Seek the Kingdom of God and what else?

There is something that I want to testify and I am commenting on it in line with all this topic that we have been talking about in the last Wednesdays, really. There are times when I don't understand why the Lord moves me to talk about the subject of faith as I have been doing, but it is for a reason. And I believe that in the times in which we live, now more than ever we have to strengthen our sense of faith in our lives, our sense of believing in the Lord, in the Lord's promises, and of believing that he is active in our midst, that he is doing things that if we focus too much on what is in front of us, we are going to lose sight of what God is truly doing and that is where this sense of faith comes from, the sense of faith looks more beyond what we have ahead of us.

The sense of faith that God has placed in the conviction, that conviction that he places in us goes beyond what I can see, of the problems that I may have in my life, in my family, in my body, be it However, when I manage to see beyond, I have to recognize that there is a God who is real, there is a God who is alive, there is a God who is in heaven, and there is a God who is considerate of us, regardless of the point in our lives where we find ourselves, God has consideration of his own.

Look, on Friday when we were here in this long prayer session and this is my testimony so to speak, it was already around 12 midnight and I had told myself, well, at 12 midnight I'm going to leave because on Saturday I had to go to Woodsturn to preach at an activity there and I had to go early. So, I told myself, well, I've completed almost 10 hours of prayer, so, I've completed it. I was going to strike out and just as I was going to strike out I am walking behind there and the Apostle who was here leading the prayer time with Pastor Roberto, suddenly said to me, "Pastor, pastor, don't leave." And I kind of, oh, and I don't like being put in the spot, well, you know the reaction. It's like all eyes looking back there, I kind of... swallow me up.

But the thing was that I responded and, again, I was already with my mind that we are leaving, but what I walked from back there to here in front was like my mind again fell into tune, because I know of the things for which I have been praying and more on that day. If I let you know a little about my heart, so that you know a little about the heart of one of your pastors. I think I have shared this many times, that is, the ministry is something beautiful, it is something precious. I thank God for having chosen me to be one of his ministers at this time and in this church, but likewise as I say that, I also recognize that the ministry is very draining and there are times when one says to oneself, wow, Lord, If you don't do something I think I'll fall, something will happen to me.

And I remember that even during my vacation it was a week before that time of prayer, although I tell you that it was not that I took out a full hour to go aside and pray and connect with seventh heaven or something like that. But I know that in my heart, every moment that feeling came into my heart, I told myself, "Lord, please, remember that I need you to speak to me, that you tell me even if it is something, even if it is a spark, even if it's a sigh, but that I can know it's you."

And I spent that week and obviously when you return from vacation it's like you need more vacation from vacation, to be able to fall back into routine again. But obviously that doesn't work. But it was a very busy week in different things, and Friday morning when we were here when I arrived, that Friday morning, the presence of the Lord was so, so strong here that I remember that I backed myself in that corner, I got behind that horn and I let go before the Lord, and I say to myself, “Lord, I need something. I need something from you."

And I believe that the Lord began to do something there in that corner with me. I don't know why but there is something here in this corner, here and here that whenever I go there, those have been my experiences in these 10 years. I do not know if I am getting under the dove, I do not know if that is it, but in the 10 years that I have been here in the church, my brothers, I tell you, there is something in that corner that always I go in there to pray, God reaches me.

Line up, take turns, that's Pastor Omar's corner now. But the thing is that at night then this Apostle calls me, I come walking, and the pastor heard from the Lord give me a word too, but when he spoke to me his voice thundered like... and I don't know, there was something in me that began to shake when the pastor began to give that word about my life and I was like, "Oh, Lord, wait, I was not expecting this." And I just sat there stunned, I don't know if you understand that… okay, I was stiff, let's put it that way, I was stunned, stunned but concentrated.

Yeah, mind you, I had a little bit of a panic inside of me too. I will not deny it. Believe me when I hear a voice like that thundering it's like... but the thing is that when a time of prayer broke out here and then this Apostle called me and started praying for me, started praying for me in a way that I didn't I expected it. And I started to pray online concerning one of my roles here in the church, and it was something where I could understand like, wow, Lord, this was something I was not expecting.

I had prayed for it, but long ago. But the way in which the ministry was given, I did not expect it. And for me that was something that affirmed my faith, it affirmed my sense of commitment, of calling with the Lord, and at the same time, my brothers, it affirmed the mere fact that I was able to know that God is attentive to the prayers of his children and of his daughters.

Because look, even if they are thoughts that cross one's head, even those thoughts, the Lord is aware of each one of them. And when you least expect it, something comes along that's like, oh, that's right, if I had prayed for this. Or perhaps I had not prayed but I had thought about it, and even that thought as the Scripture says, because God knows our thoughts very well. the word is not in my mouth, and behold, O Lord, you know it.

