June 26th Message: Working From The Inside Out

The building has commenced on the walls surrounding Jerusalem and Nehemiah has done the footwork of assigning all parts of the walls, so to have everything covered. Nehemiah also organized the work of the wall so that all parts of the wall were being worked on at the same time, rather than only focusing on one part and working their way around. Today we are going to talk about how the opposition that began on the day of Nehemiah’s arrival in Jerusalem, increases in frequency and duration, and its impact on the workers.

Nehemiah 4

 ^{1 [a]}When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, ² and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?”

 ³ Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”

 ⁴ Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. ⁵ Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of^[b] the builders.

 ⁶ So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

 ⁷ But when Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabs, the Ammonites and the people of Ashdod heard that the repairs to Jerusalem’s walls had gone ahead and that the gaps were being closed, they were very angry. ⁸ They all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and stir up trouble against it. ⁹ But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

Criticism is unfortunately part of the package when stepping into a role of Godly leadership. The enemy does not want to see you or me walk in obedience and experience the Lord’s favor, and it seems the more blessed you are in your leadership the more you will find opposition. It doesn’t matter who you are, you will be challenged, criticized, and knocked down but it cannot have any impact on you and your calling unless you allow it.

There are two types of criticism. Constructive Criticism is given out of a genuine desire to help. The criticism given is fruitful and should be applied. The constructive type of criticism is usually given by a mentor, elder, someone you respect or hold in high regard and should be given special attention.

The other type of criticism is Destructive Criticism. This type of criticisms sole intent is to tear down and destroy. Paul experienced such criticism, like our friend Nehemiah, in 2^nd Corinthians 4:7-10.

It’s important to give all criticism attention but determine its worth by the manner in which it was given. Some criticism is definitely worth paying attention to and implementing, while other criticism, when of the destructive nature, is best left ignored.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

 ^7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us. While we’re going through the worst, you’re getting in on the best!

Thank God that even in our decrepid clay pots His light can still shine through. Take these words as a reassurance that there is no pressure to perform but to be. With all the trials and adversity that Paul faced, he teaches us an important lesson that the treasure we carry within us is in fact not us at all, but a strength and power that only comes from the mighty hand of God. His work can still be done in and through us regardless of the state that we are in.

The critics that Nehemiah faced were of the Destructive caliber and reminded me of school-aged bullies taunting those who appeared weaker then they. In the case of Sanballat and Tobiah, we are dealing with a couple men who are fearful of change and threatened by progress. One of the main reasons why there was such opposition to the project was centered primarily around money. As one commentator said, “Put bluntly, “a powerful Jerusalem means a depressed Samaria.” One of the main highways linking the Tigris-Euphrates river valley to the north with Egypt in the south and Philistia to the west passes through Jerusalem. With Jerusalem once more a well-protected city, its very location (would) attract trade; and gone would be Samaria’s economic supremacy in “the land beyond the river.”

Another common denominator with destructive critics is that they tend to hang out together. As you can imagine, the higher the wall became, the more critics arrived and the louder they would roar. So it is even today. You will find critics everywhere who will appear to rally together against you in whatever area you are leading, and while the easiest thing to do (and it might even feel good at the time) might be to retaliate, it does not serve a purpose. In fact, it proves their point. You don’t think Nehemiah didn’t want to shout back at the naysayers and curse them? Of course he did. He was EXTREMELY frustrated which was why he hit his knees and angrily called out to God to dish it right back to them! Nehemiah talked to God about EVERYTHING and he was honest about it. God wants our honesty too. He wants to have real conversations about the things that make us angry. He can handle it and it’s not like He doesn’t already know!

In dealing with opposition, there are 3 things to keep in mind:

Realize that it is impossible to lead without facing criticism-

       Expect it. Even if you aren’t hearing it, it’s probably safe to assume that it is occurring. However, it is not a sign of failure. As Swindoll puts it, “Recognize it as a part of the fallen world we live in.”

It is essential that your first response to opposition is prayer-

       Once again, Nehemiah shows us an excellent example of this regardless of his feelings, where they were in the process, or what the need, he was on his knees.

Prayer may not be all that is necessary if opposition intensifies-

       Prayer should always be the preface to action. For example, if there’s a fire blazing in your kitchen you need to pray for God to save you and your family, but you should also start spraying some water!

At the end of the day, critics are most generally not worth the worry they cause. They serve as an excellent distraction, if we allow them, but the work that we’ve been called to should never halt or even slow because of such things.

In “Hand Me Another Brick” Swindoll shares a story of a woman by the name of Edith, a mother of 8 from Darlington, Maryland. She was coming home from a neighbor’s house one Saturday afternoon and as she walked into the house, she saw five of her youngest children huddled together, concentrating with intense interest on something. As she slipped near them, trying to discover the center of attention, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Smack-dab in the middle of the circle was a group of baby skunks. She screamed at the top of her voice, “Children, run!” Then each kid grabbed a skunk and ran.

How many times have we tried to fix a problem or address an issue only to have it go from bad to worse? Nehemiah is no different. Nehemiah’s problem was watching his workers fall more and more into discouragement. It seemed that everything he tried only intensified the issue.

Nehemiah 4:9-23

⁹ But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.

 ¹⁰ Meanwhile, the people in Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is giving out, and there is so much rubble that we cannot rebuild the wall.”

