Worshippers with hands raised at an outdoor festival

The Word Behind the Work

Built on the Word

Every festival, Friday night, brand, and app in this ecosystem traces back to a verse. Here are the 47 passages that shape the mission, why each one matters, and one way to live it this week. Not to us, Lord, but to Your name be the glory.

Seek First The Great Commission Do Everything in Love The Good News Lift Jesus Up Build With the Lord One Table, One Mission Courage That Keeps Going All Glory to God

Find a verse

01 · The Foundation

Seek First

Everything starts here. Before the brands, the festivals, the outreach nights, and the apps, there is one command that orders the rest: put the King and His Kingdom first, and trust the Father with everything else.

Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Why it shapes the work

This is the verse the whole ecosystem is named after. Seek First: World exists to say it out loud, and SIX33 is literally Matthew 6:33 stitched onto a hat. It is not a productivity hack. It is the order of operations for a life, a marriage, and a business.

Live it this week

Before you open your inbox tomorrow, open your Bible. Ask the Lord what He wants first, then build your day around that answer.

Seek First: World SIX33 Outpost Matthew 6:33 at work

Matthew 6:10

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Why it shapes the work

Jesus taught us to pray for heaven's reality to land on real streets. That is the prayer under every Friday night in Hamilton and every park we set a stage in. We are not building our kingdom. We are asking for His.

Live it this week

Pray this line slowly over your own city, naming one street and one household you want heaven to touch.

How to pray for your city

2 Timothy 3:16–17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Why it shapes the work

Every plan, product, and outreach night has to answer to the Word, not the other way around. Scripture is not a garnish on the work. It is what equips us for it.

Live it this week

Open a Gospel with two or three people this week and read one passage together. Ask what it shows about God and what you will do about it.

How to start a Bible study

Colossians 3:23

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,”

Why it shapes the work

Design work, payroll, sound checks, sandwich prep. None of it is secular when it is done for Him. This verse is why we refuse to do sloppy work in the name of ministry, and why a website can be an act of worship.

Live it this week

Pick the most ordinary task on your list this week and do it as if Jesus were the client. Because He is.

Kingdom entrepreneurship

02 · The Mandate

The Great Commission

Jesus did not leave a suggestion. He left a commission with a promise attached: go, make disciples, and I am with you. Every outreach group, map, and tool we build exists to help ordinary believers obey it.

Matthew 28:19–20

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Why it shapes the work

The mission to help establish 100 consistent outreach groups around the world is simply this verse with a plan attached. Love on The World and Evangelize.World exist so that going is not a someday idea but a Friday-night reality.

Live it this week

Find or start an outreach group near you on Evangelize.World, then put the first date in your calendar.

Evangelize.World map Love on The World Latest missions

Mark 16:15

“And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."”

Why it shapes the work

The whole world includes the corner of it you already live in. Hamilton was our whole world for twelve years before the Lord widened the map. Faithfulness in one city is how movements reach nations.

Live it this week

Write down the name of one person in your world who has never heard the Gospel clearly from you. Pray for an open door this week.

From Hamilton to the nations

Acts 1:8

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Why it shapes the work

Power first, then witness. We do not go in our own strength or cleverness. Every outreach night starts with prayer because the Holy Spirit does the convincing; we just show up and love people.

Live it this week

Before your next conversation about Jesus, stop and ask the Holy Spirit for power and words. Then trust Him with the outcome.

2 Corinthians 5:20

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

Why it shapes the work

An ambassador does not speak for himself. We carry a message from the King, with His heart behind it: be reconciled to God. That keeps us humble and it keeps us urgent.

Live it this week

Pray this week for one conversation where you can carry the King's appeal kindly and clearly.

What is evangelism?

Matthew 9:37–38

“Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."”

Why it shapes the work

The problem was never the harvest. It is workers. So we built free tools for the workers: OikosMap to see your personal mission field, KingdomBase to follow up every conversation, and a starter kit to launch a group in thirty days.