So, those words were confirmed to me right there in that moment that I was drying my tears, so to speak. But I rather say this, my brothers, so that we can all be affirmed that all these things that we have been talking about our faith, my brothers, I am not speaking it for the sake of speaking it, I am not speaking it for spending breath or something So. No, my brothers, I am speaking about it because I have a very certain conviction that God is there listening and that God is willing to respond to our requests, but at the same time, when he responds, we have to have enough faith to respond to what God tells us.

I mean, we can't just pray for the mere fact that, oh, Lord, yes, talk to me, tell me something. When that revelation comes you have to be ready, you have to be ready to respond as well. We can't just settle for the mere fact that oh yes, God spoke to me, did something. No, I mean, if God spoke to me, if God did something, now what? There is something else that needs to be done.

So I encourage you, my brothers, let me talk a little more about faith. Because this came from last Wednesday. Last Wednesday I was inspired by a question that a brother here in the church asked me, that brother is not here today, but well, I am going to continue with this impulse.

And this brother last Wednesday when I was leaving, he grabbed me and asked me a question that took me by surprise, oh my goodness. Many surprises are grabbing me like this at the moment. And this brother asked me the following: I don't know if you remember that last Wednesday, in a moment of the message that I was speaking about that sense of faith that by faith the heroes of the faith were looking for a better land, they were looking for something better. And I made the connection that just as they were looking for something better, we also obey Jesus' call to seek first the Kingdom of God and his justice and all other things will be added to us.

The point was that this simple comment caught the attention of this man and when I am leaving the man asks me, "Pastor, what does it mean to seek the Kingdom of God and his justice?" I put the question to you now. Imagine that I am a recent convert and that I do not understand very well those religious biblical terms that we sometimes use, I am asking you what it means to seek the Kingdom of God and his justice.

Don't answer me. Just figure that question out there in your head, in your heart. I know the answer and I am going to share it. The first thing I was thinking, my brothers, is that if you look at the history of humanity, humanity has developed based on ideologies or perspectives that people have had at different times throughout the world. .

In the days of the cavemen, all of a sudden, I don't know, one caveman said to the other, “Look, it's cold,” it seems they got upset or something and they started throwing stones and the stones produced a spark and from the spark came fire. They had an idea, they thought that the stone was to break the other's head, but when another stone was thrown at them, a spark came out and the spark produced fire. So, they had another idea. They learned to use the gaico as safe as possible.

In the 1490s or so, the kings of Spain thought that the world was square, that the earth was flat, that after leaving the horizon what there was was a precipice. And this man had the idea that no, there is something beyond. And oh, Cristóbal you are crazy, boy. I'm going to try them. This idea that I have is real and it was launched there. And out there in some way we came out.

One ideology was exchanged for another. This man believed that the earth was not flat, that there was something beyond that line. And that idea moved him. He believed it and moved it.

Rome was built, how does the phrase say? Brick by brick. This is how Rome was built, because someone had the idea that a great empire had to be built brick by brick, step by step, man by man, woman by woman. And so they managed to make one of the largest and most recognized empires in the history of the world.

But it all stems from the fact that someone had an idea and that idea was communicated at some point and there had to be people around to believe that idea, to believe it, accept it and live according to that idea.

Right now, if I start talking to you brothers, I have an idea and I start selling it to you in some way or another, those who believe in what I am saying are going to adopt that idea and in some way or another they are going to align to that and they are going to live according to that idea.

And whether that idea is good or bad, I can present it to you as convincingly as possible so that you can adopt it and live according to it. And maybe some of you will believe me and follow me, as there may also be others of you who say, "This pastor has lost his way so he can continue with his ideas over there, somewhere else."

When Jesus came preaching and announcing the Kingdom of God, Jesus came bringing an idea that was different, contrary to the ideology by which the Jews were living at that time. So imagine, back then when Jesus begins his ministry, he begins by preaching 'repent for the kingdom of heaven is in your midst.'

When he starts preaching like that, people are like, wow, wait, you're coming up with a totally different teaching than what we've heard. So I start to think then, what is the Kingdom of God, what is the kingdom of heaven, because they are a terminology that intersperses one with the other.

Think about it, I don't know how many of you know medieval history, some of you know medieval history? Or did they skip that class or drop out of that class or fall asleep in that class?

Let me put it on you, I was going to say, back then there was no text. Okay, they didn't get the joke. In medieval times there were no texts, at least texts like we have today. There were written texts but...

The issue is this, me trying to illustrate what this means of the Kingdom of God, or at least have a clear image in my mind. Let me put it this way: how many of you have seen the Mel Gibson movie Braveheart? Have any of you seen that movie? I know it's long but very good. It is very good story.

The point is that in this film they obviously present this William Wallace character who, little by little, is revealing himself against the power that was established at that time in Scotland. Back then in that film what it represents is a type of government where there was a king who had dominion over an entire area and it was a feudal government, so to speak, that in different regions they had what were called lords and those lords were in charge of dominating and governing over the different precincts or provinces that were assigned to them.

