subscribe to this Newsletter  and  Get the Book Becoming "You" (Mt 6) The single greatest key to Kingly Marketplace Ministry is finding out who you are and simply being yourself. Matthew 6 is all about "seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness." It sets off a dynamic where everything else is added quite naturally. Here's the simple goal; take inventory of your desires and talents and find the synergism with the will of God. You have to believe that God created you with the right tools to fulfill His plan and all of your destiny. I used to believe being "kingdom oriented"  meant you lay down your life, surrender all your ambition and give yourself as a servant doing what you don't really enjoy because you love the Lord... that was the "good news of the gospel." You may start there, but you can't end there. Jesus came so that you could have life. You'll have to lay down sin, but the gospel is really all about picking up life. To be good at it you have to enjoy it and be yourself. Otherwise it's just a pharisaic version of religion... something Jesus resisted with vigor. Here's few steps from Matthew 6 to get you to life via finding "Christ in you" the hope of glory. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you , the hope of glory. Col 1:27 Giving (Mt 6:1-4) - There are four major disciplines (giving, prayer, fasting, and storing treasure) that have to be done for God, not for men. The reason God blesses Kings financially is two-fold; 1) He loves us, and 2) he wants to engage us in helping others experience the same blessing. Here's a great example: We interviewed Duane Smith a year ago as a realtor. Duane has two loves; one is real estate, the other is 3rd world missions. After we posted Duane's site he got an email from a pastor in India asking for help (if your in real estate you must have money). Some of these inquires are spam but Duane emailed back developed a relationship and did send some support. As a result, a pastor's conference and crusade meetings were set up and Duane just got back last week. Take a look at the trip report and see of you can read his enthusiasm between the lines. He's doing things he really enjoys at work, the result is enough prosperity that he can make a difference in the Kingdom. What did he hear from the Father on the way home?, "Good job son." What was the price? The trip cost about 20K and Duane picked up half the tab and didn't tell a soul. That's spiritual. The fruit was hundreds saved in crusades and meetings and a conference for 450 pastors. Not bad for a King disguised as a real estate agent! Prayer (Mt 6:5-15) - Kings don't pray for notoriety, nor do they babble through a script. They converse with the Father in a way that both parties talk and both parties listen. It's too focused, personal, and interesting to share in a group. Fasting (Mt 6:16-18) - Kings fast for the same reason they give and pray; to set captives free. We simply do what we see the Father doing. Notice how giving, prayer and fasting toward the purpose of God (our heart's desire) sets a dynamic of blessing back to us! "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isa 58:6-9 Storing Treasure in Heaven (Mt 6:19-24) - Much of Christianity is quite smug about staying in poverty. They view people with the work ethic and wisdom to accumulate wealth as though they are far from God. In reality "poor in spirit" reflects a receiving attitude. Prosperity begins when we learn how to receive from God. We learn how to receive from mentors with wealth. Christians are just starting to come out from under the "I'm too spiritual for wealth" mentality. Here's where it's headed; Some day soon we'll define "spiritual" in terms of our entrepreneurial initiative and our ability to multiply the favor of God to do exploits. Do we worship wealth? No, we can't take it with us. Wealth is just a tool that makes ministry possible. We can convert money into ministry the way Duane did and store up treasure in Heaven. My prayer for Duane is that he will be positioned spiritually and financially to cover all 20K on the next trip. That's what Kings do... get so blessed they can be a blessing (Gen 12:2-3). We don't serve money; money serves us as a tool to build the Kingdom. Why Worry? (Mt 6:25-35) - You would expect Kings to be encumbered with a Martha spirit; a crowded schedule and a plate full of things to worry about. On the contrary, like the birds and the lilies we just live out our heart's desires and God takes care of us by opening door after door after door. It's hard to worry when you know your increase came from God. Sure, you worked hard but God multiplied. Worry is far from our real emotion about tomorrow. It's one of excitement and anticipation about what great breakthrough will overtake us next. OK, what about the down times? Same