 ¹¹ Also our enemies said, “Before they know it or see us, we will be right there among them and will kill them and put an end to the work.”

 ¹² Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.”

 ¹³ Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. ¹⁴ After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

 ¹⁵ When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.

 ¹⁶ From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah ¹⁷ who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, ¹⁸ and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

 ¹⁹ Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. ²⁰ Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!”

 ²¹ So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. ²² At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and as workers by day.” ²³ Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water.^[a]

 

You’ll see here that there are four causes for Nehemiah’s discouragement:

1. A loss of strength- In other words, the people were pooped (as the Message put it) and the initial excitement of the project had faded. It’s at this point where you hear people who are discouraged say that they need to “put their head down and put one foot in front of the other”. It becomes more about survival than success.

2. A loss of vision- Workers had worked tirelessly and diligently, yet when they looked around all they saw was rubble. They were overwhelmed and had completely lost sight of their vision. Growing up, you might remember me saying that we moved a lot and I have this terrible issue with task completion. So, when we would move to our new home and would work hard to unpack boxes and organize things, I had to work hard to focus on one box at a time rather than the entire space because I would quickly become overwhelmed and defeated with my inability to complete the task. So it was with the workers. They were tired and overwhelmed.

3. A loss of confidence- Discouragement crept in when people lost confidence in their own abilities, the approval or presence of God, and merit in the objective. It’s easy to do when you are weary.

4. A loss of security- Workers were becoming more and more frightened of the threats made against them. They no longer felt safe.

Nehemiah had to overcome his own discouragement in order to address the discouragement in others. It has been shared with me that discouragement is often a sign of change. That there is a new direction that God is preparing when discouragement sets in. Swindoll says, “Discouragement is nothing more than a wall that Satan erects between great people and great achievements.”

Nehemiah knew that in order to regain everyone’s focus on the task at hand before everything headed south, that he would have to help his workers find ways to overcome their discouragement.

The following are five steps that Nehemiah took to restore confidence in his people:

1. Nehemiah unified people around the same goal

       In Nehemiah’s case, spreading the work out to cover all the parts of the walls, separated family members as well, thus the decline in morale. In order to resolve this, he placed people into family units so there was more of a “team” feel to the work that was centered around a common goal.

       In our personal circumstances, it’s equally important to be mindful and reminding others of the major purpose or goal to be attained in work, ministry, and family as well as each person’s role in the process. It might also serve the common good to change the game plan.

2. Nehemiah directed the people’s attention to the Lord

       Nehemiah knew that his people were distracted by fear and that he had to get their eyes fixed back on the Lord. The same goes for us. We all have to keep our sights on Him as we forge ahead. We have to keep reminding ourselves whose glory is more important. “And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

       Because we now live in a day and age where we don’t have to be a prophet to hear from God, we must encourage each other to listen intently for His voice in our lives. Rob Coscia, a senior pastor of Diamond Valley Church in Pennsylvania, contributed a chapter to a book called “Hearing and Understanding the Voice of God”. In it he says, “It must be our goal that people become brilliant and that they have permission to go far beyond us in knowing and loving Him. And we just have to deal with the fact that there is just no way that’s going to happen in an un-messy, controlled way. We made mistakes, but instead of just sharing our journey so others can learn from our mistakes, we try to keep others from making their own. That’s not the Gospel, because that’s not freedom. We have super-talented people sitting in front of us every Sunday, but we see them only in terms of how they can serve our vision, instead of asking God what each person was created for and how we can encourage and equip His vision for them. We must be about freedom. We must understand that if we teach people to hear God for themselves, we win!”

3. Nehemiah encouraged the people to maintain a balance

       Multi-tasking is difficult and rarely fruitful when faced with such a task. Here we have people who wanted to fight and defend, while still others who were focused on the wall. Nehemiah taught people to continue their work on the wall while also staying alert and prepared to fight should the need arise.

       When we are in crisis spiritual or otherwise, it is important to look at the big picture and not just our own perspective. Bear in mind that while your feelings and experiences are valid, so are those around you…at least in their eyes. In looking at the full scope of things, you are not entrapping yourself in your own vision but expanding yourself to see His. It is not an easy task, and I would never suggest that it is. What I will tell you is that when our eyes are fixed on His, balance will surely come.

4. Nehemiah provided a rallying point for people

       Nehemiah’s rallying point was a physical place where if the trumpet sounded, people knew to take up their weapons and run to the aid of their neighbors. This reinstated their feelings of safety. In addition, Nehemiah established a principle of mutual encouragement that reassured them that, while they had God fighting alongside them, they also had their neighbors.

       Most of us have an emergency plan that we are required to follow in the event of severe weather or natural disaster. What we are needing in this case is an “encouragement plan” where we can collect our thoughts, gain support, and regroup as we attempt to face the opposition in our lives. In our case this can be a physical place like the church, it can be a mental focus, or an emotional emphasis where we help each other to rebuild encouragement and drive.

5. Nehemiah occupied the people with service to others

       Nehemiah established this opportunity for the people to become more outwardly focused, paying attention to the needs of their neighbors. In doing so they didn’t have time to worry about their enemies, and they were able to establish relationships with others and in turn morale in the overall project of the wall improved.

