From the Blog
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Transformation Over Tradition
God cares more about heart transformation than He does our traditions. If our religious traditions come from hearts that have been transformed by the love of Jesus, then they are pleasing to Him. But if we’re just going through the motions and doing what we’ve always done without any heart change, then they do not please Him. God is looking for transformed hearts.
In Zechariah 7-8, the Lord turned the Jewish exiles’ question about their tradition of fasting into an examination of the real spiritual issue, namely, that their religious traditions were worthless without transformation of the heart. What God was really looking for was heart change. God is still looking for people who will humble themselves in repentance and submit their hearts to His transforming power. -
God’s Righteous Response to Sin
Do you think things in the world have gotten better or worse over time? How about in our nation? Do you feel that we are becoming more godly and pleasing to God or are we straying further and further from God? Does it seem to you that God doesn’t really seem to care about the growing lack of shame and open immorality we see in our world today? The truth is, God does care about sin. And He is already responding to it and has a plan to overcome it.
In Zechariah Chapter 5 and 6, we encounter the last three of Zechariah’s eight night visions. In these last three visions, Zechariah saw God’s righteous response to humanity’s sin. We can understand God’s righteous response to our sin. -
Relying On God’s Spirit
Who among you here today would admit that you’re discouraged and grieving over a loss? You’re overwhelmed about an obstacle that you don’t know how to overcome? You’re feeling small and inadequate about situation you’re in? Maybe, you’re even a little angry at God about something today? Zechariah and the Israelites probably were feeling these same feelings. They had returned from 70 years of Babylonian captivity and had begun rebuilding the Temple, but now a decade without any work. They were small, overwhelmed, and discouraged. But…
In Zechariah chapter four, the prophet saw his 5th night vision. Similar to chapter three, which was a vision of a contemporary of Zechariah’s, the high priest Joshua, this vision was of another contemporary, namely the governor of Judea, Zerubbabel. Both visions seemed primarily aimed at encouraging both Joshua and Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple and reinstate worship. Both visions also have strong Messianic messages for the people of God. In this 5th vision, God told Zechariah to tell Zerubbabel that he would have to rely on God’s Spirit and not his own strength to accomplish his God-given calling. -
A Vision of Jesus
Have you ever really considered how the whole Bible points to Jesus? Sure, it tells us a lot about ourselves and about the world we live in, but it is primarily a book about God, especially His Son, Jesus.
The exiles returning to Israel are restless. They’ve returned to the land, but now they wonder, when will their Messiah finally come and deliver them? God doesn’t answer their “when” question, but He does give His prophet Zechariah a vision for “who” they should look for and how they can prepare themselves for His coming.
In Zechariah chapter three, the prophet saw his 4th night vision, this time of a real person, Joshua, the high priest. Yet, as the vision continued, Zechariah learned that the vision of Joshua was also a “sign” pointing to the coming Messiah and His work of salvation -
How Long?
Have you ever asked the Lord, “How long?” How long must I be stuck here? How long must I endure this pain? How long must I feel so alone and lonely? How long will the wicked be allowed to prosper without justice? How long before Your return? How long, Lord?
In Zechariah chapter 1 and 2, the prophet saw three visions from the LORD that offered gracious comfort to him and the people of Israel. -
Return to Me
How close are you to God today? If I were to ask you to rank your closeness right now on a scale of 1-10, what would you say?
Even before God sent Jesus, He was already at work calling His people to return to Him. In the book of Zechariah, God spoke through the prophet to the Jewish exiles who had returned from Babylonian captivity. When they first returned, they were passionate and excited to be back home and had started to rebuild the Temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians. Yet their passion had grown cold when they faced the difficulties of rebuilding and the work had ceased. Years had gone by since any work had been done. So God sent the prophet Haggai, who encouraged the people to get back to work on the Temple. And He sent the prophet Zechariah, who called them to an even deeper purpose. In Zechariah 1:1-6, God told the Jewish exiles that had returned to Jerusalem that it was even more important that they recognize how He had called them to return to Him. -
Become
2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus told His disciples to “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES” and He has called His disciples, His church, to be on the move ever since. Because the church is not a place, it’s a people. The church is not a monument, it’s a movement! Today’s message will focus on what it means to become disciples that move to make disciples.
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, reminded him of the importance of being a disciple who makes disciples of Jesus. We can be disciples who make disciples of Jesus Christ. -
Believe
2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus told His disciples to “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES” and He has called His disciples, His church, to be on the move ever since. Because the church is not a place, it’s a people. The church is not a monument, it’s a movement! Today, we want to focus on the “GO” part of Christ’s command. Because we can’t be part of a movement without going and moving with the gospel. That’s how the Good News moves from one generation to the next. We go and tell others.
In the apostle Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he encouraged him to have a fervent passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus. We can have a fervent passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus. -
Belong
2000 years ago, the Lord Jesus told His disciples to “GO and MAKE DISCIPLES” and He has called His disciples, His church, to be on the move ever since. So the church is not a place, it’s a people. The church is not a monument, it’s a movement!
If someone asks, where’s your church? Let’s learn to answer with another question, “When? Because it depends on the time and day of the week.” For the church gathers for strengthening and scatters for service. It gathers for worship and scatters for witness. It gathers in praise and scatters in power. The church gathers in fellowship and scatters in faith as the body of Christ in this world. The church is on the move. So, do you want to belong to this Jesus following, disciple-making movement? -
Don’t Lose Heart
It is a good thing to take time every now and then to evaluate what has come before and what is coming head. God gave us days, months, seasons, and years to build a rhythm into our lives. Many use this time to make New Years resolutions.
But what would it look like to focus on what really matters as we look back and look forward? In 2 Corinthians chapter 4, the apostle Paul exhorted the church in Corinth to be courageous in the things that truly matter.