Our mission as a church is to develop mature disciples who follow, serve and proclaim Jesus as Messiah. And since that mission statement was developed based on a careful consideration of the Scriptures, it ought to be something that we all agree on. But when it comes to how to actually accomplish that mission, we probably all have different ideas about how to do that. And those ideas often tend to gravitate toward one of two extremes:
• At one end of the spectrum are those who would say let’s just pray about this and then we’ll just go wherever God leads. This is what we would call more of a spontaneous approach to discipleship.
• At the other end of the spectrum are those who say “Let’s sit down and develop some detailed plans on exactly how we’re going to accomplish discipleship in our church. And so they would develop all kinds of programs, classes and other elements that are designed to accomplish our mission. This is what we call a more planned approach to discipleship.
As we might expect, the Biblical approach lies somewhere between those two extremes, and this morning as we look at chapter 2 of Nehemiah we’re going to get some help finding that proper balance. As we study that chapter together this morning we need to remember that even though on the surface, the book of Nehemiah is about rebuilding walls, it is, at its core, a book about God rebuilding His people. That is a task that God is still carrying out today. And just like He used Nehemiah in that process over 2,500 years ago, He wants to use all of us in accomplishing that same purpose today.
I’m going to begin this morning by giving you the overall principle that we’ll find in Nehemiah 2 and then we’ll develop some important aspects of that principle as we go through the chapter. Here is that overall principle:
Building God’s people requires both
dependent praying AND deliberate planning
We’re going to see that as Nehemiah assesses the situation he faces, he employs both of those elements. Chapter 1 focused primarily on the aspect of dependent praying. There we saw Nehemiah seeking God’s heart in continuous prayer.
This morning in chapter 2 we’ll focus more on the second aspect of deliberate planning. So with that in mind, go ahead and turn to Nehemiah 2 and follow along as I begin reading in verse 1:
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid.
(Nehemiah 2:1-2 ESV)
As we discovered last week, when Nehemiah heard about the condition of the walls and the people in Jerusalem, he wept and mourned and he spent four months in prayer seeking God’s heart about this situation. And now God is going to give him the opportunity to act based on what God revealed to him as he prayed.
In his role as cupbearer, Nehemiah does as usual and takes wine to the king after he tastes it to make sure it hasn’t been poisoned. King Artaxerxes immediately notices that Nehemiah isn’t his usually cheery self. And when the king notices that, Nehemiah is afraid – with good reason. In that culture the people in the presence of the king were expected to be in a good mood and those who were sad and melancholy could even be executed for “raining on the king’s parade”. But in Nehemiah’s case there was even more reason to be afraid. As the cupbearer whose job it was to protect the king from anyone who would try to harm him by poisoning his food or drink, a sad countenance would raise suspicion that Nehemiah might be involved in some plan to harm the king.
Nehemiah is quite wise in his response:
I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
(Nehemiah 2:3 ESV)
Notice that Nehemiah is very respectful to the king. Although he is confident that God is in control, Nehemiah doesn’t know exactly how the king is going to react to his request. Jerusalem had frequently been a thorn in the side of the Persian kings and there was a decree in place that prohibited the Jews from rebuilding the walls of the city without a new decree from the king. So you’ll notice that Nehemiah doesn’t even mention Jerusalem yet. He only mentions the place of his fathers’ graves knowing that in the Persian culture, honoring one’s dead ancestors was very important.
The king then seeks to understand exactly what Nehemiah is asking:
Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?”
(Nehemiah 2:4 ESV)
And what Nehemiah does next is crucial:
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
(Nehemiah 2:4 ESV)
This is a lot different kind of prayer than the prayer Nehemiah had been praying for the last four months. In today’s vernacular it is what we might call a “text message” prayer – just a brief, silent prayer in which Nehemiah asked for God’s guidance before he answered the king. Although we’re going to learn a lot more from Nehemiah in this chapter, perhaps this is the most important thing we can take away this morning. As we deal with other people in any kind of situation, there is always time to pray quickly and silently before we respond. And we have a great advantage that makes that kind of prayer even more effective for us than it was for Nehemiah. We have the Holy Spirit living in us to guide our words and actions. And a prayer like that puts us in tune with what He is leading us to do.
