"First Things First" with Chris Beall - LIfeChurch.tv

First Things First

Scripture References

Primary text

• Matthew 6

Other references

• Psalm 63:1
• Mark 1
• Acts 20:7
• Galatians 5:16

Overview

“God must be first.” Pastor Chris Beal shows that the order in which we offer our lives determines the life we experience. Using four everyday “firsts,” he calls the church to reorder days, weeks, wallets, and the new year so that God occupies the place He already holds—first—and everything else falls into Spirit-led order.

Context

Looking back on wildly different 2014 stories, Pastor Chris notes that believers can live either steady, God-breathed lives or drama-packed ones. The difference, he argues, is simply order. As the church prepares for a 21-day fast beginning January 2, he lays out practical ways to put God first in 2015.

Main Points

1. First of the day — Seek God

• Nothing significant happens before meeting with the Savior.
• Psalm 63:1 models it: “Early will I seek You.”
• Jesus consistently slipped away before sunrise (Mark 1).
• Story: Five years ago Chris and Cindy set the alarm an hour earlier to read their Bible plans, drink coffee, and pray together; they have missed almost no days since, and their marriage has changed.

2. First of the week — Worship together

• Acts 20:7 shows the church gathering on the first day.
• Early believers met “every day” in temple courts and homes.
• Survey: 48 % of U.S. churchgoers attend less than once a month; Life.Church data mirrors this.
• Story: Teresa wept when she walked back into church after a year away and said, “I cannot believe I forgot how much I need this place.”
• We must “get better at needing each other.”

3. First of the month (or each paycheck) — Tithe

• Leviticus calls the first tenth “holy to the LORD.”
• It isn’t just 10 %; it is the first 10 %.
• Story: Chris’s 15-year-old son Noah received his first Chick-fil-A paycheck, pulled out his phone at dinner, and texted his tithe before spending a dime.
• A South Tulsa business owners’ practice: tithe on projected revenue for the coming year before a dollar is earned.
• Rearranging finances around the tithe is the point—placing God first.

4. First of the year — Fast

• Fasting = denying physical appetite to feed spiritual appetite.
• Biblical examples: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all fasted 40 days.
• Rules of fasting:
  • No publicity. Order, don’t announce. (Matthew 6)
  • Stay joyful; wash your face.
  • Practical Daniel-fast humor: with lots of beans, “never trust a fart.”
• Galatians 5:16 explains the why: flesh and Spirit war; what you feed grows and becomes dominant. Fasting starves flesh and strengthens Spirit.

“God must be first.”

Key Truths

• Order is everything; the way we prioritize shapes the life we experience.
• Seeking God early sets the tone for the entire day.
• Regular corporate worship is a necessity, not an optional add-on.
• The tithe belongs to God and is holy; giving the first tenth aligns finances under His rule.
• Fasting weakens the flesh and empowers the Spirit, enabling a truly Spirit-led life.

Response

• Set your alarm earlier and meet with God before anything else.
• Commit to weekly corporate worship—plan your week around it.
• Rearrange your budget to give God the first tenth of every paycheck.
• Join the 21-day fast beginning January 2; decide now what you will deny and how you will seek God.
• Continually ask, “Is God first in this area?” and reorder wherever He isn’t.

Closing

Pastor Chris reminds the church that we do not “make” God first—He already is. When we recognize His preeminence and align every arena of life to that reality, peace, power, clarity, and provision follow, and God uses us to impact others.

“When God is first, the rest of your life will be filled with order.”

Prayer

Chris thanked God for His goodness, asked for honesty about where He is not first, and prayed that 2015 would be marked by God’s favor, presence, and provision as people put Him first in every area.