       In our case, it’s like only going to church or praying when things are going badly. If we are treating our relationships like this, we can’t expect them to last through all of life’s seasons. When we invest ourselves in the lives of others in all seasons, we are fostering relationships and bonds that will stand the test of time and discouragement won’t have a chance to invade.

In doing these things, the work on the wall was able to continue even in the midst of adversity. How do you deal with the opposition in your life? Many of you have found that when God reveals His purpose for your life and you’re walking in that anointing, He doesn’t give you His entire plan for your life at once. Most of us go through most of our lives seeking Him and His next steps for us. There’s a desire there to know and to know Him. However, our discipline has to match our desire. Just like we need to be preparing in our times of prayer and waiting, we have to be seeking Him in the Word, worship, and prayer. We have to be disciplined in our time with Him. We have to consciously make an effort to set aside time everyday and sometimes many times a day dedicated specifically to seeking Him if we are really wanting to hear from Him. If you hunger for Him enough, and your discipline is evidence of that, He will speak to you. He will answer your questions and He will come to you when you cry out.

What is God speaking to you today in terms of the opposition you are currently facing? When you look back, when are some times that you recognize that God was fighting right alongside you?

Take some time with God right now and ask Him to show you Himself and maybe where He is right here in this room? Some of you may see a scripture, a picture, or maybe it’s something you need to write down.

Ask Him if there’s anything He wants to show you about yourself? Maybe He’s taking you back to an experience in your life or maybe He wants to give you His vision of how He sees you.

Ask Him to help you rethink what is possible. Some of you might be asking, How do I know it’s Him? Do you feel peace? Do you feel more in love with Him? Do you feel empowered? That’s Him.

Write down what you see, hear, feel, and pray on it until it manifests. Remember, when our discipline is matched by our desire, He will respond.

June 19th Message: On A Mission From God…

We have covered so much in the last couple weeks as we have jumped into the first couple chapters of Nehemiah. We have just scratched the surface, I believe, of what God has in store for us during and beyond this time. It is not a surprise that we have some work to do on our walls both spiritual and physical (if you look around both here at church and in the community). We have spent the last couple weeks assessing the damage, praying, preparing, and anticipating God’s next moves. As we’ve gathered into this “huddle time” we are waiting on what play God wants to run or what plan he wants executed.

In Nehemiah Chapter 3 we see his preparations start to unfold as he delegates who is responsible to repair what part of the wall or gate. All the people of Jerusalem were involved. Men, women, elders, priests, everybody. There were even people that came in from out of town to help. Nehemiah assigned families sections of the walls that were relatively close to their home. Why would he do such a thing? Because Nehemiah knew that people would want the wall around their homes to be as tight and secure as possible, so he knew those people would do their best work to ensure it.

In order to cover all 41 sections of the wall, Nehemiah assessed and prayed his way through the assignments. He made for sure that his skilled workers did more of the intricate works on the gates, while general laborers could pretty much go anywhere. In addition, he also matched the gate or wall to the profession or interest. For example, the high priest and priests were assigned to the sheep gate as that’s where sheep were brought in to be sacrificed. Not one detail was overlooked during this process and we find a unified ownership in the project as a result.

A unit or organism is only as strong as the sum of all of its parts and so it is with the church. As leaders it’s very easy to get into the habit of just taking care of things ourselves because it’s just easier that way. It’s easier to just take care of the need rather than to take the time to explain it to someone else or to ask for help. You see it in families, you see it in the workplace, and you see it in the church. You also see burnout. You see burnout because not one person or small group can do all the jobs of the organization. It’s not humanly possible to sustain that kind of vigorous work for very long, and before you know it, the one person or small group is completely depleted with no one around to know how to help.

I think we’ve all been guilty of that at one time or another and one huge lesson that Nehemiah teaches us here is the lesson of delegation. In his preparatory work with the Lord, he was mindful of the kind of leadership and help he would need in order to complete the task of rebuilding the wall. Throughout the entire project, Nehemiah had leaders available to oversee the work of the others and to provide guidance as needed under the overall leadership of Nehemiah. There is no way that Nehemiah, even with the help of the leadership, could have completed the rebuilding project in the same amount of time as he could with the help of all the people.

The same is true of our church here. If you would just take a moment to look to the nearest wall closest to your chair, let’s say that is your section of the wall to repair and maintain. If it was actually your responsibility to attend to that piece of wall, and say you didn’t want to and just assumed that someone else would take care of it, it would then fall on your neighbor to tend to. If they didn’t, eventually the wall would become weathered and may leak causing it to happen in the next section of the wall. Now, let’s say your neighbor decided to go ahead and take care of your section of the wall in order to keep theirs intact and because they are working so hard to maintain both sections, they become overwhelmed and just quit working altogether. The responsibility of 3 sections now falls on the shoulders of the next neighbor. Do you see where I’m going with this?

With the best of intentions it’s easy to just “take up the cross” of all the burdens around here just to get it done. While I know that everyone here has the best of intentions and wants to take care of the church, it really takes the whole village. It takes everyone doing their part in obedient ministry to make it function properly. Every piece is an important and integral part to what God has called our church to be and how effective it can be in its ministry. I realize that, as leadership, we’ve maybe not done a great job of asking for help when we need it and you’ve seen us just go ahead and do things. I confess before you this morning that I am just as guilty of that as anyone, but that’s exactly why we need each other. We all need to be reminded at times that we need help, that others may have more refined skills in certain areas to get the job done more efficiently, and that as a part of the body of Christ it’s important that every part experiences full range of motion.

