A White Christmas (Micah 4 and 5)

Introduction
Through Isaiah the LORD pleads: “Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow...” I’m dreaming of a white Christmas in this sense. I’m familiar with the scarlet landscape of life. I’m also well acquainted with the good life of grace and growth. This Christmas I really want to understand what the Bible calls, “the beauty of holiness.”

Micah, the Minor Prophet whose words rest in our laps all these centuries later, speaks in crosscurrents of optimism and pessimism: peace and war, hope and despair, salvation and judgment. His utterances pertain to his historical context in one moment and to the eternal context in the next. He is, in any given moment, manic and depressed, high and low, gracious and condemning. One minute he pronounces that “Her [God’s people’s] wounds are incurable.” The next minute he speaks of God’s deliverance and redemption.

Our lives are much like Micah’s utterances: optimistic and pessimistic, warring and peace-seeking, humble and proud, forgiving and forsaking, having good motives and bad, in exile and out, enslaved and free, decaying and renewing, sinful and repentant, desiring God, but if we’re honest, it might be better said that we sometimes don’t desire God as much as we desire to desire God.

But most of all, we understand the bi-polar prophecies of Micah by discovering the Kingdom of God, which is at hand (which means available and here), which has come and is coming, which dwells within and without of the domain of your mind, heart, and spirit.

This Kingdom is a forever Kingdom which we’ve barely even begun to understand, but what we do know is very comforting: For better or worse, we are God’s children, and he loves us and is saving us in our good days and bad. This, dear church, is the paradoxical but not whimsical wonder of Christmas.

Amid the pessimistic prophetic promises of a coming judgment and exile, our old friend Micah says some very promising things, like this in Micah 4:10: Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field. You will go to Babylon; [now watch this…] there you will be rescued. There the LORD will redeem you out of the hand of your enemies. I’m sure Micah’s words didn’t make much sense to the Jews as they were being dragged kicking and screaming by the cruel Babylonians. How is this rescue? They must’ve thought. How is this redemption?

Ah, but the difficulty we see now doesn’t mean that God isn’t working. And as we kick and scream through this life, we may do well to remember the Christmas promises of peace: “For I know the plans I have for you” says Jeremiah, “plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Micah explains:

I. Micah’s Peace on Earth
Micah 4:3b: They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

So world peace is on the horizon. War will be no more. There will be no more talk of the glory of it; it is not glorious. Every veteran I’ve ever talked to said that war is evil and words like hell are often used to describe it. But such is the natural course of events in our fallen world—we are ever slouching toward Mordor; but the satanic trend will one day be reversed and the Messianic Promise fulfilled: Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. The war machine will be toppled and a peace machine will replace it: “…for the LORD Almighty has spoken.” (4:4) But how will this come to pass? What will be the mechanism for peace? Better, who will be the Mechanic?

Micah 5:2-5 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.

Even though Micah was mostly inspired by the difficult events of his present context, Micah had an eye toward the transcendent—a Shepherd and certain security for a much larger pasture than a patch of sand in the Middle East the size of New Jersey known as Israel and Judah. Yes, much larger, much, much larger. So Micah writes, “For then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.”

II. Beyond Dreaming: A Truly White Christmas
In our journey toward this fateful new beginning, we determine that despite our ups and downs, goods and bads, we will be transformed, and not just passively, but actively, passionately, and powerfully. We will determine to grow in holiness. We will seek purity before God and with each other. We must. Christmas is about peace for the weary warrior, justice for the oppressed, blessing for the needy, clothing for the naked, and holiness for the sinner. Christmas should make us want to do the right things, like forgive one another, like watch our mouths, like dress modestly, like refrain from excess, like purge our minds of lust, like have compassion, like seek peace with God and man.

World peace will come one day; but in the meantime, we have access to a different kind of peace—the peace of knowing the Prince of Peace, the peace that comes from living holy and devout lives, the peace that comes from living according to God’s words and wisdom. Remember what Micah said: “And He will be their peace” (5:4).