Live it this week

Pray Matthew 9:38 every morning for a week. Then be honest about whether you are one of the answers.

Free tools for Kingdom builders Outreach Group Starter Kit The harvest has your name on it

Romans 10:14–15

“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"”

Why it shapes the work

Somebody has to go and somebody has to send. Lion's Den Alliance exists because Kingdom businesses can fund the feet. Building companies that send is not a distraction from the Gospel. It is logistics for it.

Live it this week

Decide today whether you are a goer, a sender, or both. Then take one step in that direction: give, go, or invite someone.

Lion's Den Alliance Support the mission

03 · The Method

Do Everything in Love

Love is not the soft part of the mission. It is the method. Sandwiches, prayer, showing up in the snow, remembering names. People can tell when they are a project and when they are loved.

1 Corinthians 16:14

“Let all that you do be done in love.”

Why it shapes the work

This is the line in the footer of this site and the standard for every gathering we run. If a plan is strategic but not loving, it is not a Kingdom plan. Love is why people came back to Love on Hamilton week after week for twelve years.

Live it this week

Do one thing this week purely because it is loving, with no strategy and no expectation of return.

Love on Hamilton

John 13:34–35

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Why it shapes the work

Our apologetic is how we treat each other. Jesus said the world would recognise His disciples by love, not by our branding. That is why unity across churches at Jesus Festival matters as much as the set list.

Live it this week

Reach out to a believer from a different church or stream this week and encourage them. Let the city see the family.

Jesus Festival

1 John 3:18

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

Why it shapes the work

Talk is cheap on the streets. Deed and truth is a hot meal, a warm pair of socks, a real prayer, and the Gospel spoken plainly. Kingdom Response exists for the same reason: when disaster hits, the church should be first on the ground.

Live it this week

Turn one good intention into an action before Sunday: a meal, a visit, a bag of supplies, a phone call.

Kingdom Response How to start street ministry

Matthew 25:40

“And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."”

Why it shapes the work

The man on the bench, the mom at the shelter, the guy who has not eaten since yesterday. Jesus says serving them is serving Him. That reframes a Friday night from charity into worship.

Live it this week

Serve someone this week who cannot pay you back, and do it as unto Jesus Himself.

Isaiah 58:7

“Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?”

Why it shapes the work

God defines the worship He wants in very practical terms: bread, a roof, a coat. Friday nights on the street are not a side project to worship. They are part of it.

Live it this week

Pack a care bag this week (water, socks, a snack) and give it to someone by name, with a conversation, not a drive-by.

How to help homeless people

James 5:14–15

“Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.”

Why it shapes the work

Sickness is not a reason to stay away. It is an invitation to show up and pray. James does not hand us a formula; he hands us a practice: come close, pray in faith, and trust the outcome to the Lord who raises us up.

Live it this week

Visit or message one person who is sick this week. Ask how they are, ask if you can pray, and pray by name.

How to pray for someone who is sick

04 · The Message

The Good News

Everything we carry into the streets and parks comes down to this: God loved the world, Jesus died and rose again, and anyone who trusts Him is made new. Not by our goodness, but by His grace.

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Why it shapes the work

The most quoted verse in the Bible is still the clearest. Love is the reason, the Son is the gift, believing is the response, and life is the result. It is good news for people who think God is finished with them.

Live it this week

Read John 3:16 out loud and put your own name where it says the world. Then share it with one person.

What it means to be born again

John 3:3

“Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."”

Why it shapes the work

Jesus said this to a respected religious teacher, not to a rebel. Being born again is not self-improvement or more religion. It is new life from God, and everyone needs it.

Live it this week

Thank God for the day He gave you new life. If you are not sure you have it, talk to Him honestly today.

Born again, explained

Romans 5:8

“but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Why it shapes the work

God did not wait for anyone to clean up first. That is why we go to the streets as we are and meet people as they are. The cross came to us before we came to Him.

Live it this week

Think of one person you have written off. Pray for them by name, remembering Christ died for you while you were still a sinner.

John 14:6

“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."”

