It's Time To Get To Work

As I prepare to finish off verse 10, and 19-20 of the second chapter of Nehemiah, let me say I am enjoying the journey and didn't realize how much I would be learning. I am still shouting off of Nehemiah 2:8, "my paraphrase" as you build the Lord's house, God will allow you to build your house" The same wood, the same timber for the king's forest that is used for the gates of the fortress and the city walls will be what's used to build Nehemiah's house that he shall live in. Take care of God's house and He will take care of your house.

Our challenge for Macedonia was It's Time to Get to Work. Nehemiah as God gave direction in chapter 2:11-18 showed us how this is done. Nehemiah had an Investigation, which led to Conceptualization, which caused Implementation and this was achieved by Organization. Some things you have to see for yourself. Be careful of taking someone Else's report on something because you may not know what their motive or agenda is.

I am not accusing the reporters in 1:1-3 of lying but Nehemiah couldn't take their word alone about the wall, he needed to look for himself. He did not act until he investigated. Sometimes we move because someone has given us a report about something that is wrong and we haven't prayed or searched for ourselves what the issue is. Nehemiah did Several things, he first:

Accepted the Challenge:
He left his seat of comfort to go and seek the welfare of his people. He looked, inspected and reviewed the walls. The walls were in ruin, rubble and they were a reproach. Some walls could be repaired, some could be restored and some needed to be replaced. Investigation helps bear out what needs are for what walls. As we walk around and inspect, some marriages don't need to be thrown away, they can be repaired, some children don't need to be given up on, they can be restored, some habits and practices don't need to be continued, they should be replaced but only after careful inspection of the walls.

Assured the Confidentiality: Chapter 2:12 suggests that as investigation turned into conceptualization, Nehemiah told no one. Everyone that is around you is not always for you and everyone will not understand where God is leading you. God does not share his vision with the team but rather he shares it with the leader who during the Implementation process shares God's vision with the people but only when God says so. It is not the leader's task to leave the people in the dark; however, until a clear picture can be ascertained, the leader does not need every voice in his ear or sub-quasi- leaders truing to usurp God's vision with their own man-made vision.

Assembled the Congregation: 2:16-17 suggest that Nehemiah assembled the Jews, the Priests, the nobles, the officials and the others who did the work. By doing this, the beginning of the Organization process takes place. The leader can not do all the work by himself but rather the leader imparts the vision to the people so that they may see it and take ownership of it and work. No matter how great a leader may be, the leader can not do it all by himself. It is the vision as placed in the leader by God that becomes the vehicle to move men into their God-given vocation.

Agreed to the Construction: 2:18 "So they said, Let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands to this good work". The job of the church is not to impact the church, but to impact the world. It’s like a huddle in a football game. 67,000 people don’t pay $25.00 a ticket to watch the huddle. What if you went to a game and for 2 ½ hours you watched 11 men stand in a circle and talk? That’s not what you paid for!! 67,000 people pay $25 a ticket to see what difference the huddle makes. What they want to know is, having called the play in secret, does it work in public? The challenge for the church is not what we do when we call our Sunday morning huddle at church but what we do after we break from our huddle after the benediction.

The Time has come for the church to get to work and rebuild, replace, restore and repair the walls.

Owens