Conclusion
We must rebuke the satanic trends in our lives. We must invoke the Name. We must “cast down imaginations of every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” So I’m dreaming or a proactive Christmas. I’m dreaming of a Christmas that makes me different, wiser, humbler, and more obedient.

This is the gift I want: A sanctifying Christmas; a white Christmas over my scarlet landscape. I want Jesus to be birthed in the world of my mind and heart, not just covering my sins but motivating my activity. Not just orthodoxy, but orthopraxy, not just right beliefs, but right practices, right behaviors. This Christmas, as the Bride of Christ, let’s be adorned with the inner beauty that Peter speaks of: “…the purity and reverence… of the inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight….”

Advent Prayer: Lord I ask, please be birthed in the inner world of my heart and mind for the good of the outer world around. I come and I give you all: my perplexity, my plans, my fears, and my dreams. I commit all my relationships to you. I commit my emotional, physical, and spiritual condition to you: Heal that which was previously called, in the words of Micah, “incurable.” This Advent, I look back to your first coming and ahead to your second. Help me lead a proper life; a life befitting a child of God, a life that reflects your existence in my existence. Help me to live an incarnational life and thus a holy life: that Christ in me would exude like a flood of love for my fellow man, whether friend, foe, stranger, or acquaintance. Remind me that people are basically suffering. Remind me that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” So seeing this, help me choose compassion.

Found 93 times in the Bible, the word consecrate is a sacred word that is obscure to many. Consecration describes things sacred, things holy, holy moments, and intense preparation for pivotal events. Redemptive history is filled with holy moments of varying magnitudes. Growing Together is such a moment; it’s a holy and pivotal time for our blessed community!

For the next two Sundays, in a spirit of consecration, we will offer our commitment cards and initial Growing Together offerings to our God. We anticipate our consecration to be a Spirit-inspired wonder-filled time of worship, sacrifice, and celebration.

Growing Together Week 3

Spiritual Principles (Philippians 4:4-19)

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” This week I thought to myself, as I often have, “How do I know that this promise is for me, today, and not merely a statement Paul was making to a specific church, at a specific point in time, for a specific purpose? What makes me think that this is, as it’s often called, a “promise of God” for me today? The Bible doesn’t say that this is a promise for me today. What makes us assume that this is some universal guarantee? And we’ve all heard Christians quote this in entitlement terms as if God owes it to them, no matter what.

In fact, it’s likely you’ve felt guilty, thinking thoughts like this: “Wait a minute. I’ve known many people that didn’t seem to have ALL their needs met. Some Christians never seem to shake the struggle, and some even walk away from God. I’ve seen some people treat God like a vending machine, saying things like, “All I have to do is ‘name it and claim it’, and it’s mine, period. Like a vending machine, they put in a claim like a coin and out should come the candy bar of ALL their needs, and in some cases, all their GREEDS.

We all know that sometimes vending machines go “out of order.” In this case, God is not out of order, but the way we look at God is sometimes out of order. Let’s think in terms of order for a moment…

Could it be that before we can realize a promise, we must first understand a premise? Could it be that you can’t really own or experience Philippians 4:19 as real and true, until you’ve owned and obeyed the verses leading up to it? And could it be that many of the so-called “promises” of Scripture might be better thought of as principles? That—predicated on a premise a retuned “promise” is really the outworking of a principle?

The Outworking of Spiritual Principles

Spiritual Principle one: God is not obligated to meet anyone’s needs; but He’s obliged to, in response to our selflessness. “Obliged” in this sense means He’s “happy to bless us in kind and beyond” in response to our generosity. If we ever want to get past the “bless-me-club” view of God and move into a true, transcendent, experience of the life, bounty, and abundance of God, then we shouldn’t be afraid to ask ourselves tough questions. See, if we understand God as obliged, not obligated, we’ll look at God less like a sugar daddy and more like the One True God who invites us to imitate Him.