Romans 12:3-6

The Message (MSG)

 ³I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

 ^4-6In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.

For those of you who haven’t maybe been as involved or as much of a part of the goings on around here due to fear, I just want to remind you that kingdom work is messy. We do not have a solid set of blueprints that we abide by here, except the Word of God and His vision. We will most definitely make mistakes, sometimes big ones. Expect messes to happen because we are human but bear in mind that God makes beauty for ashes. We wouldn’t be able to experience the joys of God without having experienced the brokenness. The potential of a mess should never stop us from going about kingdom work. If you recognize a need or a void here or otherwise, it’s being brought to your attention for a reason. God doesn’t just show us things to not do anything about it. He‘s showing you because you have something to contribute to that particular need. When this happens you really have two choices: you can either ignore it and pretend it has nothing to do with you and wait for someone else to take it on, or you can tend to that need and experience the fullness of God’s blessings.

Nehemiah was able to appeal to the people of Jerusalem in such a way that they felt a personal connection to the project. He did not use any extrinsic motivators to get them going by promising them a weekend at the Dead Sea upon completion of the project, but rather appealed to the heart. All of the people experienced a conviction to be a part of the process by doing their share. Now, realistically, not everyone had the same work ethic and while it may not have been directly addressed by the leadership or others, it was definitely noticed.

In Nehemiah Chapter 3, he gives us a tour of the wall going counter-clock wise. He spent so much time preparing and assessing that he was intimately connected to each gate and section as he introduced us to the families that were responsible for each. If you notice, there are ten gates in addition to the 41 sections of wall to be built. As I mentioned before, Nehemiah had already identified who would have what section or gate while assigning foremen to each.

The first gate, known as the sheep gate was where the sheep and animals were brought in for daily sacrifices in the temple.

The fish gate is where fresh fish were brought in daily from the rivers, Sea of Galilee and the coast which were sold in the market.

The Old Gate and the Valley Gate both were used to get out of the city into the Kidron Valley.

The Refuse Gate led to Hinnon Valley, south of the city, where the garbage and waste was carried out daily and burned.

The Fountain Gate is in the historic district where the tombs of David were located and it was located at the Pool of Siloam.

The Water Gate is located at the Spring of Gihon is where Hezekiah’s tunnel begins and is also the place where Ezra will read the Law of God to the people in chapter 8.

The final three gates that Nehemiah introduces us to are the Horse Gate, the East Gate and the Inspection Gate.

If you notice in the very first verse of Chapter 3 we see that the high priest was the first to get going. What kind of impression do you think this gave the people? I know if I were in that crowd of people getting ready to take on my wall it would get me charged up to see my leader taking on his own job too rather than watch him get fanned and sip lemonade while the rest of us work. It would increase my drive to not only work but to work hard. Any kind of work is so much easier to do when it’s done with the company of others. I’m sure all of us have had experiences where someone was delivering the plan or commands then just expecting you to carry them out as they sat on the sidelines and watched. I don’t know about you, but it makes it extremely difficult to become motivated to carry out someone else’s agenda while their hands remain clean. That’s why we see the high priest getting right in there and working with everyone else.

If you take the time to read this chapter in its entirety, and I hope you do, you’ll see that all are recognized for their contribution to the wall. The Lord left no one out, except Nehemiah that is. Now, you’ll see where there is a Nehemiah son of Asbuk, but it’s not the Nehemiah who wrote the book. In fact, the Nehemiah who wrote the book isn’t even mentioned in this chapter because he wanted all the credit to go to the people. Now is that a fantastic leader or what?

We have a rare opportunity while we are here on this earth to demonstrate leadership that’s never been experienced before. If we were to raise our hands I think most of us could count more negative experiences with leadership than positive. That does not mean that the people in leadership were necessarily bad people, but maybe not operating in the gifts they were given. As a parent, I know it can be especially difficult to operate in the leadership abilities that God has granted me but man am I appreciative for the grace He gives as I go into the next day. Mercies are truly new every morning and my son is evidence of that. Demonstrating leadership in a positive light is not an easy task and it is messy, but what most people are looking for in a good leader is humility. The courage to admit mistakes and the willingness to work with those he/she leads to overcome them.

A leader is not meant to do the job of everyone. A leader sees the gifts in others, even if they don’t, and puts them in a position to demonstrate their abilities. Some of it is trust but most of it is a willingness to let go and watch God do His best work. Helping others to achieve their potential and to guide them in such a way that allows them to see and experience their worth is really what it’s all about. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about our own children, our jobs, or people in our church/community. People want to feel like they have worth. People want to be made to feel like their contributions matter and their opinions count. People want to know that if they make a mess that it doesn’t mean it’s over and they’re out of chances. For some of you it means being the leader you’ve never had and for others it may mean trying to emulate leadership you’ve experienced, but keep in mind that the Lord has called you into whatever leadership you’re in because of the skill set that He’s given you. In other words, you have no one else’s shoes to fill but your own.

Psalm 127

A Pilgrim Song of Solomon

 ^1-2 If God doesn’t build the house, the builders only build shacks.
   If God doesn’t guard the city,
      the night watchman might as well nap.
   It’s useless to rise early and go to bed late,
      and work your worried fingers to the bone.
   Don’t you know he enjoys
      giving rest to those he loves?

