Week 23: June 10th, 2018

Topic: Building the House of God– Part 3

Bible Reading: Haggai 1:1-8

We shall continue our discussion by mentioning the various difficulties which people usually encounter whenever they are building or rehabilitating the house of God.

The Common difficulties

There are many difficulties that people who are building or rebuilding the house of God normally encounter and it varies from one nation/state to another depending on the governing law of that particular nation/state.

Though, the church that we intend to build is a physical structure but the difficulties have spiritual inclination as it is written “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” Ephesians 6:12. For this reason you need prayers in order for you to successfully complete the project in joy and peace.

Enemies may try to sabotage the project: The enemies of progress and the agents of darkness may influence people to sabotage the project because they neither want spiritual light in the area nor deliverance for the people in the community. They will see it as if the church is trying to encroach on their territory to overthrow them. Similar incident happened during the time of Cyrus King of Persia; the people of the land tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work of rebuilding the house of God Ezra 4:4.

The inhabitants of the area where you are trying to build or rebuild the church of God may try to weaken your hand to slow down the job or trouble you to make you to be deterred from building the house of God; you must not yield but resist them. The darkness can even put it in the minds of the people with satanic mark to steal the building materials provided for building the house of God, but you must not relent until you have successfully completed the building of the church.

You may be reported to the authority, adversaries may raise propaganda against you and foes may be doing every possible thing to ruin your reputation but do not give in, but continue “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” Hebrews 12:2. You must realize that whatever happens to you is not the first incident and it will certainly not be the last. The same thing happened to the Jews when they were rebuilding the temple of God and the walls of Jerusalem Ezra 4:12. Therefore, be prepared for the disturbance of your adversaries but do not be discouraged.

Restrictions, disability and incapability may hinder you: Though many people have the good intention of building the house of God, but not all of them will have the grace of accomplishing this great task for various reasons. Many people who have the desire to build the house of God may be hampered by embargo or restrictions of the official law of their countries; countless of them may be hindered by disability and numerous people may have financial incapability as their primary difficulty.

King David had the intention of building a house for God but the Lord refused according to the Bible passages which stated that “And David said to Solomon; “My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the Lord My God, but the word of the Lord came to me, saying ‘You have shed much blood and have made great wars; you shall not build a house for My name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight’”” 1 Chronicles 22:7-8. Despite the fact that King David cannot build a house for the Lord, he assisted the young and inexperienced Solomon to achieve the task by making provision for necessary building materials 1 Chronicles 29:1-2. Therefore, it is your duty to assist the young people who have this good desire. You must also teach, encourage and empower the unskilled people to achieve this feat.

It is written that God declined the request of King David to build a house for the Lord according to the Bible passage which stated that “But God said to me, ‘you shall not build a house for My name because you have been a man of war and have shed blood’” 1 Chronicles 28:3. King David prayed for Solomon the chosen one and the people of Israel to successfully build a house for God 1 Chronicles 29:18-19. Therefore, it is your obligation to pray fervently for others (whether you have the grace to build the house of God or not) to successfully build or rebuild or complete the building of the house of God.

Rehabilitate the existing house of God

People who are zealous and motivated must strive to build the house of God or rehabilitate the existing ones, they must emulate Cyrus the King of Persia who obeyed the instructions of God and permitted the people of Israel to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem Ezra 1:2-3. God that touched the heart of Cyrus and used him will touch people who will assist you. Therefore, be among the people that are stir up to work for God by building or rebuilding His house Ezra 1:5.

Do not wait for the house of God to be in dilapidated condition before you start the repairs or the restoration process. So, start today “Let the house of God be rebuilt, lay its foundations firmly in the ground and beautify it” Ezra 6:3. With or without the assistance of the unbelievers, make sure that you build or rebuild the house of God.

The Promises of God

There are several promises of God mentioned in the Bible and some of them shall be discussed starting with Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Branch shall build the temple: The scripture stated that: Thus says the Lord of hosts, behold the Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah and the Saviour) whose name is the Branch, shall branch out from His place and lineage of David; He shall build the ultimate and the true temple of the Lord. Though humans are building the physical temple of the Lord, but it is Jesus Christ who shall build the spiritual temple of the Lord. He shall bear honour and glory as the only begotten Son of the Father. He shall sit and rule on His throne. He shall be a priest upon His throne and there will be perfect harmony between His two roles Zechariah 6:12-13. The counsel of peace existed between His two offices because Jesus Christ the Messiah was a Priest and a King.

Captivity of the church shall be restored: God utilized King Cyrus to retrieved and restored whatever that King Nebuchadnezzar had taken away from the temple of God in Jerusalem Ezra 5:14-15, 6:5-7. Because our God is alive, He will retrieve and restore the captivities of our churches in Jesus Name. Every physical and spiritual item that Satan and the darkness have stolen from us during our time of ignorance will be renewed and restored.

God will use people from afar to build His house: Thus says the Lord of hosts: “In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land: I will shake the nations; and they will come with the desirable and precious things of all nations and I will fill this house (church) with glory and splendor”, says the Lord of hosts Haggai 2:6-7. Do not fear because the treasures of all the nations will be brought to your church if you are faithful to God. Furthermore, the cost of building your church will be paid from the royal treasury Ezra 6:4. In most nations of the world, the cost of building the church may be offset through tax-break, tax waivers, tax deductions and exemption from withholding tax. God can even touch the hearts of the people in government to enact a favourable law that will make the full cost of building or rebuilding a church to be paid from the revenues of the government, like the event which happened in the Bible Ezra 6:8.

God can touch the heart of any head of the government and use him/her for His glory like how He touched King Artaxerxes and he instructed Ezra by saying “And whatever more may be needed for the house of God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury Ezra 7:20. Henceforth, he gave directives to Ezra by saying, “Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it diligently be done for the house of God of heaven. For why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? Ezra 7:23. Be assured that God will touch the people in government and they will assist in building the house of God through various programs.

People will come from distant lands to build/rebuild the church of the Lord. And when this happens, you will know that my messages have been from the Lord of hosts. All this will happen if you carefully obey what the Lord your God says Zechariah 6:15. If you want people from afar to come and build your church/temple, harken and diligently obey the voice of God.

The latter glory of the church/temple: The Bible stated that “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein.” Psalm 24:1. This means everything on earth and in heaven belong to God. It is for this reason that it was written that “‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine’, says the Lord of hosts. ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former’, says the Lord of host. ‘And in this place, I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts” Haggai 2:8-9.