So, having been raised, most of us, to think bigger is better when it comes to kingdom work & fruitfulness always looks like advancement & growth can always be measured in size or numbers, what shall we do when we’re called by God to rebuild from rubble & glory won’t = grandeur?

What shall we do, having developed ravenous appetites for upsizing, if God has in mind to downsize? What if the way up in this church era is way down? What if God DOESN’T restore everything back to big? Beautiful? Loud? Let’s make this very personal:

Can you be faithful?
Can I?

I mean, what shall we do with our Instagrams if this turns out to not be pretty???

The exiles faced this prospect when they returned joyously, singing their pilgrim songs, to rebuild the Temple -wouldn’t it be grand??? -but what they found was 1 enormous mountain of rubble. The word of the Lord came to Zerubbabel, “Not by strength or by might but by my Spirit.”

This is one of the best parts: the word of the Lord comes through the interpreting angel to Zechariah,

“What are you, great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain. And he will bring out the capstone accompanied by shouts of ‘Grace, grace to it!’” (Zech 4:7)

Do you know how that mountain was going to become a plain? By those exiles lifting up one rock after another from that rubble. And from that rubble the Spirit would slowly raise walls to dwell within again. There would be those who would despise it because it wasn’t like before.

But for those who did not despise the day of small things, the ceremonial bringing forth of the capstone would not be lost on them. They should’ve been dead but were alive. It should have all been over but God had given them a new beginning. And they would shout, “Grace! Grace!!”

So, what shall we do when the pandemic and everything other earthquaking, economy shaking thing has had its way with us? When budgets are blown & members have flown & deep pockets have left in a huff & gone home? What happens when the day of the big shots is done?

Wave bye bye.

For those willing to be faithful with the rubble, for those who don’t need to be big shots, for those who are capable of downsizing and no longer care to be controlled by the deep pockets, for those willing to find their souls again, it won’t be by might. It won’t be by power.

It will be by the Spirit of God alone.

God’s paring us back. And when we see evidence of real live fruit -not manufactured fruit, not plastic hype - & lives are transformed - not by programs & systems but - by the gospel of Jesus Christ, we will know that it was Grace! Grace!!!