A Step of Faith (Part 2) by Brad Cox

God's people, who made the decision to return from Babylon to rebuild the temple, soon found out that this was no easy task. Local detractors influenced the new Persian king to command them to halt construction. Instead of trusting in God, they laid down their tools for sixteen years. To get them back on track God sent two of his prophets to motivate and inspire his people. Haggai challenged his fellow Jews to consider their ways. How could they build lavish homes while allowing God's house to remain in ruins? Because of their unfaithfulness, the prophet revealed that the Lord had been working against his people by withholding the dew and rain needed to nourish their crops. Haggai called upon his countrymen to give the Lord a sign that they were still with Him by restarting the construction. Zechariah was also sent to his people to give them a message of encouragement and remind them of the importance of their task. The completion of the temple would signal to the other people of Judah that it was safe to return. God was with his people, come home. God dwelling in His temple in Jerusalem would also serve as a means of drawing all people to Him - both Jew and Gentile.

As we go through this exciting time at Twickenham we need to realize what an incredible opportunity we have as brothers and sisters in Christ. We too are called to acknowledge God's power and show others that God is with us, not just for our benefit, but also as a ray of hope to those that do not know the Lord.

Audio: To replay the sermon presented on Sunday, August 9th click HERE.