Is it Important to Attend Church Regularly? Zechariah 14:17

Why do we go to church? Can’t we just read the Bible and watch a TV preacher? Maybe sing along with Christian radio? Why bother with the Sunday service?

Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not forsake the assembling together of ourselves, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another, and do so even more as you see the day of the Lord drawing near.”

We need to get together with believers to worship, teach, learn, and fellowship. We need them in our lives for the hard times; they remind you that you are not alone. Seeing your believing friends on Sunday helps you remain faithful on Monday.

Another verse indicates blessings that come from assembling together:

“Should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of Hosts, rain will not fall on them” Zechariah 14:17.

So worship the Lord daily. Read, study, pray. But do not forsake the assembling together on Sundays. It is important. It keeps you accountable. Keeps you humble. Keeps you walking in truth and blessings.

God often reveals Himself and His plans while we are assembled together.

Try not to miss church. It is essential to your spiritual health.

ΑΩ

HOW SHOULD A KING COME? Zechariah 9:9.

One of my all-time favorite stories of the Incarnation–of Christmas–is the song “How Should a King Come?” by Jimmy and Carol Owens. Read it as a poem. It clearly lays out the contrast between how most kings would want to enter a city, and how the KING OF KINGS entered. He could not have made a more humble entrance. Any peasant, no matter how poor, knows that Jesus understands their meager beginnings. The anointed Messiah, Creator and Savior of the universe has been there. He has been there.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
Even a child knows the answer of course,
In a coach of gold with a pure white horse.
In the beautiful city in the prime of the day,
And the trumpets should cry
and the crowds make way.
And the flags fly high in the morning sun,
And the people all cheer for the sovereign one.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done.
That’s the way that a King should come.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
Even a commoner understands,
He should come for His treasures,
And His houses and lands.
He should dine upon summer strawberries and milk,
And sleep upon bedclothes of satin and silk.
And high on a hill His castle should glow,
With the lights of the city like jewels below.
And everyone knows that’s the way that it’s done,
That’s the way that a King should come.

HOW SHOULD A KING COME?
On a star filled night into Bethlehem,
Rode a weary woman and a worried man.
And the only sound in the cobblestone street,
Was the shuffle and the ring of their donkey’s feet.
And a King lay hid in a virgin’s womb,
And there were no crowds to see Him come.
At last in a barn in a manger of hay,
He came and God incarnate lay.

And the angels cried: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Earth was silent so heaven rang: “Glory! Glory to God!”
Men were dumb so the angels sang: “Glory! Glory to God!
Peace on earth good will to men, Glory! Glory to God!
Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God! Glory in the Highest!
Glory to God!”

—What a perfect story of the Incarnation. God became a man and did it with humility! If the God of the universe can be humble, how can we be proud? On Palm Sunday many years later, Jesus could have come on a grand white stallion, but he came riding a lowly donkey, as prophesied:

“Look your King is coming to you, He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey.” Zechariah 9:9.

Dear God, bless us with that kind of humility—so that our hearts would draw others to You.

ΑΩ

A good recording of this song is available here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLF2jc7UDcY

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM. Zechariah 8:4-5,12,16-17.

America is not perfect, and it was never holy. There are evil threads woven into our story—slavery, the genocide of Indian tribes, racism, greed.

But what other nation do the people of the world flock to enter?

What other nation is a melting pot like this land of opportunity? What nation can offer such freedom, opportunity, and hope?America is special. Who else could have defeated the Nazis, the Japanese, and the Soviets? Americans are generous givers to good causes, not only personally, but through billions of dollars in taxes that the government gives to support causes both foreign and domestic.

Doesn’t this Bible passage sound like small-town USA?

“Old men and women will sit along the streets … each with a staff in hand because of advanced age. The streets of the city will be filled with boys and girls playing in them” Zechariah 8:4-5,12.

Many agree this is a special place. The question is why?  Why would God bless America?

America, WHY did God shed His grace on thee?

I do not know the answer. When I consider the evils, not only in our history, but the terrible crimes happening in this land right now, I am stumped. This land of fraud and trafficking and pedophiles and broken homes and addictions of every kind—we do not deserve God’s blessings.

But God is merciful.

The Bible reports God blessing entire nations when only a small remnant of the people were living lives that pleased Him. God may be blessing our nation because of the few who are serving Him and bearing fruit for His kingdom.

“‘These are the things you must do: Speak truth to one another. Make true and sound decisions. Do not plot evil in your hearts against your neighbor, and do not love perjury, for I hate these things,’ says the Lord” Zechariah 8:16-17.

