Revolutionary Servants
Nehemiah 11:1, 12:26
In Nehemiah 11, the people are faced with the challenge of re-populating the holy city of Jerusalem. Since the walls and gates of Jerusalem were now restored, it was important that the builders inhabit their capital city and make the population grow. Now some voluntarily chose to move back into the city. Chapters 11-12 is about giving special recognition to the people who moved back into the city to live. These folks were counted as heroes and had a special praise given to them for their commitment to the city and to Israel. Why? Well the answer is simple. Jerusalem is the key for the nation of Israel and its freedom. As long as Jerusalem stands, and the temple is in operation, Israel is a nation and they can worship God as they should. If Jerusalem would fall into the hands of their enemies, and the temple worship should cease, then Israel would fall apart as a nation and go back into slavery. Therefore, the city of Jerusalem was always, and still is to this day, the central focus and the first objective of any outside invasion of an enemy army. Those who lived in the city would always bear the brunt of every invasion. They would always be the first to fight, the first to die, and the first to be taken away as slaves if they were defeated and captured. They would also be the ones who suffer greatly should any invading army decide to lay siege to the city and try to starve them out. Those who did not live in the city would live in relative peace as their homes would never be the main focus of any attack and they would always have the opportunity to run and hide, escaping the slavery that the city dwellers would face. Nearly all of those Jews who had escaped being carried off into Babylon were those who lived outside of the city. They were left alone to till the land and pay the tribute taxes to their conquerors. They lived under the control of their enemy but they weren’t nearly treated as badly as the slaves who were led away captive.
There are several lessons we learn from today’s Scripture. First and foremost, this passage teaches us we are here for one purpose and that’s to be revolutionary. Revolutionary means to go against the accepted norm of the day. We are "revolutionary" because the church is to be the force of God in the world that is infiltrating the forces of darkness and bringing the kingdom of God into our midst in a world which often fights and resists such endeavors. We are revolutionary servants of God carrying forth the mission of God in the world.
Will Willimon, was a long-time professor at Duke University and now is a bishop, wrote a book years ago called "Resident Aliens". The premise of the book is that you are and I are resident aliens, called to be and live differently from the world and yet called also to live in the world. As resident aliens we are called to offer an alternative way of life to the world, one that is so attractive that the world would be attracted to living for Jesus. In other words, we are to be salt in a bland world, light in a world filled with darkness to show the world, there’s a better way.
Second, we are servants. Most religious people suffer from the fortress mentality. We build luxurious church buildings and we really enjoy these buildings, spend most of our time and our money taking care of them. We hang out together and have dinners and bazaars. There’s just one problem: Jesus didn’t die for buildings, potlucks or bazaars. Have you ever noticed when Jesus, God incarnate, came in the flesh, the people with whom he struggled the most and had the most problems was inside the fortress of the religious institutions? From the traditional religious standpoint, Jesus hung out in places you wouldn’t want your children to hang out in today. If Jesus were here today, he would be in bars and clubs and have the same kind of friends like he had then - prostitutes and sinners. Those people didn’t have a problem with Jesus hanging out with them but the church leaders sure did! It seems that the only place Jesus got into trouble for breaking the rules was in church! The religious institution.
Jesus doesn’t want you to stay in the church. He’s wants you to move out to infiltrate the territory of darkness with the light of the kingdom of God. We see that in Acts 8:1, "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria." The Apostles were religious professionals. Look at verse four, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Is the truth of God going to get out into the world by all of you going to seminary and learning how to become religious professionals? No, you’ve got to be butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, teachers, dentists, tool makers, whatever your profession, and whatever you do, you are called to be salt and light for the world. That’s your full-time ministry. It’s not about being set apart for fulltime ministry, it’s about being in fulltime ministry in whatever you do. It’s about serving God in everything you do. Serving God is the measure of faithfulness. Those who chose to live in Jerusalem were choosing to be fulltime servants of God by living in the city, working in the city and playing in the city. And our identity is that of being a kingdom servant. Look at 12:26, "They served in the days of Joiakim son of Joshua, the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and of Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law." They served - it didn’t say they worshiped…didn’t say they sang songs… and it doesn’t even say they were in a Bible study. They served.
