Haggai - Zeal for His House

I am about the begin an expositional series in the little book of Haggai; and I have a pretty good idea of the breakdown of the messages, as well as their titles. The first two especially provide the critique-oriented framework for the book. This is appropriate in much of the prophets since the "forth-telling" part of their mission convicts Israel in ways that can always be brought into the present setting. The title of the first two (part 1 and 2) is The Suburban Captivity of the Church. No sooner had the exiles returned from Persia than they began to be enveloped in the secular wasteland of irreligious affections.
The name Haggai means “feast” or “festal.” He is the first of the last three of Israel’s Old Testament prophets. He comes on to the scene in 520 BC, an exile from Persia, who was called to rouse the people to finish the work they had started sixteen years before. What happened? The people met opposition, and then they got comfortable becoming “merely the secular occupants of an impoverished land.”[1] They fell into lethargic religion and excuse making—Sound familiar? It helps to know that Haggai's prophecy is contemporary to the projects of Ezra and Nehemiah as well as the prophetic ministry of Zechariah.

The whole of the series--titles and all--is as follows:
1) The Suburban Captivity of the Church: Part I 1:1-6
2) The Suburban Capivity of the Church: Part II 1:7-11
3) Shaken & Stirred--God-Fearing Obedience 1:12-14
4) A Tale of Two Glories 2:1-9
5) The Center Cannot Hold 2:10-19
6) The Servant & the Seal of the House 2:20-23

If there was a subtitle to the series, I think I would call it: "Zeal for His House". The series will begin on Sunday, September 23rd at our new location at the Biblical Studies Center off of Broadway, at our new 3:00 PM time. May God grant us the zeal of Christ in all of our building efforts, and a reliance on His Spirit to carry it out!

[1] James M. Boice, The Minor Prophets (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 1986); p. 464