Hearing God. Building His House. Keeping the Work Holy.
Recap: When the people of Judah returned from exile, they faced a broken-down temple and a community that had lost its sense of priority. The challenge was not simply how to rebuild a building. It was how to rebuild a people. God therefore raised up different dimensions of leadership to serve one divine purpose. In the books of Haggai and Zechariah, three figures stand out:
"So the LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel... and the spirit of Joshua... and the spirit of all the remnant of the people." — Haggai 1:14
Haggai — the prophetic voice.
Zerubbabel — the governmental or leadership dimension.
Joshua — the priestly dimension.
Considering this profound picture of integrated kingdom leadership, we now focus on:
3. THE PRIESTLY DIMENSION
Joshua: Keeping the Work Connected to God
Alongside Zerubbabel stands Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. "Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest..." — Haggai 1:1
Joshua's responsibility is different. Zerubbabel is concerned with leading the community and overseeing the rebuilding. Joshua represents the priestly dimension of spiritual life. The priestly ministry centers on:
Holiness. Worship. Consecration. Intercession. Spiritual representation. Relationship with God.
This dimension reminds us of something crucial: The temple was not merely a construction project. It was a place associated with the worship and presence of God. The goal was not simply to build a structure. The goal was to restore the people to their proper relationship with God.
The Priest Protects the Spiritual Center
A ministry can grow externally while becoming spiritually empty internally.
A church can become organized while losing its prayer life.
A movement can become influential while losing its holiness.
An institution can become successful while becoming disconnected from God.
The priestly dimension asks a different question from the governmental leader.
The leader asks: "Are we accomplishing the assignment?"
The priest asks: "Are we still rightly aligned with God while accomplishing it?"
That question is essential. It is possible to build successfully and drift spiritually. The priestly dimension protects against that danger.
A FINAL FRAMEWORK
In summary, the three dimensions can be remembered through three words:
HEAR: Haggai — Prophetic
Hear what God is saying. Discern His direction. Confront what needs correction. Declare His purposes. Strengthen the discouraged.
BUILD: Zerubbabel — Leadership
Take responsibility. Mobilize people. Create structure. Manage resources. Execute the assignment. Remain accountable.
CONSECRATE: Joshua — Priestly
Protect holiness. Cultivate worship. Intercede. Maintain spiritual alignment. Represent the people before God. Keep the work connected to God's presence.
HEAR → BUILD → CONSECRATE
These are not three isolated movements. They continually interact.
We hear so that we know what to build. We build what God has revealed. We consecrate ourselves and the work so that what we build remains centered on God. And the Spirit of God reminds us: "I am with you."
Then we hear again. We build again. We consecrate again. The cycle continues. The message of Haggai is a vital call to recover God's priorities through these three dimensions.
And ultimately: GOD BUILDS HIS HOUSE
- Bishop Joseph Mutua, Cornerstone Christian Church International based in Kenya, East Africa
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