Mobilizing the church
—The Story of Rebuilding Jerusalem
Andrew Fountain – Jan 14, 2018 Click on this slide and then press the spacebar to advance slides: ➜ (or swipe on a touch screen)
Over the past year the core leadership at Newlife has been formulating our core vision
Really it’s the vision Jesus gave us: to make disciples of all nations and bring them up into maturity
We’ve been communicating this vision in different ways, but today I want to focus on what I believe it looks like for 2018
I just have two words:
I want to look at a story about Jerusalem that teaches us some practical things regarding how to mobilize the church
A story that happened over 2000 years ago has a lot to teach us about Newlife church today
The Jerusalem problem
Victory
Relevance to Newlife Church
The Church
Every part is needed and valued
Depending on the Power of Jesus in Prayer
Introduction
Remind of captivity
Kingdom divided after the death of Solomon
Northen Kingdom (Israel) became corrupt faster and was taken into captivity by the Assyrians
Southern Kingdom (Judah) became increasingly idolatrous
resisted the prophets and were taken by the Babylonians =
Black Obelisk (substantiates the biblical account) The cities are left in ruins
=
Two generations later
a small percentage returned with Ezra
State of the city of Jerusalem
very few lived there (11:1–2) —rubble and desolation
a vicious circle, just like some inner cities have become
but vital if the Jews were not to become mixed in with the nations Back in Babylon
=
The Persian Empire had overthrown the Babylonians
The emperor Artaxerxes ruled from India to Greece
Nehemiah’s job: cupbearer
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a picture of the church
They loved Jerusalem—Psalm 137
How shall we sing the LORD ’s song
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
If I do not remember you,
Nehemiah
One day Nehemiah got news about the state of Jerusalem
He was very upset and prayed: Nehemiah 1
The King asked him a question: Nehemiah 2:1–4
prayer answered more than he could ask or think
This book is like his personal journal, written as the Spirit inspired it
Three points:
The Events
The Labour
The Battle
1. The Events
Nehemiah arrived and visited the walls
Four Km of them (had been up to 7m thick in some places about width of a regular street)
Heaps of rubbish (Read 2:11–16) Jerusalem is a picture of the church, both worldwide and local
When you compare us to what God wants us to be, we are in an awful mess.
We could get compressed by the infighting, weakness, false teaching and lukewarmness.
We are way short of what God is intending us to be He had opposition (2:19–20 Ancient archaeological records mention all three of these)
He was wise (did this in secret)
Good organization, yet his confidence was in God
So with great enthusiasm, they started to build
2. The Labour
We are all called to help build it
Nehemiah 3 They each had their own part to build, not just “workmen” but...
priests v.1, goldsmiths & perfumers v.8, merchants v.32, daughters v.12
But some thought it was beneath them (v.5)
Sometimes building the church is depressing
Nobody would actually even live there to start with (chicken and egg)
You may be wonderfully gifted at embroidery but when dirt needs shifting...
Willing to be organized?
Many of them worked long hours
Many even left the harvest
Yet God says that for everything we give up for him we will receive back many times more
3. The Battle
There is nothing the Devil hates more than Christ’s church
First he attacked directly Nehemiah 4
Satan tries to attach the local church, e.g.
sickness
personality conflicts
don’t be surprised! —We will meet opposition and discouragements
4:1–3 mocks and ridicules
v8 actual hostility
v10-12 threats – low morale
later told the authorities to try to get the work stopped
later spread false rumours about an assassination attempt agains Neh to make him hide
Satan tries to shut us down by fear
Then Satan tried another approach:
Pretended to be friends
Tried to turn friends against Nehemiah
What is the remedy?
Jesus said “Watch and Pray” See v.9
They encouraged each other See v.14
They were quick to help those under attack See v.16, 20
Conclusion: Nehemiah 6
So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days.
And it happened, when all our enemies heard of it, and all the nations around us saw these things, that they were very disheartened in their own eyes; for they perceived that this work was done by our God.
Takeaways for Newlife
Mobilize:
always praying
always be on guard
encourage each other
ready to help
Not be too proud to do the humblest tasks
Everyone involved (according to their ability)