Why it shapes the work

Jesus did not claim to be one good option among many. He claimed to be the way to the Father. That is not a closed door; it is an open one, and He is holding it open to everyone.

Live it this week

When someone asks why Jesus, answer with who He is and what He did, gently and respectfully (1 Peter 3:15).

Is Jesus the only way?

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Why it shapes the work

Nobody is too far gone to start again. The past is real, but in Christ it is not the final word. The new has come.

Live it this week

Write down one old thing God has made new in you, and tell someone about it this week.

Tell your story in two minutes

Mark 1:15

“and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."”

Why it shapes the work

These are the first words of Jesus' preaching in Mark, and they are still the invitation: turn around and trust the good news. Repentance and faith are two sides of the same step.

Live it this week

Ask God to show you one thing to turn from this week, and one promise of His to trust instead.

What is repentance?

Luke 15:20

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

Why it shapes the work

The father was watching the road. That is the heart of God for every prodigal, and the heart we want for the people we pray for, including our own families.

Live it this week

Pray by name for someone who feels far from God, and reach out to them this week with no agenda but love.

Sharing your faith with family

Romans 6:4

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

Why it shapes the work

Baptism pictures the whole gospel in one moment: buried with Jesus, raised with Him. It is a public line in the sand that says the old life is over and the new one has begun.

Live it this week

If you have trusted Jesus and have not been baptized, talk to a pastor at your church this week. If you have, thank God for your new life.

Should I get baptized?

Romans 1:16

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Why it shapes the work

The power is in the message, not the messenger. That frees ordinary people to share the good news without being polished. God does the saving.

Live it this week

Tell one person this week, in a sentence or two, why Jesus matters to you. Leave the results with God.

The gospel in four sentences

Ephesians 2:8–9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Why it shapes the work

Every outreach night, festival, and tool we build is a response to grace, never a way to earn it. Salvation is a gift. That keeps us humble and it keeps the message simple.

Live it this week

When you serve this week, do it as a thank-you, not a payment. Tell God so before you start.

The gospel in four sentences

Serving the community through night street outreach

The Heartbeat

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

— Psalm 115:1

05 · The Gathering

Lift Jesus Up

Why put a stage in a public park? Because Jesus said if He is lifted up, He will draw people. Public worship is public witness. The city should not have to walk into a building to encounter Him.

John 12:32

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Why it shapes the work

This is the verse behind Jesus Festival in Gage Park and Niagara. We do not draw people. He does. Our job is to lift Him up in the open air, preach clearly, and get out of the way.

Live it this week

Find a way to honour Jesus publicly this week: a testimony, a post, an invitation, a song sung out loud.

Why we take worship into the park Jesus Festival Movement

Psalm 96:3

“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!”

Why it shapes the work

Every testimony shared from a festival stage is Psalm 96 in action. We tell what He has done so more people trust what He can do. Media, film, and the Jesus Festival app exist to carry those declarations further.

Live it this week

Tell one person this week a specific thing God has done in your life. Be concrete, not vague.

Jesus Festival app

Psalm 40:3

“He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.”

Why it shapes the work

Worship is evangelistic. When a city hears a new song rising from a park, people stop, watch, and many put their trust in the Lord. We have watched it happen.

Live it this week

Sing to God this week where someone else can hear you. Let your praise be a witness.

Isaiah 12:4

“And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted."”

Why it shapes the work

Make known. Proclaim. Exalt. That is the job description for every stage, story, and screen in this ecosystem, from I Am Reborn testimonies to SIX33 Legends storytelling.

Live it this week

Share one story of God's faithfulness publicly this week, online or in person.

I Am Reborn SIX33 Legends

06 · The Work

Build With the Lord

We build a lot: brands, platforms, businesses, gatherings. These verses keep the building honest. If the Lord is not in it, it is vanity. If He is, even small beginnings matter.

Psalm 127:1

“Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.”

Why it shapes the work

Every launch in the Kingdom ecosystem gets measured against this. A beautiful brand He is not building is a waste of a life. So we pray before we plan and hold every project loosely.