When you walk in a cemetery, the graves are marked this time of the year with a flag and an emblem for all of the folks who served in the military. It’s amazing because they’re identified by not only their service, but when they served. You can go through and see folks who served in the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War Vietnam, and even Desert Storm. Each marker has a name, birth date and death date but most of all, they were remembered for their military service. What a thing to be remembered by: our service. As followers of God, that’s our identity. Can you imagine on your tombstone some day it will say, “Tim, servant of God.” That’s our identity: to understand our part in God’s great redemptive history in this place and time.
Third, we are chosen. When not enough volunteered to live in the city and face the task of defending it, a second step had to be taken: a “draft”. They did it by casting lots or drawing a name which was printed on a piece of pottery. They would break pottery and then put their name on it, put it in a basket and then draw out a name. When you take a drawing, it totally takes personal choice out of it. You don’t have anything to do with that process if the lot falls to you. In the Old Testament, the casting of lots was a way of discovering God’s will. In the Book of Acts when the disciples were trying to figure out who should replace Judas: “Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.” Acts 1:26 They didn’t believe in “luck” or “chance.” They actually were so committed to the sovereignty of God that they knew God would direct the outcome of the lots according to His divine providence. Proverbs 16:33 says, “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.” The votes are cast by the people but the election is determined by the Lord.
We know something about drafts. Remember Vietnam. When not enough men volunteered for the Viet Nam War, they instituted the draft. When you turned 18, you had to register and were given a card with a draft number. Many would do anything to avoid the draft. You got a deferment if you went to college or seminary, so there were people who didn’t even believe in God going to seminary. Then the government figured out a fairer way to do this so that the rich wouldn’t have loopholes over the poor and they came up with a lottery system. They did it out of a barrel on a Saturday. They drew birthdays and if they drew yours, you knew in four weeks you were gone. And people hung on every word of the televised draft because it would change your life. There’s a difference between a volunteer and a servant! For a servant it has nothing to do with personal choice or convenience. There are young men and women right now going back to Iraq for the fourth time because they’re in the reserves - even with their wives pregnant! It has nothing to do with personal convenience or life status.
Jesus put it so clearly what it means to be in the church. Luke 10:1 says, "After this the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them two by two ahead of him to go to every town and place where he was about to go." Notice they didn’t volunteer, Jesus appointed and sent. But listen to what he says, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers." God doesn’t need attenders! He needs servants! The next part says, "Don’t take a purse or bag or sandals; don’t greet anyone on the road." In other words, don’t get distracted by anything, just go and do the one thing you were created to do: serve. Don’t wait until you think you’ve got everything you need or it’s convenient or you’re ready. This is where we really meet Jesus. For Jesus said, "On the day of judgment, the King will say to you, ’Well done, good and faithful servant, for whatever you’ve done to the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you’ve done unto me.’"
Fourth, we are called beyond our comfort zone. Listen to what Jesus says: I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves." To follow Jesus means that you commit to live outside the walls of safety, comfort and convenience. I think one of the greatest investments that you can make is to go on a VIM mission trip where you can serve other in the name of Christ. Look in your bulletin - there are two circles. On that center circle, write where I am now…this is my comfort zone. In other words, think of every area of your life, your relationships, your vocation, your financial situation, the kingdom contribution you’re making in the world right now. All of the effort right now that you’re putting out for your life to be where it is. Those areas are called your comfort zone. Now look at the outside circle - this is where Christ is calling us to be, this is the mission for which we are called. This is outside the walls of the church and into a messed up, hurting and sin-stained world. If you’re not seeing progress in that outside circle, or if you’re not seeing strategic change occur as a result of your life and efforts, then you are staying inside your fortress of comfort. When you leave that fortress, you experience abundant life in God’s power. It is so difficult to move from the inside circle to the outside circle because it is so scary. Write in the space between the circles pain, discomfort and awkwardness. Any change comes with pain, discomfort and awkwardness in life. Every time people begin to feel the pain, it is easy to retreat into the walls of your comfort zone. It is the people who are willing to endure the pain that experience God’s change. Let’s not forget, for we are not volunteers. When God’s lot falls to us, then we are called to respond and go serve, no matter who you are.
