Nehemiah 1:1-3:14
1 Corinthians 7:1-24
Psalm 31:19-24
Proverbs 21:4
Nehemiah 1:3 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.”
From rebuilding the Temple in Ezra to rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah. City walls represented the strength of the people who live in it as well as the strength of their God who protects them. They are more than a physical example of strength they are a symbolic example of God's strength and the peoples trust and reliance on Him. As we looked at the rebuilding of the Temple we also saw that our bodies are the temple of the Lord. And that what we build it with will determine how well it withstands the fires of life. Here we see the walls of the city were broken down and burned with fire. The temple is inside the walls of the city. So, when I think about the walls of Jerusalem today, I am also thinking about the walls of our church buildings as well at the corporate church of God. The Church is under attack and has been for a long time and the walls are falling and being burned as we see more and more congregations caving to the pressures of society. As we see more churches closing and needing to merge with other churches. There is less reliance on God and more reliance on self and society. We need to rebuild the walls of the church. We need to rebuild the standards of God for the church that protect us. We need to rebuild our reliance on God and look to Him. One way that we can rebuild the church is to practice the great commission. Making disciples and teaching them to obey all the God has commanded. This means that we don't stop at sharing the Gospel. We need to disciple believers which means not only teaching them the word of God but also how to apply it to their lives. That establishes the standards that we are to uphold in the church and will allow us to stand strong in the face of adversity and confrontation.
Nehemiah 3:17 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.
We need to call on the body of Christ to rebuild the Church. Proper discipleship will build the church with strength because it will also strengthen the members relationships with Christ. The Israelites did not look at rebuilding the entire wall as one big picture. Each family focused on building a section of the wall. As we each grow in our relationships with Christ and share about the "gracious hand of [our] God on [us]" we can strengthen one another in reliance on Christ. Then as we each grow closer to God we can rebuild our part of the wall until completion.
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