Spiritual Principle two: Giving is profitable. Now, this might sound selfish at first, but the heavenly incentives in the NT are true and real and there for a reason. Kind of like “frequent flier rewards, but better. Jesus talks about “treasures in heaven.” Take Philippians 4:17: Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. “Credited to your account” could also be rendered, accumulated interest. So it might read like this: Though I appreciate your gifts, what makes me happiest is the accumulated interest you will have. It’s Paul’s eternal perspective. That’s why I want to emphasize yet again: God wants giving for you.

Spiritual Principle three: Giving is an act of worship. Philippians 4:18: I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. This is a powerful expression of worship, why? It reflects the character and nature of God, and substantiates the reality of Christ living in you. God gave us the ultimate sacrifice in sending His own Son to die on the cross. When this becomes really real to a person, the power of sacrifice becomes evident and worship is triggered.

Spiritual Principle four: Generosity flows from the learned art of contentment. Contentment means my happiness isn’t dependent on circumstances. Happiness is based on happenings. But contentment is based on a divine relationship. Remember: “We brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it.” When our babies were born, especially the girls, Lisa didn’t say, “Oh, look at the baby. She has beautiful diamond earrings on. And that watch is fabulous.” You brought nothing in and you won’t see a U-Haul behind your hearse. We take nothing out. Learning contentment is realizing that everything we have is on loan. “Well, I own my business, you know. It is mine.” No, you don’t. Well, I paid off my house, it’s mine. No it’s not. It’s a loan—one that can never really be paid off when you consider life more deeply; but we can make so-called payments, and these are simple acts of selfless generosity. This understanding makes contentment a no-brainer.

Paul learned and experienced the mystery of contentment. Contentment is a learned art that comes from putting God first and trusting Him most. He wasn’t into “when and then” thinking. A lot of us are into when and then thinking. You know: “When I get the job, then I will be happy.” “When I get the raise, then I will be happy.” “When I get the new Hummer, then I’ll be happy.” “When I get the house/spouse/blouse then I will be happy.” You soon find out that none of these things in themselves can make anyone happy. And that’s why the person who learns and experiences the mystery of contentment is truly wise.

Spiritual Principle five: Faith is to be practiced. This is more than that old cheesy saying, “Now faith is like a muscle; if you want it to grow, you have to exercise it!” While there may be some truth in that somewhere, I think faith is more mysterious than that. Faith is deep like love. Love has many forms and expressions; but the deepest of all is sacrifice. It’s the stuff the best novels and movies are made of; it’s the stuff life is made of—the best live ever is made of the finest ingredient known to mankind: Sacrificial love. Faith can be cultivated along those lines; the lines of sacrifice and—in earth eyes—irrational, perhaps even irresponsible, death-defying, disaster-flirting, acts of trust in God.

Take for instance this crazy-talk found in Proverbs 3: “Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income and He will fill your barns.” Give God your first and best, and He will multiply. Give God the first part of your day, spending time with Him; He will multiply your time. But all this is too backwards for earth-eyes.

Spiritual Principle six: When we trust God with our whole lives, He will entrust to us wholeness of life. It blows me away how people will trust God with their eternity but they won’t trust Him with their finances. People who are cheating on their taxes, or ripping off their boss, or saying whatever it takes to close the deal, or having an affair, or getting into irresponsible amounts of debt, and then are “claiming” Philippians 4:19, I’m sorry. Not only will it not work; it’s completely missing the point. The point is this: When we trust God with our whole lives, He will entrust to us wholeness of life.

