HAVE WE NEGLECTED OUR PART IN THE 'BUILDING' PROJECT? (1 OF 4)
by Jerry Branch
Scripture: HAGGAI 1:1-11
This content is part of a series.
Have We Neglected Our Part in the 'Building' Project? (1 of 4)
Jerry Branch
Haggai 1:1-11
04-07-02
The Book of Haggai tells us about how God's prophet, Haggai, stirs up the Israelites to get back to the work of rebuilding the temple. The temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed decades earlier, and the Israelites had been in captivity as the punishment for their sins of turning from God. God had now brought the Israelites back from captivity and had told them to rebuild the temple. They had started the hard, and long-term project, but then they had stopped working and had turned most of their attention to their own lives.
But why is this Old Testament Book so relevant to the American Christian church today? Well, you'll remember that the past weeks we examined the thing called the "Christian Purpose Driven life", and part of that purpose entails allowing the Lord to work through us in His Kingdom Work.
And when we look at the Old Testament, folks, there is an analogy between Old Testament `temple-building and our New Testament, Jesus Christ commanded-task of being disciples ourselves; and of our being about the Lord's business of making disciples; and of our giving of ourselves in serving within the church body to which Christ has called us.
You remember that back in the Old Testament, the temple was seen as where the active, saving presence of God dwelled in the world of the Israelites. BUT... NOW... God resides within his Church. His temple is his people. So, the condition of His temple today, then, is the condition of his people individually, as well as the condition of the body of Christ as a group.
But there is also something else... there is also seen the analogy between the very real drought that the Israelites had experienced, and what God's people sometimes experience today -that being our own 'drought'... the dryness of dissatisfaction and disappointment-that comes into our lives whenever we live as if we could care less whe ...
Jerry Branch
Haggai 1:1-11
04-07-02
The Book of Haggai tells us about how God's prophet, Haggai, stirs up the Israelites to get back to the work of rebuilding the temple. The temple built by King Solomon had been destroyed decades earlier, and the Israelites had been in captivity as the punishment for their sins of turning from God. God had now brought the Israelites back from captivity and had told them to rebuild the temple. They had started the hard, and long-term project, but then they had stopped working and had turned most of their attention to their own lives.
But why is this Old Testament Book so relevant to the American Christian church today? Well, you'll remember that the past weeks we examined the thing called the "Christian Purpose Driven life", and part of that purpose entails allowing the Lord to work through us in His Kingdom Work.
And when we look at the Old Testament, folks, there is an analogy between Old Testament `temple-building and our New Testament, Jesus Christ commanded-task of being disciples ourselves; and of our being about the Lord's business of making disciples; and of our giving of ourselves in serving within the church body to which Christ has called us.
You remember that back in the Old Testament, the temple was seen as where the active, saving presence of God dwelled in the world of the Israelites. BUT... NOW... God resides within his Church. His temple is his people. So, the condition of His temple today, then, is the condition of his people individually, as well as the condition of the body of Christ as a group.
But there is also something else... there is also seen the analogy between the very real drought that the Israelites had experienced, and what God's people sometimes experience today -that being our own 'drought'... the dryness of dissatisfaction and disappointment-that comes into our lives whenever we live as if we could care less whe ...
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