emotion. We just know God will overcome and resurrect us. We're unsinkable... even in death. The Dynamic (see how the lilies grow) - What do birds and lilies have in common with us? Seeking the Kingdom first is really all about being yourself. God will multiply you the minute you stop trying to be something you're not... not a hypocrite... nothing for show. We're just finding our way into our heart's desires and into the will of God. The result - We're blessed beyond Solomon. Don't spiritualize that away. Solomon was the wealthiest and wisest man on earth in his day who made a huge difference for the nation he led and served. That's the promise of finding yourself in God. You'll naturally be energized and positioned to make a difference and have fun doing it. See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Matt 6:28-30 NIV   Life is an adventure. People are a blessing. God is amazing. We're winning.   Love, John & Harold     (are dancing - Join us) New Book - Our goal in Releasing Kings was to articulate a theological basis for marketplace ministry such that people naturally mature toward being more entrepreneurial and more generous. Harold has continued that theme in a new book that I really enjoyed. This book is a brief explanation of Resurrection-based Christianity entitled Jesus Came Out of the Tomb, So Can You. It also appears on our Recommendations Page. There are four other books that tie closely to the chapters in Part 2 of Releasing Kings that are all worth while. No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married. As a young man marries a maiden, so will your sons marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.  Isa 62:4-5 www.releasing-kings.com Conferences - The Last trip to the Netherlands was a real eye-opener! I greatly underestimated the value of our book, the impact of the message on individual lives, and the value of live conferences. I witnessed the power of God being unleashed in the hearts of men and women by simply explaining the theology and experience behind releasing their heart's desire to expand the Kingdom. Seeing the lights come up in the hearts of God's people feels like sponsoring a jailbreak. One of my goals is to equip others to help us share the message in conference formats before we get overwhelmed with the momentum of what God is about to do. If your church or organization is ready, we can help you start a fire... a big one! Send us your feedback! johnsue@clearwire.com We get blessed by your emails at "You Wrote Back"  Past newsletters are now Indexed to Chapters in Releasing Kings!      _____________________________________________________________________ Interested in your own WEB? We've posted information on the software we use to create this web site. If you survive the learning curve without losing your sanctification (mine is barely intact), it really is easy to use and the cost is $299 a year - much less expensive than hiring someone. The primary benefit is the ease of making your own changes. Additional info is at: http://www.releasing-kings.com/releasing-websites.html     Progress - Kingly Bio's are Up We've completed the first round of interviews with Kings.  These are real people that have been blessed by God in the Market Place and have hearts for ministry.  Check it out at http://www.releasing-kings.com/Interviewing-Kings.html.  If you have a success story, we'd like to post it by giving you a web page on our site.     Progress - A Teacher's Guide We've completed the first version of a study guide that targets those teaching the material in Releasing Kings.  It includes a page of notes on each chapter, all the graphics suitable to make overheads, and a PDF file of the book with the key points highlighted that includes marginal notes, comments, and questions.  This material is available for purchase on the teacher's guide page of the web. johnsue@clearwire.com 509-308-6873     Friends Tell Friends God has given us a great tool to communicate a message that sets people free in an amazing, contagious, life-changing way.  If you haven't read it - get it.  If you have read it - give it.  http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html   We've gotten a ton of positive feedback on the newsletter too... get it, give it.  Reloading Seniors was powerful.  Pass the link on. http://www.releasing-kings.com/Newsletter.html   PS: don't forget to look at the free reports - show your pastor the article on marketplace ministry from the pastor's perspective.  You can simply email him this link or print a copy to give him. http://releasing-kings.com/pastors-perspective.html     ____________________________________________________________________ You can get your copy of Releasing Kings for Ministry in the Marketplace at 1-800-308-5837 (or) http://www.releasing-kings.com/Ordernow.html