The Church has not missed her chance. It however needs to appraise itself in this...
Till we learn to understand, esteem and appreciate the office of a prophet, we will keep going around in circles - and (contrary to what we might think), God is not panicked. The path is clear and has been for some time now. Nothing will be built unless we let HIM lead.
Till the understanding dawns on us that the word of the Lord is not under any of his servants but rather it is above all, we will continue to try to put his prophets under us. Ancient Israel did this repeatedly but YHWH will always protect his own - because just as you, before we are his servants, we are his precious sons and daughters. To those who believe in the prophetic office, I write these two points :
Whatever your calling is, pursue it earnestly. Pursue it with passion because truly the time is short and we will all give account of what we have done with the things he committed to our hands. There is no need to wait for an instruction to build any longer. That instruction was given a long time ago.
Ezra 6:14 describes the rebuilding of the second temple:
"And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia."
The roles are clear. It is not the job of the prophets to build physically. They directed, motivated and watched over the leaders and builders spiritually by their prophesying. A spiritual house is not the same as any other building. It requires God's constant direction. Here, the prophets, gave direction, insight, encouragement in the word of the Lord spoken over the elders and builders. If they were distracted, that vital spiritual element would be missing. They were the watchmen. In Ezekiel 33:7, the Lord said to the Prophet :
"Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me."
A distracted watchman is no good to the team. The confidence to concentrate on building the temple comes from knowing that the watchman is watching. Constantly prodding, undermining or distracting the watchman to do other things apart from watching is detrimental to the work. If he is constantly having to fend off attacks from within the team, not only would it mean he is unable to do his job, but it also means those leaders meant to be building are not focused on building. This is not a position of strength for any team.
Jesus owns the building and as the Master builder, he - and only he, gets to make the appointments to the different roles and responsibilities. Till we acknowledge his supremacy and respect his judgement, we will unwittinly delay the work.
Jesus and the Father will not expose his prophet to continual oppression - even from his own people. He held me by the hand and dragged me away as he told me this and it is in line with scripture:
''He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:
“Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm.”" 1 Chronicles 16:21-22
He is jealous for his servants. To build with Him, he will not permit the disrespect of his messenger.
2. Build, but be aware that any edifice without an Altar or with an half-hearted Altar is just a building. It is not a Temple. YHWH's concentration on our inner lives (i.e. spiritual intimacy with himself) is not a distraction from the building work rather it is the installation of the very essence of the building - i.e. the Altar.
"Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord, both the morning and evening sacrifices." Ezra 3:3
The establishment of the altar is the very essence of the Living Church of Jesus Christ without it there is just a large group of people with a dead religion. Remember that the same God who ordered the rebuilding of the second temple is the very same one who ordered it's tearing down. Understand your God: As useful as numbers are, YHWH is not impressed by numbers or edifices.
Jesus said to Peter '' …I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.''
A Church or a people who do not know their (good) shepherd are not a Temple worthy of our Lord who gave his own life for them [John 10:27]. Likewise, a half-hearted, world-focused or carnal people (- no matter how numerous) are not the building Jesus is interested in erecting. [And this is not an indirect jibe at any group or denomination in anyway.]
Read Revelation chapters 1 -3. Jesus addressed 7 church groups of that time. Seven in scripture usually signified complete - in this case, the whole body of his followers on earth. Of the 7 churches, only Smyrna and Philadelphia -two churches- received no reprimand from the Master. Study the character of those two and you will see what values Jesus actually esteemed the most in his Church. Now compare those values with what is exalted in your own ministry, organisation or Church denomination or group. Also, how does his values and assessment compare with our present world's judgement of excellence, productivity or value - observe the difference.
"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is." Ephesians 5:17
Till we learn that wisdom cannot be assumed but that it must be sort out in the Lord. we will always get our values muddled. Wisdom is a person: Jesus the Word of YHWH [Proverbs 3:19-20].
The earthly calibre of a Minister or Leader does not dictate his insight. Insight comes from the Lord and he gives it to whomever he will. Let us not be carnally minded.
"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." Romans 8:6
This Peace is required to build. By this, I am not referring to peace from the external but peace from within. Peace is also a person. The call to focus on Jesus is not just semantics. If our focus is not this peace within us as individuals and a body, we will build but whatever we build will be, just like the 5 other churches in Revelation 1-3, a deficient structure. God forbid it is in danger of demolition at Christ's coming!
Work. Please work hard. Oh how much we do need the hands and feet of Jesus at this crucial time! They are the action takers. They are highly valued but the need to recognise not just their own worth but that of the other parts, holds them back from being the true value they should be. Oh, Lord please humble them so you can help them see the place of the other parts of the body. No hands or feet can function without the Head and without the rest of the body. Grant understanding Lord, so that your people may build the structure you have ordained for our time -according to your will. Amen
"The Lord will surely comfort Zion
and will look with compassion on all her ruins;
he will make her deserts like Eden,
her wastelands like the garden of the Lord.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of singing." Isaiah 51:3
"And it will be said:
“Build up, build up, prepare the road!
Remove the obstacles out of the way of my people.”
For this is what the high and exalted One says—
he who lives forever, whose name is holy:
“I live in a high and holy place,
but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit,
to revive the spirit of the lowly
and to revive the heart of the contrite."" Isaiah 57:13-15
"When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." John 10:4
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