Zechariah 8:9

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Now hear these words, ‘Let your hands be strong so that the temple may be built.’ This is also what the prophets said who were present when the foundation was laid for the house of the LORD Almighty.

From Background Notes [BN] for June 29^th & 30^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Zechariah speaks from the very early chronology of Temple-building, not at the time when city building is even in view. He speaks “ahead of the curve,” as it were, in order to remind Judah that the completion of the Temple isn’t the end of the program.

Tempting thought it might be to settle for a primitive encampment of Jews, surrounding the Temple mount, that is not God’s future. The Temple is not built for Israel’s glory; the Temple is built for God’s glory, and that includes re-establishing normal community life where the Torah’s call for neighborliness can once more be enacted for the rest of the world to see. Everything that happens at the Temple further advances the reconstruction of city life where Jews might worship God together and might live together under the covenant as an authentic community of Torah-keepers. [BN, 7]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am