Hey our friend

Last week we were able to wrapup a few things with the ministry before we went on vaccation with the parents. Please keep our team in your prayers while they hold up the work there!!

If you want to see some of the pictures from our trip, click on this link!

Seek first the Kingdom Part 2 What is our job

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6.33

When Jesus talks about seeking the kingdom first he is talking about that our life focus needs to be first on seeking God’s kingdom. We need to make this the first priority. But I think many times we try to figure out our life first like finding a job or get all our life plans figured out. But what Jesus is saying here is that when we seek the kingdom first god will take care of all those things as well. So if our first focus in life is to serve god and brining his kingdom to earth all other things will fall in place. Last week we talked about how to do that by having relationship with our Father in Heaven. This week we talk about what our job is.

So the first thing we need to do in our life is asking god what our role is in building the kingdom. It might be becoming a millionaire and through that influence the rich of this world. But maybe it is to reach out to the homeless and sell all we have and live in a small room in the inner city. Or maybe it means for you to stay exactly where you are at and reach the people that live around you, your neighbors. It will be different for every single person so you can’t really say to someone what their calling is. But there is a way to find out!

Last week I wrote about how seeking the kingdom means having relationship with him. That part is really significant. Through our relationship we are connected and through that we hear him and get understanding of his kingdom plan for us. The importance is really our heart position. Are we letting him guide us in every area of our life or are we still living a life chasing after survival and then maybe if there is time left do something for the kingdom? No our whole life needs to be focused on seeking the kingdom and bringing it on this earth. And this needs daily adjustments by asking the question how can I bring your kingdom to earth today? Did I follow your guidance or did I just follow the things I want to do out of a survival instinct?
Its never too late to do that as long as you life. Do a course correction today if needed.
Have a blessed week
Markus and Jen

Hey our friend

We had a great week here in San Francisco. Jen got a bunch of meetings in all the areas of influence GOd has given her. It is amazing to see how God brings His Kingdom through us into those places by just serving them. Ask yourself the question how you can serve your town and through that bring the Kingdom.

Seek first the Kingdom Part 1 Relationship

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6.33

The other day I woke up early and through reading the bible God reminded me of Matthew 6.33 (see above). Shortly after we saw the Movie Son of God and I got reminded of it again. Jesus called us to first seek the Kingdom. Over the next few weeks I want to look at different aspects of that and what that means. This week I want to look at seeking the kingdom by having relationship with God.

When we have a love relationship with God, our perspective will change because everything we do will come out of a love for Him. When I look at that verse I start thinking that many times we live that verse wrong. We first want to see all the other things given to us that can change our immediate circumstance instead of longing to have relationship with Him. The people around Jesus wanted Him to be a ruler that helps them to get rid of the Romans instead of thinking about how to learn more about the father.

But why is the focus in this verse so much on the fact of seeking the Kingdom?
When we seek Gods Kingdom and live by His principles, we take our focus off the things that the world thinks are the most important. We can truly become who God created us to be. We start to have a relationship, that will set a foundation of trust, which no circumstance can change. Our life will not be controlled by money, power or influence. But then when our focus is totally on Him and his Kingdom, God can give us all those things because they won’t affect our identity.

Think about this example. You have a 15year old son. He parties all the time and spends all his money on alcohol. His value and identity is all build around Party and what other people think of him. Now would you give him full access to your bank account so he could use whatever he wanted? Or would you help him to truly become who he was created to be and then give him full access?

The command Jesus gives us here is out of love. He knows what we truly need and where we can get it; A relationship with the creator of this earth, the One who knows us best and cares the most about us.

I want to challenge you to really think about how and in which areas you need to seek the Kingdom of God in the area of Relationship with Him more in your life.

Have a blessed week

Markus and Jen

Hey our friend

We hope you had a wonderful week. This week my (Markus) parents arrived for a visit. Its nice to see the family!! During the week we were able to encourage people through the different works we are doing in the neighborhood. Also our newest project is moving forward which is really exciting. Keep praying with us that God will open up the right doors for it at the right time! Thank you for your continuous support in prayer as well as financially. We would not be able to do this ministry without you on our team!!

Are we seeing the unseen?

I worked with YWAM for almost 10 years here in San Francisco and worked with many different people; from the poorest to the richest. But one thing is always the same, people love to be seen and being acknowledged and loved. When I walk down the street I try to always make sure to at least say hello to people and it is interesting to see their responses.  Sometimes people are saying that no one ever talked to them. I even noticed it in the area where we live. A neighbor recently made a comment that we brought people together that lived here for 25 years and never really had a conversation with each other of some depth.

When we look at Jesus he did that during his whole time of ministry. He talked to people that were never acknowledged. Think about the lady at the well (John 4) , The tax Collector (Luke 19), the prostitute (Mary Magdalene) and many more and how through Him speaking to them they found a new purpose and hope. All of them were in different parts of society like people that surround us today. But are we seeing them? Are we having Gods heart for them and true compassion or are we just walking by? What if that person is your brother or sister? I saw this video a little while ago and they did an experiment where they dressed up family members as homeless and then had there relatives walk by. In all cases the relatives ignored them because they didn’t look at them and through that know who they are. I added the video at the end of the blog.

I want to challenge you and me today to ask ourselves daily, if we walk down the street, are at work, go and see a movie etc. do we see the people the way God sees them or do I just ignore them? Ponder on this question this week.

Have a blessed week

http://youtu.be/u6jSKLtmYdM

Hey our friend

How was your Easter week? Catch us up by sending us an email on how you are doing. We had a great week in San Francisco. Some of the nights we had friends and family come for visits, which was awesome. This week YWAM also has a cities conference in Texas. Please pray for the people that are going that GOd gives them an even bigger heart to reach our cities around the Globe.

The Cross and what it brought to us

With celebrating Easter last weekend it made me think of something that  i have been seeing happening a lot:

Many times I saw people just looking at the act of Jesus dying on the cross but then getting stuck there. It would be comparable to having a full education to be a doctor but then just look at the degree but never use it. Don’t understand me wrong in this. It is really important to look at the cross and to remember what Jesus did for us, but it is as important to look at why He did it. We need to understand that Jesus went on the cross to reconcile us with the father and set us free from sin which holds us away from God. His dying on the cross set us FREE. But his focus was not only the cross since it was only a part of his journey, His purpose was to bring freedom and the good news to each one of us. But even more important with going through all that He is saying that He believes in each one of us more than we do. Look at Peter who denied Him 3 times, Jesus still choose him as a rock to build his church on. We need to start focusing on that reality of freedom that he gave us and the reality of him teaching us how to bring the good news into the world. If we don’t do this we are missing out on the fullness of why Jesus came. We need to believe the fact that He truly set us free and we need to stop disqualifying ourselves for things that He is calling us to do. Jesus said that He did great things but we will do greater things. Jesus taught his disciples all things that are possible with the goal to have them do even greater things than he ever did. And they did, 12 people brought the gospel into the world and reached more people then Jesus during his whole life time. Jesus was talking to each believer when He said that. And I want to say, who gives us the right to disagree with Jesus?

But what did he call us to do? He called us to bring the good news into the world and to make disciples. And this is something each one of us needs to do. It can be at our workplace, at our homes or by reaching our Neighbors (read more about how you can do that with the ministry concept God gave us under this link). Lets do this together, let’s start living and believing that God can use each one of us. Let’s live with the mentality and mindset that we can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Let’s change the world with the hope Jesus brought.

Have a blessed and challenged week and remember God is with you.

Markus and Jen