Christians: How do you seek the Kingdom of God?

[Justin of Flavia Neapolis]

In Luke 12, Christ instructs us to seek the Kingdom of God above all else. How do you seek the Kingdom of God everyday?

Luke 12:31 New Living Translation (NLT)

31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

 

[Red Memories]

I have found it helps to see God in everything. Life does not have "coincidences" but they are actually God things. He put that in your life. Even the smallest insect. <3

If we seek God on earth in everything, it is easier for us to do His will.

 

[Justin of Flavia Neapolis]

Discussed this over lunch with friends. One poignant answer was to show the love of Christ to all, even to the unlovable. Is THAT is how to seek the Kingdom of God?

Though sometimes we stumble...

Fall down 7 times. Rise up 8 times. - Martial arts proverb.

What do you think? Is there another way?

 

[sLiPpY]

Parables are an interesting thing. Sharing a few verses that seem to well summarize my own thoughts on seeking the Kingdom, and I've got to say it's the most difficult and potentially rewarding journey I've ever embarked upon, yet more often than not fail miserably the moments I don't remember to or cannot see. The gist of Luke 17:20-22, seek the Kingdom within and exemplify/create it without. Essentially, pause before responding to a thread, a news event, a flustered family member, loved one, co-worker, customer, or friend. Allow the potential for the highest good to unfold, by maintaining awareness of the emotional "monkey mind" while not losing sight of the reality we live in a "fallen" realm. The other two verses exampled are potential considerations that might help foster higher quality communications and more civil outcomes when a response or judgement is actually sensible, discernable, and necessary.

As with anything in life, I suspect it gets better and easier with practice...least for situations where I look back and consider how I might have approached it better, often an awareness raised by the uncreated light, what most Protestants would recognize as the Holy Spirit. It's easier to recognize my own contribution to the outcome, or the unnecessary disruption of another's sense of peace on a matter that I have absolutely no control or influence upon...or lost sight of my own and the other individuals hereant humanity. That funny looking word before humanity is the Latin form and it means "severing" for those who might not readily pick it out.

Luke 17:20 When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. 21Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst.” 22Then He said to the disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.…

Luke 6:42
How can you say, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' while you yourself fail to see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

Romans 2:1
You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.

 

[Lark]

View attachment 19165

 

[Beorn]

Not easily.
The Kingdom of God is the "already, and not yet." This creates quite the tension and difficulty as Christ has already had the victory, but we await the final judgement. At the same time it provides a wonderful opportunity if we can imagine the Kingdom and take part in it's earthly establishment.

The fundamentals of seeking the kingdom shouldn't be overlooked in some desire to be part of a grander and more glorious scheme. Daily prayer, partaking in weekly worship, confession, receiving the sacraments, and acts of love towards others are all necessary to seeking the Kingdom.

That being said if you're interested in how the spiritual and cultural come together I would suggest listening to what James K.A. Smith has to say. He just completed his trilogy focusing on the Kingdom of God and cultural liturgies.

The three books:
Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation (Cultural Liturgies
Imagining the Kingdom: How Worship Works (Cultural Liturgies)
Awaiting the King: Reforming Public Theology (Cultural Liturgies)

Here is a brief explanation of Smith's cultural liturgies project:

Here is a more in depth video by Smith at the beginning of his project:

 

[Lark]

And still no one has mentioned Plato's theory of Forms.

The cave and theory of forms explain the whole thing. More or less.

 

[Mole]

In Luke 12, Christ instructs us to seek the Kingdom of God above all else. How do you seek the Kingdom of God everyday?

Luke 12:31 New Living Translation (NLT)

31 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

A Kingdom is medieval based on the Divine Right of Kings who exercise absolute power. And we have discovered that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

So we have moved on from Kingdoms to liberal democracy and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But still the neurotic hanker for an absolute Kingdom and a substitute father.

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

I have found it helps to see God in everything. Life does not have "coincidences" but they are actually God things. He put that in your life. Even the smallest insect. <3

If we seek God on earth in everything, it is easier for us to do His will.

I have to agree It helps for me to just make God a part of everything I do. And to see Him everywhere, in all the beauty He has created. When you make God a part of your life you want to do His will. At least that's how it feels for me...

 

[sLiPpY]

And still no one has mentioned Plato's theory of Forms.

The cave and theory of forms explain the whole thing. More or less.

That's a concept I'd like to learn more about. Recent months I've gotten very interested exploring Eastern Orthodoxy, primarily in the sense of how the Eastern church appears to have preserved many of the philosophical traditions, that not often get mentioned or explored in the Western branch.

 

[Justin of Flavia Neapolis]

That's a concept I'd like to learn more about. Recent months I've gotten very interested exploring Eastern Orthodoxy, primarily in the sense of how the Eastern church appears to have preserved many of the philosophical traditions, that not often get mentioned or explored in the Western branch.

This is true. It was the explanation of an EO priest on the nature of God that pushed me over to His side. Before, I was with Satan.

I’ve read that the Trinity was developed by the Greeks to illustrate the illogical (to man’s mind) nature of God, in other words, to understand the Trinity is to not understand it at all.

One of Satan's arguments against the Lord is to claim that the "Trinity" is found nowhere in the Book. Sneaky Satan.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Apeiron (cosmology) - Wikipedia

 

[sLiPpY]

This is true. It was the explanation of an EO priest on the nature of God that pushed me over to His side. Before, I was with Satan.

I’ve read that the Trinity was developed by the Greeks to illustrate the illogical (to man’s mind) nature of God, in other words, to understand the Trinity is to not understand it at all.

Trinity as near as I can tell was almost a natural evolution for pre-Christian Europe in many respects. There are some amusing letters that were written back to Rome; where frustrated missionaries where having a little trouble explaining why the Franks, etc. should adopt the Christian god, being it seemed no different from what the locals were already doing? Hindus also would have no issue with a mystical Trinity; where it in no way shape or form, even remotely resembles a Judaic conception of god.

For a couple of years, it's been a hobby to research and try and figure out aspects of tribal movements and ancestral spirituality for Europe primarily; while drawing comparatives to ages and stages, universally in common with other parts of the world. I performed a couple of blots, just to see what the experience was like...studied and critically evaluating information. Carved a set of Runes for entertainment. Nothing of highly focused or serious intent until the daemons showed up. I now comprehend why the supply of Exorcist isn't able to keep up with the increasingly growing demand. So we have EO growing, where other denominations preaching prosperity gospel and secular Jesus...are steadily shrinking, as witchcraft rapidly expands!

Seems EO growth has largely been driven by a hunger for Tradition! For which RC, and Anglicanism seem to also be benefitting to some extent.