Arise and Build

Nehemiah was a project manager that supervised the reconstruction of the city of Jerusalem. Most importantly, Nehemiah was called by God to rebuild the city of the Lord.

Like Nehemiah, every citizen of God's kingdom is also called to contribute to building of the kingdom. 

Remember, we are His abstract temple and our fellowship together is the physical temple of God.  

Indeed, the building project managed by Nehemiah faced several oppositions, yet the team did not give up.  At the end, they successfully built the temple because it was orchestrated by God.

If the building project is not of God, it would have failed. "But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:39.

The call to arise and build God's Kingdom is a complex, multi-disciplinary broad project requiring so many inputs to make it successful. This divine vision requires team work. 

Like Nehemiah's team, we need to understand the common vision and agree ("let us arise") to build together.

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" 
1 Corinthians 3:16 

not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

What Nehemiah did

​Nehemiah was called and appointed by God to manage the building of the city. To fulfill this project, Nehemiah

• prayed for 4 months; to seek favour from God
• took permission from his workplace; the palace
• gathered his fellow men; formed a building team, shared the vision with them, and together, they worked as a team.​

I told them how the hand of my God had been favorable to me and also about the king's words which he had spoken to me. Then they said, "Let us arise and build." So they put their hands to the good work.
​Nehemiah 2:18

Lessons learnt from Nehemiah

 (in no particular order)
1. Team work
They all worked together. For us to build God's Kingdom, we need to work together as a team. 
Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered there unto the work. Nehemiah 5:16

Teamwork speeds up the building process. It took them 52 days of collective efforts. It could have been longer if done individually. Nehemiah had realized that the task of building the wall could not be done all by himself. So, they breakdown the tasks. 

2. Courage and Strength
He was courageous & strong; not fearful of his enemies. Nehemiah 6:3. In addition to your skills, a good believer should be a leader participating in the tasks. Not a passive lazy leader, but lead by good examples via deeds and words. Nehemiah 6:3

3. Encouragement
Help and encourage one another
In doing the work of God's kingdom, it is always important to regularly encourage and motivate one another.
"Our god shall fight for us." what an inspiring words - full of conviction and encouragement. Nehemiah was an excellent leader. Let us realize that even a little word of encouragement you give can be a great help to God's work. Always speak positive words and encourage one another in the building process. Challenges will definitely come, but be prepared to face and it. Be alert to encourage others to overcome the threats. Motivate others to build the kingdom of God by directing people to God. 

Nehemiah 4:20 "Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!"
 
5. Involve God at all times
Don't push God out of the building project. Start, continue and end with God. Nehemiah 2:17-18
Also, it is advisable to openly declare God as the ultimate planner of the building.  Don't take glory of its success to yourself. Be humble at all times. With God on our side, we are more than conquerors. Romans 8:31-32

6. Pray it through        Nehemiah 4:8-9
No assignment is too big or small to pray about. In everything God has called you to do, there will be likely opposition. If there's no opposition, you might need to crosscheck its focus.

Prayer is essential to build. We need to focus on God and involve Him in the work. Prayer is absolutely necessary to succeed in building God's kingdom. (The words 'we' and 'our' shows that prayer was made corporately). As we do the Lord's work, we need to depend very much upon him for everything.

As we sojourn in the building project, challenges will come, but victory is ascertained as we pray and focus on God.

Food for thought

As we are developing the community, we are also building the church because the community is the church.
Understand what God has called you to do

Reflections

• Do you know what God has called you for?
• Are there people of same shared vision in your environs?

Conclusion

To be relevant in God's kingdom, you and I are encouraged to recognise our vision, identify people of similar shared vision, work together as a team and fulfill the common goals to glorify God.
  
Whatever you are called to do, please do it diligently. 

Prayer

1. God raise helpers for me.
2. Connect me with my team.
3. Help me to fulfill my purpose.
4. Give strength and courage to me.

​God bless and strengthen you. Amen.

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