We sat down together as a family last week and had our family conference about what we’d give to Growing Together. We read and discussed the Scripture passages in the family conference guide and really began to pray. After about 30 minutes, we pulled out the commitment card and started pouring over it as a family. We looked at the table on the back of the card and the kids were in awe at the numbers on the top of the table; they couldn’t believe that there were any people on earth who could ever give that much. I told then that there were plenty out there, it’s just that I don’t personally know any of them. They laughed. Then we directed our attention to the lower parts of the table, the rows that our family was more likely to fall into. Starting from the bottom, we discussed each row, and just what kind of sacrifice it would mean for us. After considering some of the bottom rows, the kids started saying, in an uncanny divine unison: “higher!” We’d discuss that next row and consider the ramifications. “Higher!” Next row up, “But this would mean giving up such and such…” “Higher! God can do it daddy! It’ll be an adventure.” I asked each of them how much money they had saved up, tucked away, and if they were still willing to say “higher” with such gusto when it was their money on the line. Turns out some of them were very good savers, and quite a collection of Benjamins! I welled up on the inside when they said what they would sacrifice. One of the parents told the other parent, I won’t say which, “Honey, I don’t know; maybe they’re getting carried away, wanting to give that much.” The other parent responded, “Let’s not quench the Spirit. Wouldn’t we be ripping our kids off if we start talking the language of reason and rationality?” We both agreed that we would not quench the Spirit. I thought it would be smart, in fact, to follow their examples of childlike love and faith and consider it godly wisdom—and was challenged to go yet higher.

On October 23rd, we gathered the church leaders together, put a plate of lasagna in front of them and then asked them to consider leading by example in the arena of giving. 29 leaders responded and the result was nearly 140k in 2-year commitments with 43k of that being initial offerings. 90 signed up to serve and more people are praying. So we are on our way to the goal: everyone pray/serve/give. Overall, this campaign has been good for the spiritual life of C3.

Growing Together Week 2

The Mystery of Sacrifice
Introduction
I finally figured out why I’m apprehensive about talking about giving. Sure, people get funny about money, but there’s something else that bugs me about it: I realize that I run the risk of reinforcing all those negative stereotypes that we’ve sadly inherited by all those Cable TV predator-peddlers, telemarketing televangelists. But ours is a different message, a deeply spiritual message, a liberating message, a gracious and compelling message. Ours is a message of compassion and trust, of faith beyond the surface of things. Ours is a message of love; a message of joy that comes from selflessness and sacrifice. It’s a high message and a low message. It’s a message of divine exploit and others-centered humility. In short, it’s a true message, a Christmasesque message: Our message is the Mystery of Sacrifice.

I. They Begged to Give
2Cor 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

Tactfully, Paul begins with an example, not a plea. That though the Macedonian churches faced severe troubles, they gave with head-turning selflessness. Mysteriously, their “extreme poverty” had become “rich generosity.” Why? How? That’s what beneficiaries of grace do—they give “beyond their ability” (v 3); not because they lack judgment, but because they lack nothing, and this because they know Christ.

5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. Paul knew what we sometimes forget: When we give, we give to God. We give to people, causes, and campaigns because we have given ourselves first to the Lord.

7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Paul says that faith, speech, and knowledge are all great things to excel in, to be excellent in, but let’s not forget excellence in “the grace of giving.”

9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

So I have to ask myself: “Having become rich because of Christ’s poverty, can I with a clean conscience be selfish with the riches that I’ve received at the cost of the cross of Christ?” Or do I, to the contrary, so appreciate the cost of the cross (and my personal benefit of it) that I can do nothing but be generous—even in ways that don’t always make sense, ways that defy conventional wisdom, and ways that require great faith.

Paul says, “I am not commanding you.” (v8) Willingness of heart is the true test of whether or not a person gets it.

II. The Mystery of Sacrifice
2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

In classical fashion, Paul uses the agricultural metaphor. But the metaphor stands the test of time. As long as we live on planet earth, we will rely on seed and soil. So if I plant a couple seeds, I’ll get a couple plants. But if I plant acres and acres of cheerfully planted seed—the Son, the sun, the rain and the soil will provide a bumper crop.

A bumper crop is an unusually large crop-growth and harvest. The etymology of the word “bumper” in this sense comes from the 17th century, when a bumper was a large glass of beer or wine that was filled to the brim and running over. That’s how God wants to bless us; that’s how He wants to respond to our cheerful giving and living.