So, as civilians who at that time thought of themselves as serfs, you chose where you were going to live and then you had to submit to the care of that man who was in charge of that province. Now, submitting yourself to the care of that gentleman meant that you were also going to adopt the principles and values that governed that province.

But the point is that this gentleman was also subject to the king's authority. Now, when I think about the dynamics of the Kingdom of God, what I think about is this, and don't fall asleep, okay? I know this may sound a little lethargic, but think about it. The Kingdom of God does exemplify a type of government that Jesus was presenting in the history of humanity and it was a type of government where those people who received it, who heard that idea and who believed it, if they wanted to live in that Kingdom, would They were going to have to submit to the care of that King, follow me where I am going?

Now, this government of the Kingdom of God is not talking about a geopolitical government, that is, it is not something that has to do with occupying territory and having tangible politicians here, but rather the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God It is something that has to be seen more in spiritual terms. Because it is not something that can be tangibly measured as there is a president, and the president must be elected. No, no, no, that's how the disciples were seeing it. But that was not the kind of Kingdom that Jesus was talking about. The Kingdom that Jesus was talking about was a whole new system. It was a whole new ideology that people were going to have to decide to live by or not.

And here, my brothers, is where I see that element of faith is. Because just as Jesus presented himself teaching this, there were also other rabbis and other teachers in the area who taught their own ideas and people either believed them or did not believe them. But what made the difference with Jesus is that there was something about him. That is where I see that one of the first things to do is see if the person who is offering me that ideology has credibility or not. that is where faith begins to move in one way or another.

This person who is selling me this product that promises it will clean everything from car grease to ketchup on a shirt, this person who is selling me that, is he credible or not? it has no credibility. Believe me, if the person saying it doesn't have credibility, you're going to run over what they're saying.

Now, but if you hide that credibility behind an 'I know what I'm telling you' face, well, then one has to exercise even greater discernment. That is where one has to begin to see, as it were, the fruits of that person's life. And this is where Jesus was something so exceptional because the words of Jesus, after they came full of the power of the Holy Spirit to pierce the depths of hearts, were also proven with actions.

In other words, Jesus not only stayed in words like many politicians today who talk, talk and talk just to get votes but when it comes to action it's like nothing. Or the action that is achieved is an action more in their favor than anything else.

But Jesus was not like that. Jesus maintained his credibility that not only were his words effective, but also that his actions were backing each and every one of them.

Look, my brothers, where I see that our faith is based on something much greater still. If we are looking for something, we are looking for, as I said last Wednesday, a homeland that is divine, a homeland that is eternal. We are looking for the Kingdom of God, which is something that cannot be measured in earthly physical terms, but is something that is there and exists. And in that direction is where we are going.

Now, but seek the Kingdom of God and what else? And his justice, because that aspect of justice is also very important. And it is an aspect of justice that we have to accept also through faith. Because today in terms of justice each one pulls it as they say, to their side. Everyone wants justice in their own way.

Hernán can tell me, “No, I want justice done to me.” And then José comes out and tells me, “No, no, I want justice to be done for me too.” Carmen tells me, “No, I want justice done to me.” Vanessa tells me, ""No, I want justice done to me." And so when I come to see I have 75 different perspectives on how to do justice and I'm going to stay, okay, but then what kind of justice are we going to carry out here?

But when we are talking about seeking the Kingdom of God and his justice, already there my justice foundered because I have to adjust to the justice of the Kingdom of God. We are no longer talking about getting justice on my terms, we are talking about getting justice on God's terms.

And this is where things get even more interesting, my brothers, because all of us, and I am going to dare to say that, and if anyone gets upset, forgive me, but we all like to pull the rope to our side. , everyone, no one comes to tell me, ah, I am a saint, no, let the rope go to the other's side. Clear. I want to be like you then.

At some point we all want to pull the rope for our side, that justice be done on our side. But when Jesus is telling you this lifestyle that I am asking you for, that I am demonstrating to you, that I am teaching you, it is something much greater. Because if you want to live on the terms of a kingdom, if you want to live under the protection of that King, if you want to live with the comfort and prosperity of this King, if you want to experience all the good things that this King gives you, can give, you are going to have to submit to the principles, values and responsibilities that this Kingdom is going to demand of you.

If you are going to come to this Kingdom to impose your own agenda, this is not the Kingdom you have to participate in. It is very interesting that Jesus, listen to me, Jesus made it so and so clear and it can sound like very nice words, very Sunday, oh, seek the Kingdom of God and his justice, oh, and everything else will be added to you.

