God raised up Cyrus, king of Persia, to fulfill the promises and prophecies He had made concerning the return of the Jews from captivity. Through Jeremiah, God had said that the land of Judah would be desolated because of her sins; her people would be led away to serve Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11-12). God also said that after the seventy years of captivity, He would bring His people back (Jeremiah 29:10). The book of Ezra begins with these words:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. (Ezra 1:1-3.)

The books of Ezra and Nehemiah give the account of this return from captivity and the building efforts in Jerusalem. The construction of the temple, the house of God (Ezra 3:1-6:22), was integral to restoring Old Testament worship.

In the New Testament, God’s temple is no longer a physical edifice, but rather His people. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, saying, “ye are God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). The apostle went on to describe how his work was to lay the foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11). God’s laborers would build on that foundation by converting people to Christ; some people would be more resilient building materials than others by the way in which they endured fiery trials (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; cf. Ephesians 6:13; 1 Peter 4:12).

As God’s people in Ezra’s time were to go and build God’s house, Christians today are to build up the church. God regards His people, His temple, as precious. Paul went on to write, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

We sing a song with the kids which says, “We’re building up the temple of the Lord.” As God’s building, God’s edifice, we are to edify one another (Romans 14:19; 1 Corinthians 14:26; Ephesians 4:12, 16, 29; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). Instead of tearing down and defiling God’s temple, let’s build each other up and pursue holiness. O, Brother, won’t you help us? O, Sister, won’t you help us?

Beginning in Joshua 23, the Bible records Joshua’s speech to Israel before his death. His final message is a charge to faithfulness as Israel renewed their commitment to their covenant with God. This final message includes his famous last words—perhaps the most memorable words in all the book of Joshua—found in Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Israel had a choice. They could follow idolatrous tradition of pursuing the gods of their ancestors. They could soak up the culture around them and follow the ways of the Amorites in the land of Canaan. Or they could follow the one true God: Jehovah (Yahweh). Joshua highlighted the crossroads at which Israel found themselves. He impressed upon Israel their need to make a commitment. Serving the Lord will only come from a convicted exercise of their will.

Joshua made his choice clear that his household would serve Yahweh. He was going to practice the command of Deuteronomy 6:4-7. He would love God in his own life with all his heart. In loving God, he would diligently teach God’s commands to his children throughout each day. Christian fathers today have the command to bring their children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord instead of provoking them to wrath (Ephesians 6:4). To do this takes time and involvement. One cannot be an absentee father and please God. We need men like Cornelius, devout men who fear God with all their house (Acts 10:2). We are thankful for those fathers who strive with all their might to do just that.

After Joshua’s death, the Bible makes this sad note, “Another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord” (Judges 2:10). Israel went from obediently taking the land God had given them in the days of Joshua (Joshua 21:43-45) to failing to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan (Judges 1:21, 28, 32). The book of Judges shows how Israel had grown to be more and more like their neighbors because they did not drive them out from the land (cf. Psalm 106:34-43). Just as Joshua warned, these neighbors would be a continual temptation causing repeated spiritual problems for Israel, “Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you” (Joshua 23:13). The next generation was in a snare spiritually because they listened to the world around them rather than the faithful who had gone before them (Judges 2:3). While Joshua was committed to making sure his household served the Lord, the next generation did not maintain that commitment. They soaked up the values of the Amorites that surrounded them. Whom will you and your household serve?

Various worship songs with different melodies use for lyrics portions of Psalm 42:1-4, which reads:

As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
While they continually say to me,
“Where is your God?”
When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul within me.
For I used to go with the multitude;
I went with them to the house of God,
With the voice of joy and praise,
With a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast.

These words express longing for God when He seems to be absent. The psalmist remembers past days when the whole community would go up to Jerusalem with joyful praise to celebrate one of the festivals Israel was commanded to keep (cf. Leviticus 23). The joy of former days stands in stark contrast to his present depression where the psalmist seems to be living on a diet of his own tears, harassed by his enemies. Instead of being in the temple in Jerusalem, the author of this psalm is far to the north of Israel in the heights of Hermon (Psalm 42:6). This great physical distance communicates the great spiritual distance he feels separates him from God.

In this low state, he speaks to his own soul, telling himself to hope in God (Psalm 42:5, 11). When you are low, remember to hope in God. God no longer dwells in a temple in Jerusalem, but in Christians, His church (1 Cor. 3:16; Eph. 2:19-22). When you long for God like a deer longs for water, remember the promises of Jesus, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:37-38), and, “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Jesus shed His blood to cleanse the sins that separate us from God. This brings a better hope than the psalmist knew under the law; by this better hope we can draw near to God (Hebrews 7:19). The most important thing for you to do today spiritually is to commune with God, to draw near to Him who gave His own Son to have fellowship with you (James 4:8).

Once the church of Christ was established, the Lord was daily adding the saved to it (Acts 2:47). The multitudes that were added kept increasing (Acts 5:14) to the point that the disciples in Jerusalem multiplied greatly (Acts 6:7). The reason for this growth was continual teaching and preaching. The first-century church taught Christ’s word even when persecution arose because of it. Early Christians filled Jerusalem with the doctrine of Christ (Acts 5:28). Right after the apostles had been detained by the council and warned by them not to speak in the name of Jesus (Acts 5:40), they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the Lord’s name (Acts 5:41), and continued preaching and teaching Jesus. Acts 5:42 says, “And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.” To multiply, the church must teach and preach the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16).

The rest of the book of Acts is filled with examples of great numbers of souls being added by the Lord to His church (Acts 8:12, 31; 35, 42; 10:47-48; 11:21, 24; 13:12, 48; 14:1; 16:5; 17:4, 12; 18:8). The church of Christ at Flatwoods has had as its motto a determination to go and grow like the New Testament church. Just as we strive to follow the pattern of the New Testament in the organization and worship of the church, we also must strive to grow like the church in the New Testament. This past week, I noticed the statue of a blue mustang outside the Denver airport. Thinking of this statue compared to real flesh-and-blood racehorses that come to Kentucky to compete, I was reminded of a quote. Regarding churches of Christ, Donald McGavran observed: “For a church to claim to be a New Testament church because it has the right form, as regards deacons and elders, and right ritual in regard to communion and baptism, and right name is, to be sure, good. But the claim sounds a little hollow when the New Testament life and exuberant ability to proclaim the Gospel and propagate churches are lacking. A marble statue of a horse might exhibit all the outward forms, but lacking the ability to run and father colts, it can’t really claim to be a horse. To truly be New Testament churches, the gathering of Christians must want to grow, know how to grow, and pay the price to grow.” Let not this criticism be valid regarding us.

The Goshorns assemble with us this Lord’s day for the last time before their departure to Peru to do mission work. We have the expectation of seeing them again in their return visits. We pray for their family here, their safety there, and their success—that many souls are added by the Lord to His church due to their efforts. We should also be convicted as a congregation to be in mission here in Flatwoods, KY. Daniel, Audrey, Caleb and Charlie are dear friends. Daniel and Audrey have the desire for the Lord’s church to grow, have greatly increased their knowledge of how the church can grow, and are willing to pay the price for the church to grow. Let us all have the desire, know-how, and willingness to pay the price so that souls may be saved.