If God is not the foundation of all of our work then there is really no reason to do it. “All other ground is sinking sand”. There’s an old fable about three little pigs that each built a house. One was made of sticks, one of straw, and one of bricks. Then along came the big bad wolf with a hearty appetite. Guess which pig was safe? In order to secure our foundation and have something solid to build on, we have to first declare Him as Lord and Savior of our lives and then live like it! In living like it we are a contributing member to the body of Christ. In our leadership and faithful following we have our eyes fixed on Him and our feet awaiting the next play right alongside our brothers and sisters.

God cares about people. He cares about people so much that he made a point of mentioning everyone who contributed to the building of the wall by name. He loved these people so much that he promised to return them to their homeland long before this time of rebuilding was even an actuality.

Jeremiah 29:10

“As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. ¹²“When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. ^13-14“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—”bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

God cares for us too and He has not forgotten about the promises He has made to each of us individually and collectively. I know some of us have been feeling like you’re in a hamster wheel, but it’s not how the Lord sees it. The roles you play, the places you serve, and the tasks you complete on a regular basis are not seen as mundane by God. What you do, what you contribute allows the entire body to function as it was created. Your leadership is a gift that God has entrusted you and because you have it, others are dependent upon your obedience. If we would allow ourselves to look on a broader scale we would see how each intricate movement is connected to another. As the body of Christ we are all intertwined with each other and as the church we are called to be outwardly focused.

So, in doing so, there are five little business cards on your seats that I’d like you to look at. Over the upcoming weeks, we are going to use these cards (or bricks) to bless others. How? By doing our own service evangelism or “outreaches”. For many of you, this will not be much different than what you’re already doing as many of you have missional hearts and are always seeking to serve. For others, this is going to be a stretch that I assure you God will honor. Now, to give you some ideas of what this outreach could look like for you and your family take a look at this slide. I have listed a bunch of different ways that you can bless others and as you complete a task, leave a card behind. I had the great joy of being blessed by such a person who purchased my coffee at a Starbucks drive thru. I got to the window to pay and what I received was a business card that said “This gift of love is given in memory of our son”. I can’t begin to tell you just how much that blessed me and touched my heart, so I immediately paid for the car behind me in an effort to express a small piece of my gratitude for the blessing I was given.

My challenge for you (and me) this summer is to be a blessing to someone else in an unexpected way. These gestures do not have to be grandiose in nature, as sometimes even the most meaningful encounters are subtle. Allow God to speak to you and let Him guide you to a perfect outreach opportunity. Don’t be afraid to make a mess! We would also love to hear your stories or testimonies of your experiences, so as you feel comfortable, you can either let us know you’d like to share by indicating that on your connection card or write something down that you’d like to be shared on your behalf. In doing things like this you will soon find that not only is the other person/people blessed but so are you and those that get to hear about it! And when you run out of cards, don’t hesitate to say “Hand me another brick!”

June 12, 2011: Message- Assessing the Damage Pt. 2

Fear can be a crippling experience. Have any of you ever been in a circumstance where fear kept you from something? The feelings of nausea, sweaty palms, and shear panic kept you from being obedient and then you find yourself frustrated or even angry that the fear was allowed to have that kind of control over you? I’ve been there. As recently as this week. Isn’t it something that when you are following God’s lead, that’s when you seem to get hit the most? Nehemiah experienced some similar feelings as we read in Nehemiah Chapter 2.

If you remember from last week, Nehemiah had just learned about the current state of his homeland, Jerusalem. He was heartbroken over the news that the land of his ancestors was in ruins and the walls surrounding Jerusalem were in a crumbled mess. Nehemiah was devastated and mourned, fasting and praying, crying out for God’s direction. At the end of Ch.1 Nehemiah was heard asking God for the confidence and courage to face the King because he knew his requests could have fatal results. You see, King Artaxerxes was known for his iron fist and stubbornness in the way that he ruled. Nehemiah also knew and tried very hard to keep his feelings concealed as the king could interpret such things as his own dissatisfaction with the king and thus terminate his position or even kill him.

What’s important to notice at this point is that while we were talking about being a leader last week, we are also going to incorporate being under leadership this week, as many of us are both. Have any of you ever had to work under a difficult boss or worked in a toxic environment due to the leadership? Well, in order to be a great leader we also have to learn to be faithful followers. Doing what we do and bringing honor to the Lord Jesus Christ in the process is of equal importance to God than who or how many are under your leadership.

In Nehemiah chapter 2 it says, ¹ In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, ² so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, ³ but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” ⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?”Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”⁶ Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

  (In Proverbs 21:1 it says “The kings heart are like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.” The king in this story is an amazing example that regardless of whether or not you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He still has overall sovereignty.)

⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. ⁹ So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

 In my initial study of this passage I was extremely impressed with Nehemiah at how organized and prepared he was for such an encounter! It wasn’t a scheduled meeting that Nehemiah had arranged with the king to lay down his burdens but his inner turmoil was such that his body could no longer contain it, and it was visible to the king. The Lord honored Nehemiah’s obedience by exceeding his expectations and blessed him beyond what he could have anticipated. Last week we talked about how Nehemiah prayed and fasted day after day for God to guide him on how to help his people. While God didn’t answer right away, Nehemiah did not stand idly by and just wait for God, he did his part by planning and organizing. In fact, he had the time from Kislev to Nisan or December to April to collect his thoughts and prayerfully plan the project and prepare for what he knew was going to be a difficult encounter with the king. He did not allow his fear to cripple him. In Proverbs 29:25 it says, “The fear of human opinion disables, trusting in God protects you from that.”

