E-pistle for April 11, 2008
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E-pistle
Dr. Dan Hite, President FreeWay Foundation April 11, 2008
Consider Your Ways!
(Haggai 1:1-15)
Dr. Curt Scarborough
I. Concentration: on the characters mentioned in verse 1
1. Darius – King of Persia who succeeded Cyrus, and who reigned from
522 to 486 B.B.
2. Haggai – Prophet whose name means "Festive"; contemporary of
Zechariah; among the exiles who returned from Babylonian captivity
to Jerusalem in 536 B.C.; prophesied in 520 B.C.
3. Zerubbabel – Descendant of David's royal line who was appointed by
the Persians to govern Judah, Matthew 1:12.
4. Joshua – Descendant of Aaron who was the anointed high priest of Judah.
NOTE: The first captives of Judah were carried into Babylon in
606 B.C., and the first exiles returned in 536 B.C. Jerusalem
finally fell and the temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.; the
temple was rebuilt and dedicated about 515 B.C. Both these
time periods fulfilled Jeremiah's prophecy of a 70 year captivity
(Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10).
II. Meditation: on the background of Haggai's prophecy
1. Under the edict of Cyrus, about 50,000 of the poorer Jewish captives returned to
Jerusalem in 536 B.C. led by Zerubbabel and Joshua.
2. They quickly rebuilt the altar and began construction on the temple.
3. Opposition from neighboring Samaritans resulted in an order from the Persian
government to cease construction, Ezra 2-4.
4. Fifteen long years passed . . . years of delay, discouragement, and doubt . . .
years of fear, frailty, and frustration.
III. Revelation: on Haggai's message to consider their ways (vv. 5, 7)
1. Haggai accused the people of procrastination: "The time has not come . . .
that the Lord's house should be built," they said, v. 2.
2. Haggai told the people that their priorities were wrong: they had built themselves
paneled houses, but had allowed God's temple to lie in ruins, vv. 3-4.
3. Haggai connected their lack of productivity and prosperity (vv. 5-6) with God's
punishment upon their procrastination and their messed-up priorities (vv. 7-11).
4. The people all responded to Haggai's message of encouragement that God was
with them: their spirits were stirred up and they started to work, vv. 12-15.
IV. Application: as a Christian, I need to . . .
1. Avoid laziness and procrastination in serving the Lord,
2. Put God's kingdom and His righteousness first, Matthew 6:33.
3. "Consider my ways" . . . reflect upon and examine carefully the failures and
disappointments of my life to see if God may be disciplining me to teach me a
spiritual lesson.
4. Allow God's Spirit to encourage and strengthen me as I do His work.
The Promise . . . The Gift
I. THE PROMISE
1. Luke 24:49
"Behold, I send THE PROMISE of My Father upon you; but tarry in
the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
2. Acts 1:4-5
"He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for
THE PROMISE of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me;
for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.'"
3. Acts 2:32-33
"This Jesus, God has raised up, of which we all are witnesses. Therefore
being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the
Father THE PROMISE of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now
see and hear."
4. Acts 2:38-39
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For THE PROMISE is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar
off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
II. THE GIFT
1. Luke 11:13
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good GIFTS to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to those
who ask Him!"
2. Acts 2:38
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
for the remission of sins; and you shall receive THE GIFT of the Holy Spirit."
3. Acts 10:45
"Those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as
came with Peter, because THE GIFT of the Holy Spirit had been poured
out on the Gentiles also."
4. Acts 11:17
"If therefore God gave them THE SAME GIFT as He gave us when we
believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?"
"Baptism" in the Epistles
Dr. Curt Scarborough
These are ten (10) occasions when the word "BAPTIZE" ( or "BAPTISM") is used in
the New Testament after the promise that Jesus would "BAPTIZE" with the Holy Spirit in the
Gospels and Acts 1:5.
1. Romans 6:3-4 baptized into Christ: new birth and
baptized into His death water baptism
2. I Corinthians 1:14-17 specific persons baptized water baptism
3. I Corinthians 10:2 baptized into Moses (cloud; sea); new birth
(passed through death into life)
4. I Corinthians 12:13 by one Spirit baptized into one body new birth
5. I Corinthians 15:29 baptized for the dead water baptism
(In I Corinthians 15, Paul writes about how things would
be if Christ is not risen. This difficult verse (v. 29) asks
why persons would be baptized (picturing the
resurrection) if Christ were still dead! "Who are
baptized for the dead" refers to those who are baptized
for (or, with reference to) the dead, that is to Christ. If
Jesus is not alive, what is the point of portraying His
resurrections by the ordinance of baptism?)
6. Galatians 3:27 baptized into Christ new birth
7. Ephesians 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism new birth
8. Colossians 2:12 buried with Him in baptism water baptism
9. Hebrews 6:2 doctrine of baptisms new birth; baptism
10. I Peter 3:21 baptism . . . through resurrection new birth
(Noah, like Moses in I Corinthians 10:2
passed through death into life)
The word baptize (or baptism) in these Scriptures always refers to the event of the new
birth or to water baptism. "The baptism with (in-of) the Holy Spirit" is not the expression
used in the New Testament church to refer to believers' experiencing the Holy Spirit's "coming
upon" them. The preferred term, by actual count, seems to be "filled with the Spirit" or
"full of the Spirit," Acts 6:3; 7:55, etc. "Baptize" was Jesus' promise; "fullness" is the
realization (fulfillment) of His promise.
Words Whisper, Actions Roar!
by: Harvey Mackay
Body language is an important part of communication – it makes up at least half of
our message. If you wish to communicate well, then it makes sense to understand how you
can (and cannot) use your body to say what you mean.
Hard to believe? Mute your television and see how easy it is to figure out what's
going on. Rent an old silent movie. Sometimes the subtitles belie the real story. Play poker
with a novice if you want to learn how important body language is.
Does that mean we can just stop talking? Of course not!
But consider this: According to the Houston Chronicle, verbal content in a speech
accounts for 7 percent of communication's impact. Voice tone is responsible for 37%.
Body language – a 56 percent effect.
The ability to read between people's words is a skill that you'll need for the rest of
your life. Even when you're silent, your body is sending signals.
To gain the trust of a customer or co-worker, body-language expert Robert C. Brenner
offers the following to help ensure that your body and your mouth are saying the same thing:
· Shake on it. When extending your hand to shake, keep your palm
facing upward, suggesting honesty and sincerity.
· Keep your hands where they can be seen. Shoving your hands
into your pockets makes you look secretive and suggests a
hidden agenda.
· Here is the steeple. Pressing the fingertips of one hand against the
other (steepling) conveys confidence.
Mcakay's Moral: IF you want to get a leg up, learn how to use effective body language.
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