There has been so much the Lord has been encouraging me with and challenging me on since we have been back in Cambodia. The theme of the rebuilding of the temple in the days the Israelites began to return from their captivity in Babylon, hits me again and again as I have been reading the scriptures. I am challenged and encouraged so much through so many of the words of the prophets and leaders of that time period. The challenge is to daily take heed how we build. I know that Lewis and I have not laid our hands to one thing here that we dare call our own. God has truly been building a “house,” but we are stewards here in Cambodia, and we long to continue to see His kingdom coming and His will being done. We do not want to finish in the flesh what we feel strongly was birthed by His Spirit in our midst. We must consider, as did the Israelites, having been commended as “builders,” to submit all our expectations and all the work to Him. “For we are God’s fellow workers, and /Heritage House/ is God’s field. It is God’s ‘building’.” (1 Cor. 3:9).
Our “expectations” is something the Holy Spirit is highlighting as we seek Him on how to go on from here. Building has taken place here. What God started was good. There is a foundation laid. Endeavoring to keep the “workers” and the remnant that God has raised up and called to do the work focused and encouraged remains a daily endeavor.
In Chronicles, we see a huge spirit of expectation resident in the hearts of the Israelites as the first temple was being built. David’s vision was God given and under Solomon’s leadership a temple was constructed in which God could meet with His people. The scripture says the people gave of their talents, resources, and wealth willingly to see the temple of the Lord built, and it was glorious. There was a confidence and great expectation in the hearts of the people that God truly had inspired and directed David to see that the temple built and that He had God’s heart. They expected God to show up to bless “His building” and so, when the project was completed, the temple was filled with the Glory of God.
Later in history, the Israelites have strayed and been exiled. We see them coming back to Jerusalem and starting to rebuild the temple after their captivity. In the writings of Nehemiah, Ezra, Haggai, Zechariah and other prophets and leaders of the time, we see a Holy Spirit inspired mission to see the temple rebuilt, and the remnant of God’s people restored to worshipful right standing with God. God was expecting a righteous remnant to seek Him. The remnant had expectations as well. Many of these expectations, however, were now born out of disappointment, disillusionment, and human attempts to regain some kind of religious nostalgia based on the memories of yesteryear.
But, again, God was working. He still had expectations and vision for what He had always faithfully held out for; a place where He could be glorified and find His resting place on the earth. He longed for a remnant of people who would set their hearts diligently to obey and prepare such a place. Could they learn from the lessons of the past? Could they take what had begun years before with the vision and building of the first temple and expect to see God’s glory once again.
There are so many correlations to our work as believers in having expectations that God can and will see His kingdom built. God does glorious things in our lives and makes His dwelling place in our midst. As we respond through right expectations to the vision of what He is building us into, we so often see good fruit. We see progress. We see His Glory coming. He is after a remnant. Under the new covenant He is looking to build with those who will worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, who are built together not in a physical building, but into a body, His bride, in the earth. He is looking for ones from every tongue tribe and nation.
We know He is looking for a representation from Cambodia as part of that body. But as that body (or building) comes together, again as stewards of the “building” that is taking place, we must make sure that no other foundation is laid except that which is Christ Jesus. We cannot move away from the vision and be moved by discouragement in times of rebuilding. Because until God’s eternal plan unfolds completely, there will be seasons of the Glory of the Lord being revealed in what is being built, and there will be times of rebuilding. There will be times of the remnant that He is calling together, finding their way back to His plans and ways. In these times it is crucial that we stay founded in the Word of God, understanding His ways, and ever having our expectations and our vision grounded in what it is He is doing throughout history to call His people ever back toward His plan to have a “spiritual house” (1 Peter 2) built ultimately upon Jesus the foundation and cornerstone.
To keep my vision grounded in His word, and as I consider all this, the Lord faithfully continues to encourage me with even more examples of God’s building project historically. That encouragement has included the lives of the leaders highlighted in the writings I mentioned above. We see the exiled Jews making their way back to Jerusalem, under the leadership of those who encouraged them to, in essence, do it God’s way. In Ezra 7:9,10 scripture says, “ according to the good hand of the Lord upon him” Ezra arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon, and he “ had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel”. Then in Chapter 8, we see Ezra moving forward in the midst of this season of building with fasting and seeking the Lord with the other leaders of the remnant for “the right way for /us/ and our little ones.”
The entire book of Haggai, is a beautiful encouragement and challenge to the discouraged “builders” to “consider their ways” (1:7) and set themselves back to the task of seeing the temple built not allowing difficulties or self -centeredness to get in the way of their building. We have to make sure that we are diligent in working at His building and not anything of ourselves. Then, as He promised, we’ll see, as we did through the leadership of Zerubbabel, a true remnant, willing to obey and build. Our hope is that their remains a group of people in the earth, in Kampot, Cambodia, that choose to obey, that fear the presence of the Lord, and who are commended by the Lord to be strong for He is “with them”, and that are stirred up and ready to be gathered and “work” (Haggai 1:12-14) to see His temple, or body, being built. When we know and have understanding of the will of the Lord in stewarding through the building of God’s kingdom, as David and Zerubbabel did, we can go forth in confidence that His Spirit will “remain among” us. And that He will “shake the nations and they will come to the Desire of All Nations”(Haggai 2:5-6), who is ultimately the Christ the lineage of David and Zerubbabel. His body, that temple, will be “built”, we must just continue to consider our ways ( Haggai 1:7) as we present ourselves workers before Him and stewards in that building process.
And in expectation and consideration of the work that He has laid before all of us, I end with God’s beautiful encouragement through Zechariah…. Ultimately, if anything is built, “ its not by might nor power but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts”… and he (Zerubbabel) shall bring forth the capstone with shouts of “Grace, Grace to it!... and his hands have laid the foundation of the temple and his hands shall also finish it… (Zechariah 4:6-9), again which we see through Jesus his offspring, thus the prophetic “his hands”…
So that is my encouragement, that through the God head, the Spirit of might and power is released toward what God is building through Jesus Christ. That shouts of “Grace, Grace to it”, are there because of His victorious reign! That in this hour of history in this city in Kampot, Cambodia, we can be expectant and trust that there truly is a remnant, at Heritage House Home for Children, at Hosanna Cambodia, at other small fellowships here, that are “being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” through Jesus Christ. I pray that He will continue to pour out His grace to see that “remnant” of believers here, coming forth as “heirs of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, of which we have become ministers/stewards according to the gift of the grace of God given to us by the effective working of His power” (Eph.3:7). We can only trust Him and His Grace to see it accomplished.
And so I am praying over us and His body, the remnant of Christ, here, as I pray for you who are also being built up together as a “spiritual house” there and for those in stewardship over you.
“ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…(through that expectant thing that stirs in you); that you ,being rooted an grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God ( His glory in His temple!). Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (or expect), according to the power that works in us (not by might nor power but by His spirit praise God), to Him be glory in the church ( again, His Glory come to His temple… the church) by Christ Jesus to all generations (in every nation) forever and ever. Amen!” (Eph.3:14-21)