Charles Swindoll shares in “Hand Me Another Brick” that “In planning and prayer, dependence and action, God’s sovereignty and our responsibility work in harmony.” While Nehemiah spent and continued to spend a significant amount of time in prayer before the Lord, he also teaches us that preparation is also of utmost importance. In fact, he lays out 4 key principles for those longing to follow God’s will yet may be under the direction of a difficult boss.

1. Changing the heart is God’s specialty- 

It doesn’t matter what earthly status the person has or even if they have a religious affiliation, as God will  move and bend the  heart when and how  He sees fit.

2. Prayer and Waiting go hand in hand-

       You haven’t really prayed until all of your own agendas and timelines have literally been cast aside and you’re completely at the mercy His.

3. Faith is not a synonym for disorder or a substitute for a well- thought-out plan

Just as we are expected to wait on His time and responses, He expects us to do the work of planning and preparing on our end. The marriage of these two things will lead to a  faithful execution of His plans.

4. Opposition often reinforces the will of God rather than hinders it-

You can almost expect that when you are in the middle of God’s will that you will face adversity. While it’s easy to think that the adversity is coming because you are not where you should be, it can actually mean the contrary. In fact sometimes opposition comes simply because you are aligned with God’s call and have been obedient to His leading.

As we read on in Nehemiah 2 we will find that Nehemiah encounters his own adversity, but first he has to get there. Nehemiah travels a total of 800 miles with his entourage and instead of running for the town square announcing his arrival, we actually hear nothing of Nehemiah for three days. The majority of that time was spent in solitude with the Lord and the rest was spent personally inspecting the damage but he only went out by night. So, let’s begin with verse 11.

¹¹ I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days ¹² I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.¹³ By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal^[a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵ so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

Before speaking to anybody, Nehemiah did his homework by personally inspecting the damage, seeing for himself what needed to be done, and taking a personal interest in the next steps. To me this marks the brilliance in his leadership. You cannot possibly know how to lead if you have no idea who your people are, what their circumstances are, and where their needs lie. You cannot trust your leader, if you are following, for the same reasons. Once Nehemiah had gathered all of the information, spent time with the Lord, and finished his preparations he then sought out the people.

Going on to verse 17 it says, ¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” ¹⁸ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me. They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”²⁰ I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

If you notice Nehemiah’s verbage when he spoke to the people he used a lot of we’s, not you’s. For a people who had been disheartened for so long with no visible sight of change, Nehemiah knew the task to motivate people to help would be paramount. It would be hard to not feel overwhelmed by the task; however, Nehemiah already understood this. What was even more encouraging is that Nehemiah was not giving directions. He was saying, “Come on, let’s make this our home again. Let’s do this together.” He was staking his claim to be a part of the process rather than dictating it. No pep talk could’ve been more intrinsically motivating.

Nehemiah never lost sight of the Lord throughout this entire process beginning with his time of solitude in entering Jerusalem, talking about God’s favor when meeting with the people, and even in confronting his enemies Nehemiah knew that God had already declared victory. I realize that not all of us have the strength in our spiritual discipline walls that Nehemiah did, but what better time than the present to assess those weaknesses and make the necessary repairs?

Swindoll talks about four principles that Nehemiah’s life offers.

1. Concern for Character- Develop a genuine concern for the condition of the walls. Allow it to burden you. Mourn that condition.

2. Foundation of Prayer- Express direct prayer for guidance and protection. Act on those burdens only after you have given them a firm foundation of prayer. “Your knees can’t knock if you’re on them!”

3. Spirit of Determination- Face the situation honestly and with determination until the task is finished. Be realistic about the conditions in order to maintain motivation. For some reason, when we are not honest with ourselves by laying all the cards on the table, our motivation isn’t able to sustain the journey. As always, honesty is the best policy.

4. Attitude of Humility- Recognize that we cannot correct the condition by ourselves. It seems really easy to retreat and hide out alone with our junk thinking that we’ll take care of it on our own, but until we learn complete dependence on God and living in humility with our brothers and sisters, we can never take on all that God has for us including and especially the roles of leadership.

In looking over these four principles, if an enemy were to attack your spiritual walls, which of these four would show the most weakness and neglect? Why?

Now keep in mind that maybe one of your walls just needs a couple bricks replaced while others might need sections. Whatever your wall’s condition, it’s ok and it’s exactly where you need to be right now. What is important is to give it the attention it deserves. The enemy has a hay day with the weak spots in our walls and the quicker you allow the Lord to repair, the less he can intrude. While I’m not an avid Dr. Phil watcher, he has a famous line of saying, “You can’t change what you don’t acknowledge”. However, if you acknowledge it, you have to change it otherwise you’re not being honest. It’s not admitting weakness it’s empowering the Lord to reclaim His throne in your life.

