Title: Trust and push each other
Zechariah (24) Trust and support each other (Zechariah 8:9-13)
In Zechariah 1-6 there were messages through eight visions, and as we enter chapter 7, the question about ‘fasting’ comes up. The word of God came to me four times in response to that question. This text is a part of the third message, and it is related to the ‘House of the Lord of Hosts’. In those words, God tells us to share in the work with all our hearts when we hear the words of the prophets related to the building of the temple (verse 9). In today's terms, it means to actively participate in the work of building and serving the church in a healthy way.
Why is the church difficult? It is because they are more interested in ‘getting’ than ‘giving’. Just like mining gold from gold ore, if you love to mine blessings in your church, you lose power. The church is the cradle of happiness, but if you only care about what you get from the church, the resources of that happiness are gradually depleted. The church is not a ‘mine for blessings’ but a ‘temple built by serving with love and devotion’. After all, you need to know how to enter through the narrow gate of the cross to have a blessed church life.
A life of serving the church is promised great blessings. First, if we serve the church well, the blessing of ‘peaceful prosperity’ is promised (verses 11-12). God promises special blessings to the “remnant people,” who are faithful to the end in serving the church, and promises to receive a “peaceful harvest.” The blessing of a ‘peaceful harvest’ is not a blessing in the dimension of achievement and profit, but a blessing in which peace is given in addition to the blessing of achievement and profit.
Second, if we serve the church well, there is a blessing that is a source of blessings (verse 13). There is nothing in this world that is as blessed as a source of happiness. Now, don't just stop at being blessed, but become a source of blessing by sharing blessings with your neighbors. If you become a source of blessing, your family, church, society, country, and nation will be blessed because of that person. How can you be a source of blessing like Abraham? Such blessings are promised when we serve the church well.
< Trust each other and push each other >
When you serve the church, you get hurt. Still, do not waver in your heart to love and serve the church. So, repeatedly in the first and last verses of the text, God said, “Strengthen your hands!” Also, do not be afraid of dedication (verse 13). Why Are You Afraid of Your Devotion to the Church? First, it is because we do not believe in the blessings that come when we dedicate ourselves to the church. Second, it is because, although he once devoted himself, his heart to dedicate himself weakened as he got hurt in the church.
How upset do you feel when you have dedicated yourselves to the church and your devotion comes back as a 'wound'? However, if you dedicate yourself courageously even if there are wounds, God will surely remember your dedication and give great blessings to the present and future generations. Don't worry now that your dedication will come back to hurt. Don't miss out on the blessings of devotion by worrying about things that haven't happened yet just because you've had that experience. Serving becomes complete when you do not even have to worry about your service returning to your wounds.
Worry and fear are the greatest ambush that prevents the blessing of the soul and the blessing of the community. Conflicts that arise within oneself due to excessive worry soon escalate into conflicts in the community. After all, if we trace the cause of many conflicts in the church, we see that ‘the worry and anxiety in one soul’ is the biggest factor. Excessive worrying helps to avoid unnecessary actions and leads to misunderstandings and conflicts. One of the most important things when serving the church is ‘faith’. Trust each other and push each other. Pushing is believing.
When you serve the church, do not think that the church is supported by your own strength. Because of that, dedication is terrifying. God does not serve by force, but by grace. The church does not serve by force, but by grace. The church is not supported by one's own strength, but by the grace of God. Do not think that you have to lead the church by yourself, but limit your position to silently serving the church. At that time, the grace and blessings of serving the church will abound more and more.