The book of Haggai informs us of the danger that comes from spiritual procrastination, especially when we blame God for doing so. Judah received clear instruction from God, they knew exactly what God wanted them to do, but they allowed adversity to prevent them. 

God had no reason to speak to them further until the work they were given was accomplished. 

Instead of busying themselves with that work, they waited for a time that wasn’t coming, that is they desired further revelation from God that was unnecessary. As a result, “Then Came The Word Of The Lord.” Ten times in scripture, this exact phrase is used, and every time it’s used judgment follows.

Missionary partnerships are invaluable; the help gained through either short-term or long-term cooperation is worth the time and effort. In this broadcast, missionary Keith Stensaas and I will try and work out some details to consider in this area of missions.

The Lord gave Haggai five messages to preach to Judah. This first message dealt directly with the current state of the people. God deals with what they have been saying and doing, and then he demonstrates the consequences of this approach to life.

The Gulag Archipelago is a comprehensive volume which details the intricate connection between Marxist ideology and the evils of the Soviet system. Collectivist ideologies (Socialism, Marxism, Communism, and Nazi Germany) are the most oft-repeated and failed ideological systems the world has known. Rather than causing the working men to unite, they prove to be forms of societal torture.

Haggai 1:1-2 - In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word of the Lord by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying, [2] Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, This people say, The time is not come, the time that the Lord‘s house should be built.

I pray the ideas expressed here do not prove to be prophetic of America‘s future. What do we say of a country which votes in oppression? They invite captivity in exchange for a false sense of virtue. But collectivist propositions of this sort may prove more interesting than expected. Social justice, equality, and equity sound great until despots have made all equally desperate.

This first message is delivered to Zerubbabel - the political leader and to Jeshua - the religious leader. The starting point for Haggai’s message dealt with what the people were saying. How we think, and what we say no doubt eventually affect what we do, or don’t do. So God sends Haggai to confront the people, “This people say” - we want to look at what the people were saying in light of what God said.

Welcome back to the Plenteous Redemption Podcast - as we close out another month of 2021. I have decided to end each month with a broadcast in which I will discuss the events of that month and update you regarding certain aspects of the ministry here in Uganda. Furthermore, I hope to give you a taste of Ugandan culture.

I have little doubt any thoughtful Christian is grieved by the world around us as well as by the current state of Christianity. To effect change, our political presuppositions and our enforcement of personal morality will not suffice. We cannot look to a change in political administrations; we cannot depend upon some form of moral evolution; there will only be one source of actual change. The concise ministry of Haggai the prophet makes that source clear, and it is abundantly available still today.

Dependency, often thought of in terms of substance abuse, is a much broader phenomenon. Not only so, but it spreads as quickly as a virus from China. Debilitating its host people or country. In our context, dependency refers to an unnatural and unhealthy attachment to others. When strong and capable men find themselves willfully beholden to the sway and influence of outsiders. Thus far, external political forces in Africa have created a continent of perpetual dependency. Maybe even by design, but that is not to say Africa played no role in this state of being. Too often, the oppressed bear as much blame as the oppressor.