You’ve heard me talk about how I was involved with a camp called Summer Games for many years. This last week we celebrated the life of the man that began this camp based on a vision that God gave him. If you knew Stan Wierson at all, he never did anything half way and so it was with his funeral. The entire service, from beginning to end was a whopping two and half hours! It was, by far, the longest funeral service I have ever attended but also the most outwardly focused. It was and remained this man’s focus to ensure that all heard the love of Jesus and His desire to relationship with them. Throughout the course of the service there were many references made to an anchor and regardless of the condition of the ship, it still holds. The same is true in our spiritual lives. Regardless of the current state of our spiritual walls, the Lord God stands at the ready to replace, repair, and seal the walls that have undergone weathering and trauma over time. If you’re at all familiar with Ray Boltz, you may have heard a song called “The Anchor Holds” and I would like to share with you the lyrics of this song as we prepare for worship.

I have journeyed
through the long dark night
out on the open sea
by faith alone
sight unknown
and yet his eyes were watching me

the anchor holds
though the ship is battered
the anchor holds
though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees
as I faced the raging seas
the anchor holds
in spite of the storm

I’ve had visions
I’ve had dreams
I’ve even held them in my hand
but I never knew
they would slip right through
like they were only grains of sand

I have been young
but I am older now
and there has been beauty these eyes have seen
but it was in the night
through the storms of my life
ohh thats where God proved his love to me

the anchor holds
though the ship is battered
the anchor holds
though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees
as I faced the raging seas
the anchor holds
in spite of the storm

June 5th – Message: Assessing the damage…

Nehemiah Chapter 1

Leading up to this moment, Marty has done a lot of teaching on stewardship. Stewardship of our gifts, stewardship of our finances, and stewardship of our time are all things that have been addressed during the last few months. Looking forward, I mentioned last week that God has and is calling us back to our first loves with Him. He is rallying His troops, and He’s calling us in essence into a “huddle time”. God is calling us into the huddle to give us the game plan and prepare us for battle.

Over the next several weeks, we are going to be doing just that. In order to be prepared for any task, we have to have the right tools to take it on. We have to be equipped with the right equipment that’s going to get the job done and accomplish it in accordance with the Lord’s specifications. We have actually been in the preparation stages for months.

If you look back over our time together recently we have talked about how to rest, how to listen and wait on the shepherd’s voice, and how to not fear when the trials come. Then we talked about stewardship. Now that we’ve learned how to rest and give back to Him what is rightfully His, now it’s time to go to work.

The first step in this process is mourning the current state and assessing the damage. Taking inventory of what is and what isn’t is crucial in determining next steps. It is also important to consult experts to get an outside perspective and to draw from their expertise. In our particular case, we are going to be tapping into the wisdom and knowledge of a great leader that you might know, his name is Nehemiah. Before we can know and understand Nehemiah though, we have to know what came before. So here is a little piece of history to help us with that.

A long, long time ago there was a great leader by the name of David who was the ruler of a land called Israel. David worked hard to establish security and prosperity in the Hebrew people. When he died, the throne was given to his son Solomon and towards the end of his life, he compromised his integrity and allowed idol worship to infiltrate Israel. As you might imagine, God was not pleased and He judged him. In 1 Kings 11:11 it says, “So the Lord said to Solomon, “Because you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.”

As a result, when Solomon died, Israel became a divided kingdom where ten tribes moved north, living in Samaria, and two tribes went south and settled in Jerusalem. During this time the northern tribes were called Israel and the southern tribes were called Judah. In a book entitled “Hand Me Another Brick” by Charles Swindoll, he states that “They reached their darkest hour nationally not when they were attacked from without, but when they were divided within, when the walls of their spiritual heritage began to crumble.” Leaders on both sides urged their people to engage in idolatry and as to be expected, chaos broke out.

God judged Israel by allowing the Assyrians to invade and conquer in 722 B.C. As a result, the northern tribes were completely diminished. Those who survived the invasion fled south. In 586 B.C. Judah was invaded by the Babylonian King Nebuchadenzzar and took the people captive, thus began the Babylonian Captivity. In 2 Chronicles 36:18-19 it says, “All the articles of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king and of his officers, he brought them all to Babylon. Then they burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles.” In other words, Jerusalem was completely leveled. The wall protecting the city was crumbled, fires set ablaze amongst its buildings, and the temple was stripped of anything of value. The Jews were taken back to Babylon and were made to work as slaves.  However, God did not forget about them and God’s purposes for Jerusalem were not over.

God actually used a non-believer to release His people from captivity. He moved the heart of a man, King Cyrus, who was concerned for the welfare of the Jews and released them back to their homes. Some of you might remember that this time is considered “The Second Exodus”. The Jews went back under the leadership of three men. Charles Swindoll refers to three companies. The first “Company A” returned under the leadership of Zerubbabel, “Company B” with Ezra, and during this time Cyrus died and Artaxerxes took control. The last company, “Company C” was led by Nehemiah.

If you recall, the book of Ezra, which is right before Nehemiah, refers to the rebuilding of the “House of God”, and Nehemiah is focused more on rebuilding the wall surrounding Jerusalem.  This is where we will be spending our time over the coming weeks and focusing our attention. In the following passage we learn about Nehemiah who after a visit with his brother and friends learns that his homeland is in ruins. This place held a very special place in his heart and he knew that God had His hand on it and would hear his cries of sadness and help.