In Nehemiah 11:6, it says, "All of the sons of Perez." Did you know that Jesus came out of the line of Perez. But what is so amazing about Perez is that he was the product of a relationship when Laban had sex with his daughter-in-law. Talk about dysfunctional. Another group mentioned in this list is the tiny tribe of Benjamin who had a record of sexual sins. But from Benjamin came two Sauls – one, the first king in Israel; the other Saul later had his name changed to Paul and started churches all over the known world and wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. Two tribes – horrible pedigrees; God used them for His purposes anyway! We have some tribes here today that may have gotten a rough start like Judah and Benjamin. Starts are only that – the beginning; it is how you finish that counts and God can redeem any rough start!
God doesn’t care if you’ve got dysfunction written all over your family life. Do you know what God is looking for? Notice that it says, "All the sons of Perez who dwelt in Jerusalem were 486 but they were valiant men." Go to verse 14, ". . . their brethren, mighty men of valor . . ." That’s what this list is! It is a list of persons of valor, persons who are willing to get out of their comfort zone and lay it all on the line for the sake of God and His mission. This is important: all people are equally important to God, but all people aren’t equally strategic. Chapters 11-2 are God’s list of strategic people. A lot of you might be on God’s saved list. But I want to be on God’s strategic list, where I have yielded to be used by God strategically to make a difference in the world. Life’s too short to only bury me and not have any kingdom fruit that precedes me when they put me in the ground. All people are equally important to God, but not all people are equally strategic. And only you make the decision if God can use you strategically. What kind of people is God looking for? God is looking for folks who will totally and fully embrace the mission of God and are risk takers, persons of valor and willing to get out of your comfort zone.
Lee McFarland is a pastor in Phoenix Arizona. He was was Director of Worldwide Operations for Microsoft. After several years, he felt God’s tug on his heart to go into full-time ministry. Here he was fully settled in Seattle, wife and kids integrated into the community, full-involved in his local church and doing very well in his career and very happy for that matter and suddenly God calls him to give it all up. When he finally made the decision to leave Microsoft, he had 15,000 shares of Microsoft which were not fully vested, meaning if he left, he would lose all of them. He had only a few years till they became fully invested, but God’s call was God’s call. So he began to pray, “God, if you’re calling me to leave behind 15,000 shares of Microsoft then please send me 15,000 souls. He sent his resume into a church in Phoenix which wanted to plant another church since they weren’t reaching the younger families in their community. Steve was the only one who applied. Their first Sunday they had 147 people in attendanceNow 8 years later, he has more than 8,000 people in worship on Sunday mornings and he’s fully trusting God to bring the other 7,000.
Risk takers are on every list in the Bible, they are not the brightest, the best, the stars, but they are willing to fully embrace God’s mission and endure the pain to accomplish it. Like Noah, he risked building the boat. Or David, it didn’t matter that he was only a teenager and not yet out of school, he risked going against the giant. Or Moses, it didn’t matter that he was a stutterer, he risked speaking to Pharaoh. Or Abraham, it didn’t matter that he was 80, he risked going to a new place. That is who we are when we say yes to the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re not volunteers, we are revolutionary servants.
Russell Brownsworth tells the story of visiting Manila and being taken, of all places, to the Manila garbage dump. It was there that he saw something beyond belief. Tens of thousands of people make their homes on that dump site. They’ve constructed shacks out of the things other people have thrown away. And they send their children out early every morning to scavenge for food out of other people’s garbage, so they can have family meals. People have been born and grown up there on the garbage dump. They have had their families, their children, their shacks, their garbage to eat, finished out their lives, and died there without ever going anywhere else, even in the city of Manila. It is an astonishing thing. But what is most amazing is that Americans also live on the garbage dump. They’re missionaries, Christians who have heard the call of God and chosen to leave their own country to communicate the love of Jesus Christ to people who otherwise would never hear it. And then he writes, “That is amazing to me (that) People would leave what we have to go and live on a garbage dump.” But not all that amazing if you’re a revolutionary servant of God. But that is exactly who we are called to be: revolutionary servants willing to lay it all on the line for God.