God has a special heart for the cheerful (lit. hilarious) giver. Churches may take money from grumps, but God won't. Grumpy money may pad ministry bank accounts but it's counterfeit in heaven. So if you find yourself grumpy about giving, it might be better to keep your money. Tearful giving and fearful giving is not what God wants for you. God doesn’t need money. He wants giving. And He wants giving for you—it’s ultimately for your benefit.

Materialism blinds us to the real priorities of life. A penny will hide the biggest star in the universe if you hold it close enough to your eye. We're willing to forfeit all kinds of wonderful things for money. Jesus said that some are even willing to forfeit their souls—He said, "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" Success demands strange sacrifices from those who worship her.

Here we are in 21st century America, with every technological comfort imaginable. Yet, we're bored. We're like the spoiled children of filthy rich parents, bored to tears in a room full of expensive toys. Money has never made anyone rich. We used to stand in awe at the natural wonders of this world—birth, stars, flowers, laughter, tears. But now we fidget with our toys and cry for more. Isn’t this sad?

III. The Cure—Luke 16:9-14
Luke 16:9: I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. 10 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. 11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? 13 "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." 14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus.

If you're wise, money will be your servant; if you're foolish, money will be your master. Jesus is basically saying that we have the ability and responsibility to invest our money in “making friends” for God. This simply means that we use our resources for kingdom economy and expansion. And this is realized practically through the cheerful giving of tithes and offerings.

Jesus says that we can't serve both God and money. We can’t be theologically orthodox financial heretics. We can't serve two masters anymore than we can walk in two directions at one time. If we choose to serve money, then we cannot serve God. If we choose to serve God, then we will not serve money, and we will aim our resources toward the kingdom of God.

The Bible doesn’t condemn wealth. There are those who equate poverty to spirituality. And just as money will never make you truly rich, poverty will never make you spiritual. There are some people, who, in their poverty are far more materialistic than others who are rich. Christians who knock other Christians for having money are far more materialistic than those who have money and honor God with their money. The warning here is against "the love of money." Both rich people and poor alike can love money. The Bible says, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Money itself isn't evil; it's neutral. But the love of it can be a root—a source—of all kinds of evil.

Conclusion: A Deeper Understanding
10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Money has yet to make anyone truly rich. Nor has money ever made anyone truly secure. Being “rich in every way” goes far beyond the Televangelist’s vending machine approach to God. That’s as cheap as the talk they speak. “Rich in every way” is the bumper crop economy of the Spirit—or Paul’s Ephesian promise that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What’s the goal?
A: Ultimately, the goal is not the $150k for build-out. The goal is everyone pray, everyone serve, and everyone give. The goal is whatever God provides as a result of us all doing these three things. We believe that God often speaks through His provision. So if God provides a million dollars through this 2-year campaign, we’ll know that He has more ministry demands ahead. If He provides less, we’ll take that to mean that He wants us to be faithful with less. God’s provision is perfect; we’ll flow with what He sees fit.

Q: Do we have to raise the entire $150k before we start the work?
A: Obviously we need as much financial resources as possible to go forward. The more money we have up front, the better.

Q: Where will the money be going?
A: The start-up monies raised is needed for auditorium seating, carpet, tile, paint, classroom furniture, sound system equipment and installation, lighting, space-adjusting, decorating, and other amenities. Whatever money comes in beyond startup costs will be designated to meet ministry growth needs. Again, we believe God will speak through His provision and we’ll all need to be prepared for whatever He sees fit for C3.

Q: Is it really a good idea to put money into something we’re leasing?
A: Yes. Our philosophy about any building is that it’s not an end in itself, but a means to the greater end of worshipping, winning, equipping, and sending. Sure, we’ll buy some carpet and paint that we can’t take with us to the place we eventually hope to own. But many of the things we’re going to acquire for this move can be taken with us—great investments for the long term.

