Broadening Your Witness VI

Haggai 1-2

The small prophecy of Haggai is situated along with along with Zechariah, Daniel 6, Ezra and Nehemiah in the return from Babylonian exile. Those receiving the prophecy are "the remnant" (that minority of people who returned to help rebuild the nation of Israel). Haggai and the visions in Zecharaiah 1-8 go together. At first, I find myself reacting to the apparent selfishness of God in the passage. Because he doesn't have a house, God sends drought and misery on the people. Malachi 3:9 says similarly,

"You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, there there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enought for it."

I prefer the approach of Jesus in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."

On the American frontier, the first building to be constructed in the center of town, even before the courthouse, was a church (quite often in the South, a Methodist Church). It was meant as a symbol that the blessing of the LORD was needed on the community as it functioned and developed. I don't believe God is selfish. I believe God is zealous for relationship with us. For such a relationship we were created, and we just function better with our God-connection (healthier, wiser, more impact,etc). When we put God first in our day through scripture reading and prayer, the rest of the day goes better (more efficient, better decisions, less stress, etc). When we give faithfully of our resources, then what remains goes further. When we create houses of worship that call forth our sense of God's majesty and wonder, a greatness comes into our lives. Just as we find that our lives go better when God is made the priority, so our lives go poorer when we make ourselves the priority. Placing God first is not to satisfy God's selfishness, but rather to grow and deepen our relationship with God - which ends up being primarily for our benefit.

Note in 2:10-19 the call for purity. It was not only the lack of a temple that has created clamity and loss for them, it was also their sinful behavior and attitudes. Earlier we discussed sin as self-deception. Here sin is described as self-sabatoge, not just individually but as a community. So Haggai stirs two questions. First, is God first for you personally and for St. Luke's? Where do you see evidence that He is first and where do you see He is not? Second, how is your spiritual and moral life? Where might you be caught in self-deception and self-sabatoge? Let your answers to those two questions shape for prayer time for today.

Luke 5:1-32

Now seven weeks into this course, you are invited to look again at God's call on your life by bouncing your call off this passage. First, Jesus invited them to catch people instead of fish. It was a metaphor that spoke powerfully to people who fished for a living. For me, as a musician, God's call came for me to help others discover "the new song" God could put into their hearts. What is the metaphor for your own call?

Second, notice that Jesus modeled a life of ministry and invited them to join him in healing the needs of people (leprosy, disability, blindness, uncleanness, mental and emotional illness, broken relationships, etc). Where do you see brokenness and need around you? Where might God be calling you to ministry (to be the hands, feet, and words of Jesus)?

Third, the call to ministry takes us beyond our normal circles of friendship and changes our business or professional lives into arenas of witness. You are God's called minister in the professional, social, family and church arenas of your life. How will you connect with those who need the LORD through you?

See you this evening.