God blesses people who honor Him, who speak truth and obey laws. God blesses our nation because of the good people who have gone before us and who live among us now. He blesses us because of His grace, in spite of our national sins. But we must honor Him and live with integrity.

God, help us live lives that honor You and please You!

ΑΩ

*The above parade picture is from July 4th in Fredericksburg, Texas.

ARCHITECTURAL ZERO. Zechariah 4:10.

Adolf Hitler loved architecture. Albert Speer, his architect, writes that Hitler was forever coming up with plans for buildings and monuments. The drawings were not bad, but the designs dwarfed everything else. Hitler dreamed of making Berlin a partial copy of Paris, but making everything larger: a wider main boulevard, a taller victory arch, and a capitol boasting the world’s largest dome. These projects were never completed—but Speer built wooden architectural models that Hitler showed off proudly.

The ten-foot model of the capitol had a small balcony where the dictator could step outside and be seen by the masses. The problem, as Speer describes it, is that the proposed building was so fantastically large anyone standing on the little balcony appeared to be “an architectural zero.”

Solomon’s temple was one of the most famous buildings in history, its walls and ceiling covered in 45,000 pounds of gold paneling. And the wood, stone, gold, and other materials required for the temple involved a labor force of 153,600 men! Yet it boasted an interior of only 2,700 square feet—about the size of a four-bedroom house.

Are you impressed by size? God is not. Not the size of your building, your college, or your bank account. After Solomon’s temple was destroyed and a smaller one was to replace it, God rebuked those who criticized its size:

“Who dares despise the day of small things?” Zechariah 4:10.

How big is God’s temple today? It’s the size of your heart. As Solomon himself explained, no one can build a house for God—not even the highest heavens can contain Him. Be humble:

God is infinitely larger than every human achievement, rendering them ‘an architectural zero.’ We are INFINITELY SMALL, our achievements smaller still.

But the Holy Spirit uses us anyway!

God, thank you for inviting us to partner with You in Your work. Help us love better and spread grace and hope.

ΑΩ

DREAM SMALL. Zechariah 4:10.

We encourage you to dream big. We say it every day. We tell children they can all be presidents, astronauts, football stars, heroes. And we should. Children should be encouraged to think big. And when you see problems, you should dream of big solutions. When you see a mountain, you should have hope and believe, and set out hiking for the summit.

But maturity involves adjustments. Remember: HEAVEN IS YOUR REAL HOME. In Heaven, you will achieve the most outrageous success. But much of that success will come from a changed heart—a heart that has endured a few disappointments and learned to trust God more and to be content with a little less. In other words, as you grow, God may teach you to dream small. Writing this is a delicate balancing act, and a subtle, sophisticated message for me. I want to get this right:

Dream big. Have BIG faith. Beg God for a massive vision, and be ready to do whatever He calls you to do.

But at the same time, remember that some of the biggest dreams God gives us, some of our DEEPEST DESIRES will NOT be fulfilled until we reach Heaven—our REAL HOME.

God reserves the most true contentment for Heaven. Earth will always involve some challenges, some disappointments, and making adjustments to our hopes, dreams, and expectations. Why? Because:

GOD IS MORE INTERESTED IN YOUR HEART THAN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES.

Look again at the story of the second temple, Zerubbabel’s Temple. The SMALLER temple. The people were sad and disappointed but God taught them a lesson about their over-sized dreams.

“For who has despised the day of small things? … You should “rejoice when you see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.” Zechariah 4:10.

Dream Big. Ask for a BIG VISION of God’s plan for your life. And remember some of your biggest desires will be fulfilled in HEAVEN. So Dream Big, but have the wisdom to rejoice and be thankful for the SMALL THINGS. Remember—the more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you.

ΑΩ

DEFEND BULLYING VICTIMS. Zechariah 3:2-4.

There is something infuriating about watching someone powerless endure bullying by someone stronger. Bullying is not harmless or funny or a case of “boys will be boys.” It can be abusive. But you need situational awareness—the context, the age, and the personalities are important considerations. I don’t believe in the application of black-and-white “zero-tolerance” rules or a one-size-fits-all approach. (What happens in college baseball with coaches looking on, for example, is different than what happens in a middle-school locker room with no adults present.) You have to consider the people and context.

God zealously defends His children. Zechariah paints an interesting picture. Joshua the High Priest is standing before the Angel of the Lord. He is wearing filthy clothes and Satan is standing next to Joshua to accuse him and abuse him before the Lord. (How often are people bullied because of their clothing or appearance?)

First, the Lord rebukes Satan. Then He deals with Joshua’s filthy clothes.