Q: What does the events calendar look like?
A: Last Sunday was Kick-Off Sunday; the rest looks like this:
October 30 Information Sunday
November 1-12 Special Home Fellowship Gatherings
November 13 Consecration Sunday
November 20 Celebration Sunday/First Fruits Sunday

Q: What can I do?
A: Fill out the service opportunity bulletin insert to get involved in the construction process. There will be something for everyone to do, regardless of experience. Spend time in prayer and mediation on God’s Word as you seek to discover His will concerning what to contribute financially. The amount He leads you to give will be the right amount. Consider studying 2 Corinthians 8-9.

Q: What about my regular giving?
A: Your commitment to the campaign should be an amount God leads you to give over and above your regular giving. We’ll still have to maintain our giving to the operating budget so that day-to-day church operations will be unaffected.

Q: How should I give?
A: Considering that some have already begun giving to Growing Together, we will also have Celebration Sunday, where each person/couple/family will be asked to bring a “First Fruits” offering as we celebrate what God has done and is going to do in the
life of our church. Ask God for creative ways to increase your gift. For families: Involve your whole family in raising a specific amount for your “First Fruits” offering. Beyond your initial offering, you can also make a pledge on Consecration Sunday. The giving period will last for two years. Many people can give far more when it is spread out over time, and you may choose to give weekly, quarterly, yearly, or as God provides. You may also consider a gift of assets, like real estate, stocks, bonds, coins, gold, etc. Some people have made the church a beneficiary in their will. There are many financial tools available to you now that can benefit the church and leave an inheritance for your heirs at the same time. We can put you in contact with professionals in this area who can help you as you plan.

Q: How will I know how much to give?
A: Through prayer and personal assessment, you’ll know what to give. Time and time again in the Scriptures we are taught that giving sacrificially and cheerfully will benefit both receiver and giver. So the question for each person is, “What is cheerful and sacrificial giving for me?”

Q: Will my contribution be made public?
A: Absolutely not. Only the total amount of all the commitments received will be announced on Celebration Sunday.

Q. How should I designate my contributions for Growing Together?
A. We will provide special offering envelopes just for Growing Together contributions. Please write a separate check for these donations and also indicate Growing Together in the memo of the check. As with regular donations, these can be mailed in anytime or placed in one of our offering boxes on Sundays.

Growing Together: Week 1

In the Construction Zone (Exodus 35, 36)

Introduction
Read Exodus 35 and 36

I. A Community in the Wilderness
So you have this freakish sight: a homeless, nomadic multitude; camping out in the wilderness of Sinai, building a strange-looking portable contraption that serves no apparent military or civic purpose. Why would so much time, money, and work go into this “tent”?

Catch this powerful spiritual picture: In the midst of a stark, barren landscape, the Tabernacle was a magnificent aesthetic experience. Life is barren. Life is often a wilderness experience. But then there’s God: alive and active—a colorful oasis in this barren wilderness of fallen humanity. Here, in the midst of the desert, God’s people could absorb the faith, not just by hearing about it, but by seeing it through this aesthetic masterpiece called the Tabernacle. The same is true in the wilderness here. We need an oasis for the people to come drink. That’s what Growing Together is about; it’s constructing a place for us and our neighbors to come and drink in the Gospel.

Now here’s where the people of God come in. Up to this point the people had seen the manifest presence of God by divine fiat—the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, tablets of law written out by the finger of God, and so forth. But now God orders human activity, intense activity, Spirit-filled and Spirit-skilled activity—the building of the Tabernacle. This would be a hint of things to come: “And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us.”

But beyond the prophetic significance, the Tabernacle was a practical worship environment for God’s people. We live on God’s earth which consists of places and spaces, and for the church practically, some of these earth-places are consecrated (set apart, designed, and blessed) to be centers of worship. And that’s what the Tabernacle, later the Temple, and still later, the churches are—centers of life and worship for the covenant community.