Look, it's not as pretty as you think. Because when that Kingdom starts suing you, then it's like, but I didn't know that. I didn't know that I had to love my enemies. I was still living under the law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. They give me a fist and I give them two. That is not the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God is what? Ah, did they slap you? What does the text say? Put the other side on it so that they rig it with the other side. Now, the Gospel according to Omar Soto, what it says is that after the second, you know, well now it's my turn. No. that is an apocryphal book, please ignore it.

Look, my brothers, let me summarize with this, I already spent 5 minutes. Give me 3 more minutes. Let me summarize this. What is it to seek the Kingdom of God and his justice? What this implies is that I can submit, hold and dedicate myself to knowing in its entirety what the Kingdom of God is, its values, its principles, its rules, its benefits. That is what it means to seek the Kingdom of God.

If you were thinking of seeking the Kingdom of God just to get the benefits, you were wrong. The benefits should not be the motivation for which you go to seek the Kingdom of God. remember what Jesus is saying, 'seek the Kingdom of God and then these things... little by little they will be added to you, but the first thing is that you seek this. This must be your motivation. This must be your impulse, your impetus. That's where it has to be.

What does this mean? It implies, here I mention 3 things, it implies, number 1, that I can promote that Kingdom of God, that I can promote it, that I can also talk about that Kingdom, because I like it so much, I identify with it so much that I speak of that.

It implies that I can also contribute to the Kingdom of God. in medieval times when a serf said, 'I want to live under your cover'. What that servant was saying is, 'I'm willing to contribute to your kingdom as well, whatever you need from me.' Whether you contribute avocados, meat, whatever, a goat, a horse, whatever, I'm going to contribute that to the kingdom as well.

In our case, perhaps we are not going to come here to the pastor, 'Pastor, look, I am going to bring you this cassava, this food to contribute to the kingdom. If he brings it, hey, lunch, cool. But do you understand me? We are talking about the context here today. It implies that I can contribute to the welfare of the Kingdom of God.

And finally, I emphasize this, my brothers, it also implies that I can protect the welfare of the Kingdom of God. And there I stop, my brothers, because this is something very delicate and very serious. Because the mere fact that I am under the cover of a king, does not mean that I become an instrument to protect the health of that kingdom as well.

I was recently reading these devotional cards from Rïck Warren's 40 days of purpose, and I came across a card that when I picked it up I was so captivated that I have it here in my saved Bible. And that card, look what it says:

“It is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.”

I believe that this card came at a crucial moment in my role as a pastor and in my role as a member of this church. This was a month ago that I read this card. And I say to myself, wow, Lord, but this is very interesting, it is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.

Think about it, this is where you are, think about these lines, it is my responsibility, it is not the responsibility of Pastor Miranda, it is not the responsibility of Pastor Omar, or Pastor Greg, or Pastor Samuel, it is not the responsibility of the deacons, it is not the responsibility of the ministry leaders, the leader of my cell, it is not the responsibility of the praise and prayer leader, it is my responsibility to protect the unity of my church.

The biblical verse that says, Romans 14:19, "Let us strive to promote everything that leads to peace and mutual edification." That is being a part, that is a part of seeking the Kingdom of God. I can seek peace and the unity of the Kingdom here where God has placed me.

Thus, my brothers, by faith we are not only looking for something better for our lives, but we are looking for the Kingdom of God, because by reaching the Kingdom of God we then reach everything that God has for us. That is what it means to seek the Kingdom of God. Looking for what defines the government of God over the entire world and how I can integrate into that and how I do it then, that's going to be the next part where I start talking about the beatitudes. Because Jesus mentions it all there.

What does it mean to live in the Kingdom of God? it's all there. Read the Bible and you will know. We are going to stand up and we are going to pray, my brothers.

My God, I thank you because you call us to be part of your Kingdom. You call us to adopt a totally different life, you call us, Lord Jesus, to live under your cover. That is what you were offering us when you began your ministry, what you continue to offer us now and by faith we believe that the consummation of this Kingdom will be seen when you come for your church once again and that we can all live together before the presence of God, before your presence.

How delicious that will be, Lord! Being able to be in front of your presence for an eternity. So, Lord, in the meantime that we are here, teach us to be able to understand what it means to seek your kingdom here at this time, Lord, on this earth, in this city where you have put us to live, with the people we have around us. around, teach us to be able to understand what it means to seek your Kingdom and its justice. That we can fully submit to those principles, to those values that you have over our lives and so then, as you want, as you determine, to be able to receive the blessings that you have for us, those abundant blessings, those riches in glory. that you have for our lives.

Lord, I ask that these words strengthen the hearts of my brothers and sisters in the journey that they have with you, Jesus, guide them, keep them, protect them, that they can safely reach their homes, Lord, and that you give them a rest easy, repaired, and that tomorrow if you allow it so we can get our hands on everything that the day can bring.

We give you the glory and the oven only to you. Take us well and in your name Jesus we pray. Amen and amen.