Nehemiah chapter 1 says, ¹ The words of Nehemiah son of Hakaliah:

   In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, ² Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.

 ³ They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

 ⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said:

   “LORD, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

 ⁸ “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’

 ¹⁰ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. ¹¹ Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”

At the time of this prayer, Nehemiah was working very closely to King Artaxerxes as his Cupbearer. Bear in mind here that cupbearer does not resemble a custodial or groundskeeper-type position but rather a bodyguard or security to the king. Nehemiah’s job was to drink from the king’s wine and taste his food to detect poison or any other threat that might harm the king. Nehemiah also served as a personal advisor and was a trusted source for the king to confide in. He had a pretty good life working a job he enjoyed and the respect of the highest authority in the area. However, news of the devastation of Jerusalem broke his heart and caused him to enter into a time of prayer and fasting. This time of prayer and fasting was not on a lunch break or when the thought crossed his mind. He spent days upon days praying and fasting listening for God’s voice on how to proceed. Nehemiah wasn’t praying prayers of God be with them and hopefully everything works out alright. He was praying the gut-wrenching prayers of a man who wanted to be a part of God’s plan in bringing His people back to Jerusalem. He confessed on his own behalf as well as on behalf of his family and the rest of the people from his homeland. He praised God for who He was and worshipped Him in his despair.

Nehemiah then asked God for the favor to do what he knew he was called to do because he knew that nothing was going to happen if God wasn’t in front of it. He already had the anointing of a leader and knew that he had been strategically placed, but Nehemiah sought God’s heart first to determine the appropriate steps to proceed.

Take a moment to consider your own lives. Nehemiah is known as one of the greatest leaders in history. Period. He isn’t someone to consult for those who run businesses, churches, or companies. We are all leaders. You lead your children. You lead groups of people at work. You lead your friends. You lead support groups. You lead small groups. You lead your neighbors. It doesn’t matter if you are intentionally leading or not. You are being watched. People want to be led and they want to be led by those who’ve got it. They’ve been around the block and they’re tired of the stories. People want the truth. They want what’s true and real. Quite frankly, people have been to church but they don’t want to see people doing church, they want to see people being the church.

People want to see that there’s a group of people who are far from perfect but embrace that while recognizing they are beautifully and wonderfully made. Being willing to make mistakes and admitting fault when necessary, loving each other through the best and worst of times, and simply showing up are what people are looking for in you. So, how do you add up? What do you need to confess before God? What do you need to be released of? Are there any moments in your life that you thought you had moved past but maybe not mourned?

As I mentioned before, it is crucial to assess the “damage”. Recognizing what is intact and what needs some attention is what clears the way for a renewed foundation and tighter security. It’s time to pull the junk out of the shadows, from deep in the closet, and bring it into the light. The less that remains in the darkness, the less the enemy can control. There’s no room for pride. There’s no time for “maybe later”. Ask the Lord to reveal those things to you that need to be brought into the forefront and dealt with. Ask the Lord to break your heart for what breaks His. Mourn it. Seek His heart on it. Don’t be afraid of it. Embrace it.

Our challenge as a church is being honest with our reality. There is great strength in acknowledging weakness and there’s freedom in His redemption. God has not forgotten about us or the plans He has for our church. In fact, sometimes it’s necessary to tear down in order to build up. It actually reminds me of a summer where I made money working with a crew roofing houses. Yeah, I know…  There were times when we would work so hard in removing the old shingles and tar paper, only to find wood rot hidden underneath. You can’t pretend it’s not there and just cover it with new paper and shingles as it would continue to rot and spread with the whole roof eventually caving in. We are human and it’s very easy to become distracted with the business of things and engulfed in what’s right before us. That’s why it will take all of us moving forward together, mourning the loss, but preparing for the future.

God stirred in John Wimber the need for a movement that was built on a solid foundation, that was reliant on the Word, focused on worshipping the Lord, with a willingness to wait on Him in all things. God is not impressed with grand efforts to entertain and while He might woo us into uncomfortable situations, He absolutely is not asking us to put on a show. In fact, it’s quite the contrary. Give those you lead what is true and what is real. Give them your transparent self. So many times we get in our own way by moving first and confirming with God later. We have got to get in the practice of getting on our knees first fasting and praying allowing God to lead. We have to. Otherwise, there’s no point to having church because if we’re already anticipating God’s movement, that’s suggesting that we know better. If you don’t think He’s moving fast enough and you decide to move ahead without Him, you are telling God that your time is more precious than His. And by you I mean us.

As we journey through Nehemiah over the next few weeks it is my prayer for us as individuals and as a church that we force ourselves to wait on His signal to move. Before we make a decision, enter a difficult meeting, pay our bills, or even before we speak may we learn to listen for His leading. As we all know life isn’t always about keeping the peace but doing what’s right in His name. In order to be an obedient people we have to first hear the command. So, what’s He saying to you?

Every farmer knows the hunger of the wilderness, that hunger which no modern farm machinery, no improved agricultural methods, can ever quite destroy. No matter how well prepared the soil, how well kept the fences, how carefully painted the buildings, let the owner neglect for a while his prized and valued acres and they will revert again to the wild and be swallowed up by the jungle or the wasteland. The bias of nature is toward the wilderness, never toward the fruitful field.

~A.W. Tozer~