“The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!… The Angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before Him, ‘Take off Joshua’s filthy clothes.’ Then He said to Joshua, ‘See, I have REMOVED YOUR GUILT FROM YOU, and I will clothe you will SPLENDID ROBES.’” Zechariah 3:2-4.

Think of that. God will remove the thing that gets you bullied—the unfashionable clothes, the filth, the sin, the shameful secrets in your deepest heart—and He will CLOTHE YOU IN SPLENDID ROBES! (Somehow that means a lot to me at Back to School Time.)

And God is passionate about defending you!

“Anyone who touches you, touches the pupil of His eye!” Zechariah 2:8.

So anyone bullying you is poking God in the eye. And God loves you. He will defend you. He will remove your filth, your shame, your embarrassment, and whatever gets you bullied. And then He will CLOTHE YOU IN SPLENDID ROBES!

God, thank you for rescuing us from bullies, removing our shame, and giving us splendid clothes! May we bless others and rescue them the same way.

ΑΩ

The Whole Earth is Calm and Quiet. Zechariah 1:8-11.

If I offered you $1,000 to bring me a true story no one has yet reported, could you do it? What if I added $5,000 if the story provokes fear or outrage? You could listen to a police scanner, attend a trial, talk to people in an E.R. waiting room, interview a tow-truck driver, fire fighter, or civil rights attorney. You would find something for us to publish. And now a peaceful day includes more bad news of marginal relevance.

One night, the prophet Zechariah saw something odd.

“I … saw a man … standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. I asked, ‘What are these, my lord?’ … Then the man among the trees explained, ‘They are the ones the Lord sent to patrol the earth.’ The horses reported, … ‘We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet’” Zechariah 1:8-11.

Horses? Sent to patrol the earth? Who knew that was a thing? Have you ever seen horses coming around, checking on things? These horses circled the globe, checked on EVERYTHING, and what did they report?

“Right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.”

Think about that. The biggest news of the day was that there wasn’t any news!

“Right now the whole earth is calm and quiet.”

Can you imagine a newspaper sending a reporter to check on … the whole world? If the journalist came back saying “everything’s calm and quiet,” he would be fired. The angry newspaper editor (such the Daily Bugle’s Jonah Jameson in SPIDER MAN–pictured) would shout, “Where’s the story? What am I paying you for?!”

Reporters are paid to write stories. If they don’t find something, they keep digging, because no one pays for empty newspapers.

But sometimes the truth is simply “the whole earth is calm and quiet.” The equine reporters in Zechariah’s vision—the horses—are NOT being paid by the story. They have no reason to lie. Everything was calm and quiet, so that’s what they reported.

But you will never hear that on the six-o’clock news. Is it possible that sometimes everything is calm and quiet? Yes. But that does not sell newspapers.

Look at the word “news.” It’s all about finding the NEW story. Every day there are accidents, crimes, and scandals—and if those taper off, you still have traffic, sports, and weather. And if it’s the same story we told you yesterday, we will find a new way to spin it today. And what is it that keeps people coming back—what delivers viewers and dollars to one network over another? Emotion.

Fear is journalism’s emotion number one, and anger number two. If fear makes the network money, then could fear have an impact on what stories they choose to tell—and how they tell them? Absolutely.

Every broadcast carefully delivers two messages:

(1) you should feel fear and anger over the state of the world, and

(2) you should trust only our network to report the truth and guide you through it.

God, fill us with the conviction that sometimes “the whole earth is calm and quiet.” Show us what sources to trust for honest reporting—and show us how much or how little news to consume every day. You are the Prince of Peace. Fill us with Your peace.

ΑΩ

*Consider reading Michael Crichton’s excellent novel about modern news reporting, STATE OF FEAR, now translated into some forty languages.

Think Carefully About Your Ways. Haggai 1:5-7.

Imagine yourself a Mom or Dad, struggling to make ends meet. You work extra hours, earn extra money, but then the car breaks down and you have to spend more than you earned. And next month it happens again. And again. Just when you think you are getting caught up, another appliance breaks, or a storm rolls in and damages your roof—or your crops. Problems like these happen to everyone. Most of the time, it is just the difficult challenges of living in a fallen world. Sometimes it is the result of your own laziness. And on rare occasions, God may be trying to tell you something—as He was trying to communicate with His people in the book of Haggai. When they failed to respond to hardships, He spoke through the prophet:

“Think carefully about your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough to be satisfied. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag filled with holes. Think carefully about your ways” Haggai 1:5-7.

(Are you thinking about your ways? What is God trying to say?)

“Is it a time for you to live in paneled houses while My house lives in ruins?” Haggai 1:4.  “Go up into the hills, bring down lumber, and build My house. Then I will be pleased with it and be glorified” Haggai 1:8.

