christ like. Seeking first and growing
o We are going to focus on transformation and growth
 The enemy would like nothing more than we hear these messages and remain the same.
o The essence of this series will be on discipleship, what does it look like to be a follower of Jesus.
We will also focus on everyday thinking.
o Do we choose the Kingdom in the everyday little choices?
o Everyday we face 100’s of little decisions throughout the day, do we choose the Kingdom each time?
But it will also apply to the church
o The church becomes all that it is supposed to be, as we the individual members seek first the kingdom.
There are going to be several things you here me say over and over again throughout this series.
o Things like, this command to seek first is an invitation, Jesus is inviting us into a better way
 This is not striving, but receiving the transformation through the cross of Jesus.
o There are several other passages will reference and come back to: James 1:22-25; 2 Chronicles 16:9
We don’t have to do each of these things every day.
o I don’t have to do all of these everyday like a check list.
Our goal is to get our mind and heart set to a place where our thinking and our actions always line up with the Kingdom.
o So, everything I do is Kingdom, verses trying to do every Kingdom thing.
Why we do this?
o We of course seek first the Kingdom in all areas of our life because Jesus invited is into that.
 But as we truly Seek the Kingdom first, He can then also start to use us more.
 More Fruit in our lives
o For us this will be beginning to Seek First the Kingdom in the little things.
o Seeking first in the day to day things.
Set goals or activity each week
o With each message we will have a goal or exercise to help us grow.
Write a book as we go.
o I want this to be more than a fleeting sermons series that goes away in a few months – soon forgotten.
o So, I also want to write a book as we go. Take each sermon and make it a chapter in the book.
o But I also need your testimonies to make it happen.
 Your testimonies are what will make the book convincing.