We're working through Luke's account of the life of Jesus at the moment, and yesterday we read Luke 12:22-31.
It comes in the middle of a bunch of teaching: before it there's a warning against hypocrisy, a bit where Jesus is telling his followers they need to step up and acknowledge that they follow Jesus (even when that's dangerous) and a bit where he tells them not to store up supplies for the future as they don't know how much future they have anyway. After it there are several bits about being ready for when Jesus returns. And in the middle is this section, where Jesus seems to be saying "don't worry [even?] about the basic stuff you need to survive: seek my Kingdom and I'll take care of what you need."
Then today I read through Acts 24-26. Paul, the first missionary, has been arrested for causing a disturbance. He's examined by various Roman authorities and is pretty co-operative with all of that, but in 26:28-29 we see this:
Agrippa [the king] said to Paul, “Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?” Paul replied, “Whether quickly or not, I pray to God that not only you but also all who are listening to me today might become such as I am—except for these chains.”
After two years in prison, under threat of execution, Paul's key number one concern is unchanged. He wants everyone he comes in contact with to become a Christian.
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Is that what "seeking first the Kingdom" means? Having a razor-sharp focus on evangelism?