So this is about the temple. The Jews had gotten distracted with building their own houses and neglected God’s house.

“You expected much, but then it amounted to little. When you brought the harvest to your house, I ruined it. Why? … Because My house still lies in ruins, while each of you is busy with his own house” Haggai 1:9.

We do not have temples today. How does this passage apply to us?

We have church buildings. People need a place to worship. Pastors need to be paid. Missionaries need support. God blesses His people with resources, but He expects us to give some of those resources to the work of His kingdom.

Are you giving to the local church?

Are you tithing?

Do you ever give sacrificially?

Have you become a consistent giver?

“Think carefully about your ways” Haggai 1:7.

If this scene strikes you as harsh, there is a silver lining. These farmers who struggled to make ends meet, finally decided to put their own houses on hold and got to work on God’s house.  A few weeks later, God encouraged them:

“Work! For I am with you … From this day on, I will bless you” Haggai 2:4 and 19. 

Begin giving regularly to God’s work and He will bless you. If you already give well, consider reading this passage as a comment on priorities: are you working harder to build God’s Kingdom, or to build your own kingdom?

ΑΩ

*Picture of a shipment of lumber, reminiscent of Haggai !:8.

‘FOR WHO HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS?’ Zechariah 4:10.

Dr. A.O. Collins, Old Testament professor at HBU, once quoted the passage above in defense of small churches. And even as a member of a large church, I knew he made a great point: churches do not have to be big to honor God. Most churches are small and most people who love Jesus learned to love Him in a small church.

But the verse has a historical context. The word of the Lord came to Zechariah with a message for the Israelites. The message (combined with God’s word to Haggai) might be paraphrased as “God knows some of you are disappointed because you remember the size and majesty of Solomon’s temple, and this new temple pales in comparison. But to you, God says, ‘Who has despised the day of small things?’ God knows what He is doing. Worship Him.” Zechariah 4:10.

In other words, it’s okay to be small.

And God encouraged Zerubbabel, governor of Judah:

“How does the new temple look to you? Does it seem like nothing to you? Even so, be strong, Zerubbabel…. WORK! For I am with you…. My Spirit is present among you. Do not be discouraged!” Haggai 2:3-5.

Have you ever seen a ministry face a setback? I sure have. I’ve seen a few churches close their doors for the last time. I’ve seen an internationally-known Christmas ministry cease to exist. I’ve seen a youth ministry shrink to half its size. And I’ve seen opportunities in my own life dried up and reduced to nothing. And that’s okay—’for who has despised the day of small things?’ God will expand one area while contracting another. He may remove one opportunity while providing another. And He may allow difficult things to happen all around you—such as at Faith West—while nevertheless continuing to use you in a thriving ministry. Hang in there!

“Be strong!… WORK! For I am with you…. My Spirit is present among you. Do not be discouraged!” Haggai 2:3-5.

God, thank you for continuing to use us. May we WORK HARD as selfless servants of the Cross.

ΑΩ

MY HOUSE LIES IN RUINS. Haggai 1:4-7; 2:4.

Have you ever gotten your priorities out of whack? You know, you’re working hard on hobbies, but ignoring school projects? You’re dedicated to a sport, but falling behind on summer reading? You’re having fun going places with friends, but you’re taking too much time off from your job? From time to time, all of us have to be reminded to get our priorities straight. Serving God is a priority. Are we serving? Are we giving?

When they stopped working on the temple, God spoke to His people through the prophet Haggai:

“Is it a time for you to live in your paneled houses, while MY HOUSE LIES IN RUINS?… Think carefully about your ways. You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You put on clothes but never have enough to get warm. The wage earner puts his wages into a bag filled with holes. The Lord of Hosts says this: ‘Think carefully about your ways.’” Haggai 1:4-7.

What was the problem? The people were busy working on their own houses, but were neglecting the house of God. Yet, He had sent them home to Jerusalem specifically to rebuild the temple. So what did God do? He made their efforts fall short. The crops were too little, food too scarce, clothes too thin, and they lost money through holes in their pockets. God understood. He knew they found the new temple underwhelming.

But God said, “Work! For I am with you!” Haggai 2:4.

I pray often that God will not let my wages fall through a bag filled with holes. My struggles cause me to “think carefully about my ways.” What am I doing for the Lord—or NOT doing?

Sometimes you need to do an inventory. To THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT YOUR WAYS. Are your priorities straight? Are you serving, obeying, giving? If everything in your life falls short—if no matter what you do, it’s never enough—then do an inventory. Think carefully about your ways, and obey Him. And remember to WORK! For He is with you!

ΑΩ