Sunday, September 21, 2008
“Correct some wrong:
Text: Nehemiah 2: 11 – 20
Ministry that Matters requires each of us do something by praying a prayer of concern for others, by praying consistently, by praying a prayer that will alter our conduct, and by praying a prayer that strengthens your commitment.
Ministry that Matters requires that each of us help somebody by giving of yourself, by investing some of your resources, and by pressing on in spite of opposition.
This morning we will deal with this third dimension of Ministry that Matters – correcting some wrong.
To correct a wrong means to put back into alignment systems, structures, or situations to reflect the will of God.
If anyone drives their car along the streets of Baltimore with its potholes and bumps in a very short time you will find the need to take your car back to the dealer to have a front end alignment.
An alignment is when the current condition of our tires and front end is readjusted, or recalibrated, and funds must be reinvested to return your car to the manufactory required balance.
To understand what the manufactory requires the technician must refer to the owner’s manual to know what the owner intended.
Therefore, sometimes in life if a ministry is to matter you will be required, mandated to readjust, to recalibrate, or to reinvest into some system, some structure, or some situation to reflect what God had intended.
To understand what God intended, you will have to refer to the owner’s manual – The Holy Bible.
For ministry to matter, we will have to do something, and we will have to help somebody; but every now and then we will have to correct some wrong.
If a ministry is to matter, we would be advocating that the same forces in our government that are willing to invest trillions of dollars into a sick economic system would be just as willing to invest a few billion dollars into universal health care; anything less is wrong!
If a ministry is to matter, we would demand that the same attention given to Charles Street by given to Stoddard Street; anything less is wrong!
If a ministry is to matter, we would make certain that students attending Booker T. Washington Middle or Douglas High School would receive the same resources as students attending Friends, Bryn Mar, Gilman, or Loyola; anything less is wrong!
If a ministry is to matter, we would invest now so that future members of Union Baptist Church would have the same opportunity to worship in a sanctuary that meets or exceeds the standards of their day; as when the founding members of this church who built this structure far in excess of the standards of their day; anything less is wrong!
Sometimes in life if a ministry is to matter you will be required, mandated to readjust, to recalibrate, or to reinvest into some system, some structure, or some situation to reflect what God had intended.
In this sense to correct a wrong does not refer to people.
We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against wickedness in high places. In other words, the satanic influence is always present that seeks to deny, to deter, or to destroy the will of God.
It’s that satanic influence that causes people to work against each other and never pursue a common goal.
It’s that satanic influence that would snuff out the life of a promising individual in the pursuit of ill gotten gain.
It’s the satanic influence that causes systems to oppress those who are poor, those without advocates, or those without social standing.
It’s that satanic influence that would cause me to hate my brother or sister who I see and then profess to love God, who I have not seen.
To understand that Book of Nehemiah you must be aware of the significance of Jerusalem to the people of faith.
Jerusalem was that place that Abraham went looking for whose builder, and maker was God.
Jerusalem is the place that Joshua and David fought for to ensure the Ark of the Covenant had a secure place.
Jerusalem was that place that Solomon built to the glory of God.
Jerusalem was a gated city which contained an outer court, an inner court, and beyond the veil was the place of the Holy of Holies.
Jerusalem was the religious center, the spiritual center, the political, and the economic center of the people of faith.
Jerusalem was the City on a Hill, the beacon to the world, the City of David, the site of the Holy Temple, the place where God tabernacles with his people.
Jerusalem was sacred space. Blood, sweat, tears and treasure went into the building of Jerusalem. It represented that finest that man could do for God.
Nothing was more depressing to the people of faith than the destruction of Jerusalem.
It hit at the very core of their belief system.
It crushed the aspirations of the people.
It dampened their hopes and dreams.
It destroyed any sense of a future.
No one could imagine life without Jerusalem.
Can you imagine what life would be without a place where history affirmed the excellence of God?
Can you imagine what life would be without a place to come to that connects you with the hopes, the dreams, the prayers, and the legacy of your forefathers and foremothers?
Can you imagine what life would be like if there was no place where you could worship within the authentic framework of the culture of your people?
Can you imagine what life would be like if when you went to that place, my God were we met Thee, and it was no more?
Crumbling and in ruins, death and destruction, a shell of its former self.
Can you imagine if in the City of Baltimore, there was no Union Baptist Church?
That why Nehemiah was compelled to correct that wrong. His people are in exile. Jerusalem was destroyed. Nehemiah had to correct that wrong.
There are three qualities this text illustrates that one must have if you are going to engage in ministry that matters, which will correct some wrong:
1. Reflection – the previous two Sundays we focused upon Nehemiah’s ability to reflect upon the meaning of a situation in terms of God’s plan.
2. Inspection – in this chapter we see Nehemiah surveying the situation to understand what will be required to accomplish his God given task.
3. Determination – lastly you see his determination to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in spite of the opposition of Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem.
Ministry that matters will do something, will help someone, and will correct some wrong.
