Session 1

1. What do you know about Haggai: when is this happening, what has been the recent past, where is everybody?

2. Read Haggai 1:1-4. Who is Haggai talking to, and what is his question?

3. What is the significance of the Temple? What is its history and what came before it?

4. Read Haggai 1:5-11. What has been the attitude of the people, and its results? What does Haggai suggest instead?

5. Are there any similar attitudes in our society today? What about in our Churches? Is the result likely to be the same as Haggai found?

6. Read Haggai 1:12-15. Can you remember a time when you felt God was with you in some activity? What do you think this did for the work on the temple?

7. We are told (correctly) that Church is people, not a building. How important is a church building for Christians? Does it have any significance for outsiders?

Session 2

1. Review what we learned of Haggai last week: when is this happening, who to, and what is being spoken about?

2. Read Haggai 2:1-9. What is the cause of discouragement? – and the answer to it (v5)

3. vv6-9 are not entirely clear. God can cause “earth shaking” events. V7 could be about the Messiah, or the inclusion of all the nations in God’s purposes, or the gathering of the world’s best resources to the service of God. What glory or wealth do you see in God’s house?

4. Read Haggai 2:10-19. We can understand how defilement spreads, while holiness is less easily caught. What sort of defilement might spoil our Christian communities?

5. What is the turning point from the curses of famine to blessing? Do you think it significant that this has involved people working together (and not individually, as with their private houses)?

6. Read Haggai 2:20-23. More earth shaking! This time it seems more about political events, with a promise of support to Zerubbabel. What confidence might you gain from this?

7. Haggai lived and ministered in times of rapid change. How did he react – and are there any lessons for us?