At the center of the Tabernacle construction we see an everyday ordinary guy named Bezalel. But the Bible says he was “filled with the spirit of God, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs….” God chose a skilled artisan and had him use his artistry to display God’s manifest presence to the people. And note this: he was described also as one “filled with the spirit of God.” And he was the first person in the Bible described in this way. “Filled with the spirit of God” is a description first used, not of a priest or prophet or patriarch, but of a “blue-collar” worker. So, church, welcome to the construction zone!

II. A Community Bent on Working Together
Bezalel was not alone in his work. He was part of a missional community. It takes teamwork to make the dream work. They were bent on a common purpose—a mission to build for the aesthetically pleasing worship of God. And God inspired Bezalel to teach other skilled workers so that a large number were involved in the building of the Tabernacle. In addition, the people were urged to help by bringing “gold, silver, and bronze and all the other lavish materials used to make the invisible kingdom of God visible and beautiful. This was everyone’s commission, but it was also everyone’s passion:

III. A Community of Givers
Exodus 35:21-22: and everyone who was willing and whose heart moved him came and brought an offering to the LORD for the work on the Tent of Meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. 22 All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the LORD….

The mystery of stewardship: Giving inspires more giving. This is the opposite of the satanic/natural trend that greed inspires more greed. And here’s the twisted irony: Greed satisfies less and less, where giving satisfies more and more. Giving is redemptive, greed is destructive. Giving benefits both benefactor and beneficiary. Greed doesn’t only hurt the poor; it hurts the greedy person.

Then God showed his pleasure over the whole building project in Exodus 40:34:“The cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” The same thing happened in 2 Chronicles when the construction of the Temple was complete. God inhabits (lives within) the worship of his people. When we work with out hands, when we sing with our lips, when we give of ourselves, when we offer our time, talents and treasures, we see something of the manifest presence of God—“the glory of the lord fills our tabernacles.”

IV. A Community of Stirred Hearts
Haggai 1:14: “So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel…and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God…” God still stirs hearts—because God still has “zeal for His house.” And when God stirs hearts, the pattern from Scripture shows that He stirs many hearts simultaneously, and as He does, there is unity of purpose.

Haggai 1:4: “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while God’s house remains a ruin?” Haggai was imploring them to build the House of God—a center for community and worship. Haggai spoke in a way that many of us might consider harsh; at least I think it’s kind of harsh; he basically said, “Look at your houses… Now look at God’s house… What’s wrong with this picture?” He said, you all live in those “paneled houses” referring to the paneling which was, in a sense, a status symbol of the day. Haggai wasn’t condemning them for having nice houses. It’s just that they neglected God’s house in the process.

I might be tempted to think, “yeah, but these digs aren’t so bad.” But then I think, “What digs?” The school is very strict on which rooms we’re allowed to use, and there are a limited amount. The room we’re having to put preschoolers in has posters about sex in it. Now I’m all for sex. But there’s a certain age-appropriate issue here. Just when the Sunday School teacher in that room thought, “I’m glad these little guys can’t read yet!” it turns out that one or two of them actually can and asked what those words on that poster meant. I say all that to say this: I’m really happy that many of us have nice homes. But God’s house, so to speak for us, is in disarray with the present scenario.

Conclusion: The Goal
The goal is not $150,000. That’s merely the amount we’ll need to get started. The goal is everyone pray, everyone serve, and everyone give. The goal is what ever God provides as a result of us all doing these three things. God often speaks through His provision. So if God provides a million dollars or two through this 2 year campaign, we’ll know that He has more ministry for us to accomplish. If He provides less, we’ll take that to mean that He wants to be faithful with less. Either way, God’s provision is perfect, and we flow with whatever He sees fit.

Great Resources

As you begin to use this blog, I'd like to direct your attention to the right side of the screen. There you will find 3 links. The first one is the c3 website. While a while new website is coming in the near future, you will notice that the site now has the Sunday Sneak Peek on the front page to keep you informed of what to expect the coming Sunday morning. You will also find 2 other great resources, Bible Gateway, and a link e-sword, really top notch Bible software (free!).