Live it this week

Take your biggest current project to God in prayer this week and honestly ask whether He is building it.

What we're building

Proverbs 16:3

“Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.”

Why it shapes the work

Committing the work is not a one-time dedication prayer. It is a daily surrender of the roadmap. When we commit it, He establishes what should stand and lets the rest fall away.

Live it this week

Open your task list and pray over it line by line. Let the Lord reorder your priorities.

TaskSimply

Nehemiah 2:18

“And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, "Let us rise up and build." So they strengthened their hands for the good work.”

Why it shapes the work

Nehemiah shared a testimony of God's hand, and a people rose to build. That is the Thy Kingdom Network model: tell what God is doing, and Kingdom builders find each other and get to work.

Live it this week

Share what God is doing in your work with one other builder this week. Watch what it stirs.

Thy Kingdom Network

Zechariah 4:6

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.”

Why it shapes the work

Documenting the SIX33 build from zero taught me this on repeat. The breakthroughs never came from hustle alone. They came when the Spirit moved and we were faithful enough to be in the room.

Live it this week

Identify one place you have been relying on effort instead of the Spirit. Repent, and ask Him to move.

Agent SIX33 build log

Proverbs 3:9

“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce;”

Why it shapes the work

Kingdom business is not just clean business. It is business that gives first. Lion's Den Alliance builds companies designed to fund the harvest, because profit that never sends anyone is a wasted seed.

Live it this week

Give the first part of what comes in this week before you spend the rest. Firstfruits, not leftovers.

Lion's Den Alliance

Matthew 25:21

“His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master."”

Why it shapes the work

Faithful over a little is the only path to much. Sandwiches before stages. One outreach group before a hundred. This verse is why we celebrate small obedience and refuse to despise humble beginnings.

Live it this week

Be fully faithful this week in the smallest responsibility you have. Do it as your audition for more.

You are not too small for the mission

07 · The Team

One Table, One Mission

Katie and I do not have two competing callings. We have one mission, one table, and one King. And none of this is a solo act. God gives the growth through a whole body of planters and waterers.

Joshua 24:15

“But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Why it shapes the work

Marriage and ministry are not rivals in our home. Our house serves the Lord together, on the streets, at the festival, and at the dinner table. KD-Ziedins.com is our shared story of that one decision.

Live it this week

Gather your household this week and decide together one way you will serve the Lord as a family.

Daniel & Katie Marriage and ministry as one team

Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!”

Why it shapes the work

This is still the strategy. Outreach groups, not lone rangers. Alliances, not empires. Every tool we build assumes you will do this with someone, because Scripture assumes it too.

Live it this week

Do not go alone this week. Invite one person into the thing God has put on your heart.

1 Corinthians 3:6–7

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.”

Why it shapes the work

Nobody in this ecosystem is the hero. One church plants, another waters, a Friday night team follows up, and God gives the growth. This keeps us grateful, humble, and generous with credit.

Live it this week

Thank someone who planted or watered in your life this week. Then go plant or water for someone else.

After the festival: how we follow up

08 · The Grit

Courage That Keeps Going

Twelve years of Friday nights includes a lot of cold, tired, discouraging evenings. These are the verses that got us back out the door. Fear is not from God, and the harvest belongs to those who do not quit.

Joshua 1:9

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Why it shapes the work

Wherever you go includes the corner nobody else wants to stand on. Courage in outreach is not the absence of nerves. It is going anyway because He is already there.

Live it this week

Go to the place or person you have been avoiding this week. He goes with you.

2 Timothy 1:7

“for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

Why it shapes the work

Anxiety gets loud when you build in public and preach in parks. This verse is the answer I return to: fear is not my inheritance. Power, love, and a sound mind are.

Live it this week

When fear speaks this week, speak this verse back out loud. Then take the next step anyway.

When anxiety gets loud

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

Why it shapes the work

Movements are built by people who kept showing up in the years nobody was watching. Love on Hamilton was sandwiches and prayer long before anyone called it a movement. Due season is real. Do not give up.

