Tuzimbe: Why should I contribute to the construction of the church?

Excited about my after-church-service Sunday plot, I began to go through the English service agenda (mentally). Then I got to that part where the pastor calls out for the builders of God's church (congregants who always give generously towards the ongoing church construction project). Immediately, an inner conversation was sparked off within me (probably between my mind and my heart):

Mind: Oh God! When shall we get done with this building?

Heart: Well, you should even feel privileged to be a part of building God's house.

Mind: That's right, I should be. I mean, He is God, so if he wanted to build his house by himself, he definitely would have. He could maybe choose a few people and cause them to offer huge sums for the cause. We've even heard that the "man" can multiply five loaves of bread and a pair of fish to feed over 5000 people; so how about making mortar and bricks? 

But even though there are ways he could do it himself, he favoured us so much that he let us be a part of his work down here on earth.

David, for example, very much wanted to build a temple for the Lord. But amidst all the privileges and honours that God gave him, he denied him this one, to build for him his temple:

 But the LORD said to my father David, 'You did well to have it in your heart to build a temple for my Name. Nevertheless, you are not the one to build the temple, but your son, your own flesh and blood—he is the one who will build the temple for my Name.' (1 Kings 8:18-19)

Heart: You know how some parents construct rentals or open education saving schemes for their children's future? Well, they can try and secure their children's future financial well-being, but they cannot secure or guarantee their children's future moral, emotional or mental well-being. 

Heart (still): Building the house of God is that kind of act: you can ask of God to secure your children's holistic wellbeing.

While still in that dreamy kind of mode, I somehow saw myself through my mind's eye a few years in the future, leaning against one of the nicely-painted wall-bricks of our fully-completed church, praying to God for my struggling child.
Mind: Oh God, I don't really know how much I contributed to the building of this your house, but I believe that at least that contribution could have bought this one brick that I am leaning against. Father, if this single brick wasn't here, this church building would not be standing the way it is right now; remember, oh Lord, and deliver my child from the enemy's paws. Thank you Lord.

      "Remember, LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly.(2 Kings 20:3)

God's response;

        'I will add fifteen years to your life. And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' (2 Kings 20:6)

That very Sunday, I realized that I had never read a single verse out of the book of Ezra, so I decided to read through it. So, please stick with me as we go through a few highlights from the book of Ezra: 

As the Israelites were returning from exile, their entire city had been destroyed some time back, and all their buildings were down. The Lord moved the King of Persia to send back God's children so they can build his temple. 

As you go through the book of Ezra, you can't miss the fact that the people of God were very excited about building God's temple, and they knew what building the house of God really meant. They yearned to build the house of God, just as David did in 2 Samuel 7:2:

"...he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent."

The facts that amazed me about how these people were building the church are:

• Unlike in my church where some of us cannot wait to rush out moment the pastor mentions about building the church, these people in the book of Ezra would bring their offerings with praise and dancing in that the noise would be heard from far off. I imagine back then that the moment you'd start seeing people dancing and praising joyously, you'd just know that it's time to bring offerings towards building the temple (Ezra 3:11).
• They gave according to their abilities; that is, not below nor beyond (Ezra 2:69).
• They refused their enemies from contributing towards building the temple (Ezra 4:3). While some people would have been excited to receive added support, the children of God said "Nope!" to the foreigners who had come to offer a hand.
• They had mandatory offerings according to their customs and also gave freewill offerings (Ezra 2:68).
• Their neighbors gave  them some offerings for building the temple (Ezra 1:6)
• They really wanted to give towards the work of the Lord, because Ezra 6:4 says the costs of building the temple were to be paid by the royal treasury. Even the burnt offerings after building the temple were paid by the royal treasury.
• Seriously, even when we know there is no entity/agency meeting the costs of building our churches, still our enthusiasm for building God's house is low; how about if we knew maybe that the government had pledged to meet the costs, would we really still contribute towards the building of our churches?

Why were they so enthusiastic about building the temple of God?

I believe we can find an answer in Ezra chapter four when their enemies started opposing them:

"They bribed officials to work against them and to frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia." (Ezra 4:5 )

The opposition wrote letters to the reigning kings so that they could stop the children of God from building the temple and in one of the letters I quote:

"The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.(Ezra 4:12)

We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates."
(Ezra 4:16)

Do you get it?

The children of God were not rebuilding the entire city, they were only rebuilding the temple, but the enemies reported that they were rebuilding the entire city.
The enemies of the children of God knew that once they rebuilt the temple of God, the whole city would be rebuilt in no time. They knew that once the temple of God was established, the children of God would massively prosper and  that was their fear, as they clearly stated it:

"We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates"
(Ezra 4:16)

Both the children of God and their enemies knew that:
1. When they establish the temple of God, God would establish them. God would prosper the entire city.

2. They would prosper so much that their governors would not be able to control them any longer.

Their enemies knew it so well because they studied them, studied their history and how they functioned, in that they asked the king to make a search in the books of his predecessors about them, meaning that they had made the research themselves.

Why would they otherwise go through so much trouble to try and stop the building of the temple, just a temple, moreover?

1. They tried to mascaraed as if they wanted to help in building the temple. Ezra 4:3

2. They bribed officials to stop the building of the temple of God. Ezra 4:5

3. They started writing letters to the king himself. Ezra 4:11

Why would they go through all this, yet it was just the temple they were rebuilding, unless they knew the secret that was hidden behind the children of God building the temple of God?

That's the same reason as to why the children of God were and ought to be so joyous in their contribution towards building the temple of God.

Wait: This is the old Testament; in the New testament, are we not freely given everything through Christ?

• If the old testament was no longer applicable after the coming of Jesus, God wouldn't have allowed it to make it to the Bible we read today.
• If those who operated under the law and had to be justified by works, offered to the Lord so much, how much more should we offer to God after the death of Jesus on the cross?
• Jesus and most, if not all the new testament authors, over and over quoted the Old Testament; therefore it is as much a powerful word of God as is the New Testament.
• The Lord doesn't change nor eat up his words. Malachi 3:6 says "I the LORD do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. He is who He was in the old testament and so is His word.

I ain't no pastor or anything, just sharing my life experiences, so they are undeniably subject to discussion. Notwithstanding, I thank you for the support each time you come here to read something.

May God bless you immensely for me!