Live it this week

Recommit this week to the good work you have been tempted to quit. Set the next date and show up.

The Friday night rhythm

Isaiah 6:8

“And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me."”

Why it shapes the work

This is the prayer that started everything and the one we hope you will pray too. Not send someone else. Send me. The Lord is still asking the question.

Live it this week

Pray Isaiah 6:8 honestly this week and write down the first thing He puts in front of you.

Join the Inner Circle

09 · The Point

All Glory to God

If anything on this site points at Daniel instead of Jesus, it has failed. Every brand, festival, tool, and story exists for one reason: that His name would be exalted and He would get all the glory.

Psalm 115:1

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”

Why it shapes the work

A personal website is a dangerous place to lose this. So we say it plainly: not to us. Every baptism, every meal, every changed life is His faithfulness on display, not our strategy.

Live it this week

Before you share a win this week, give God the credit first, out loud and specifically.

1 Corinthians 10:31

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Why it shapes the work

Whatever you do covers apparel, apps, sound systems, and spreadsheets. There is no secular corner of this ecosystem. It is all for His glory or it is not worth doing.

Live it this week

Choose one everyday activity and do it deliberately for God's glory this week. Notice how it changes the work.

Philippians 2:9–11

“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Why it shapes the work

This is where history is going. Every knee, every tongue. We lift Jesus up in parks now because one day every knee in every park will bow. We are just early.

Live it this week

Bow your knee to Jesus in private this week, on purpose. Let your body agree with your confession.

Revelation 4:11

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Why it shapes the work

He is worthy. That is the final answer to why we do any of this. Not because it works, not because it grows, but because He is worthy of a city's worship and a life's work.

Live it this week

End every day this week with one sentence of worship: He is worthy. Then rest.

Questions people ask

The verses, explained

What does “seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33) mean?

Matthew 6:33 is Jesus' instruction to make God's Kingdom and His righteousness the first priority of life, trusting the Father to provide everything else. For Daniel Ziedins it is the ordering principle behind Seek First: World, SIX33 Outpost, and every business and ministry decision: God's agenda first, then work, money, and plans fall into place under it.

What is the Great Commission?

The Great Commission is Jesus' command in Matthew 28:18–20 to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing and teaching them, with the promise that He is with us always. It is the mandate behind Love on The World, Evangelize.World, and the mission to help establish 100 consistent outreach groups around the world.

Why is the brand called SIX33?

SIX33 stands for Matthew 6:33, “seek first the kingdom of God.” SIX33 Outpost is the rugged, mountain-tactical faith apparel brand inside the Seek First: World ecosystem, designed to carry that verse into everyday culture and help fund missions.

What Bible verse is Jesus Festival built on?

John 12:32: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Jesus Festival takes worship into public parks in Hamilton and Niagara because when Jesus is lifted up publicly, He draws people to Himself. Psalm 96:3 and Psalm 40:3 shape the emphasis on testimony and public praise.

Which verse is behind Love on Hamilton and Love on The World?

1 Corinthians 16:14, “Let all that you do be done in love,” together with 1 John 3:18 (love in deed and truth) and Matthew 25:40 (serving the least of these is serving Jesus). Twelve years of Friday night street outreach in Hamilton grew from those verses into a global movement.

Which Bible translation is quoted on this page?

Verses on this page are quoted from the English Standard Version (ESV), used by permission of Crossway. References are given so you can read each passage in full in your own Bible or translation.

How can I start living these verses this week?

Pick one verse, pray it daily, and take the “live it” step listed under it. Then take a practical next step: download the free Seek First Field Guide at danielziedins.com/field-guide, use the Outreach Group Starter Kit, or find an outreach group near you on Evangelize.World.

Free Seek First Field Guide

Seven days of Scripture, reflection, and action.

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Outreach Group Starter Kit

A 30-day plan to launch a healthy outreach group.

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Find an outreach group

Evangelize.World: the global map for the harvest.

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