After that quick prayer, Nehemiah responds to the king:
And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.
(Nehemiah 2:5-8 ESV)
Once again, Nehemiah responds with great respect for the king. But because his faith has overcome his fear, he is also bold in requesting what he is going to need for this project. It is obvious from his response that Nehemiah has been doing more than just praying for the last four months. He has also been planning. So when he gets the opportunity, he knows exactly what he needs to request from the king:
• Permission. Nehemiah needed the king’s permission to take a leave of absence. In response to the kings’ question, he gave the king a time frame for that leave. We aren’t told exactly what that time frame was, but we know that Nehemiah ends up staying in Jerusalem for 12 years. (See Nehemiah 13:6).
• Protection. As we see throughout the book, this project was a dangerous one. Even the 800 mile journey from Susa to Jerusalem was filled with danger and so Nehemiah asked the king for written authorization to make the trip and do the work. We’ll see later in the book that King Artaxerxes essentially made Nehemiah the governor of Judah with those papers.
• Provisions. Nehemiah requested timber from the king’s forest to be used for rebuilding the gates and the walls.
And because, as Nehemiah acknowledged, the good hand of the Lord was upon him, the king granted all he requested.
The journey from Susa to Jerusalem probably took three or four months and as Nehemiah picks up the account, we see just how difficult that trip must have been.
Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.
(Nehemiah 2:1-11 ESV)
Notice that because of the danger, the king had sent army officers and horsemen to accompany Nehemiah on his journey. And as soon as he arrived in Judah, he immediately faced opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah. These two thorns in the side of Nehemiah and the Jewish people will continue to show up throughout the book of Nehemiah, opposing the work God has called them to do. As rulers of the surrounding lands, their power was threatened by any attempt to resurrect the Jews as a people so they did everything they could to stop the work.
But because the hand of God is with him, Nehemiah makes it safely to Jerusalem. We pick up the account in verse 11.
So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.
(Nehemiah 2:11-16 ESV)
The trip was difficult so upon arriving in Jerusalem, Nehemiah takes three days to rest and get over his “camel lag.” He then takes a few trusted men and goes out at night to inspect the walls and evaluate the task before him. The fact that he has to do his inspection at night reinforces just how dangerous his mission is. The walls were in such disrepair that at one point Nehemiah had to get off of his horse and inspect the damage on foot.
Up until now, Nehemiah has told no one of his plans. There seem to be at least a couple reasons for that. As we’ve already pointed out his mission was a dangerous one. So the fewer people that knew what he was doing the better. But even more importantly, Nehemiah wanted to have a complete understanding of the task he faced before he began and before he asked others to join him. But now that he has completed the evaluation phase, he is ready to involve others in the project.
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
(Nehemiah 2:17-18)
Nehemiah is a master at team-building. He first identifies with the workers by letting them know that he’s a part of this with them. Notice the pronouns he uses – “we” and “us”. He shows them that this is not just a problem of broken down walls but that, at its core, this is a spiritual issue because God’s reputation was at stake. And he reminds them that God has been with them so far and implies that God will continue to be with them because this is actually His work. And the people enthusiastically agree to join in.
But that doesn’t mean everything is going to be easy. At the end of the chapter we see that Sanballat and Tobiah have recruited another ally in their bid to prevent the rebuilding of the walls:
But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim in Jerusalem.”
(Nehemiah 2:19-20 ESV)
Nehemiah confronts their threats directly by reminding them that this is God’s plan and God is going to see that it is carried to completion and that nothing that Sanballat, Tobiah or Geshem can do will thwart God’s plans.
I want to wrap things up this morning by developing some practical principles from this chapter. But before we do that, let’s go back and review the overall principle that we’ll use as a framework to do that:
Building God’s people requires both
dependent praying AND deliberate planning
While we’re going to focus on the deliberate planning aspect of the building process this morning, the clear implication of this overall principle is that the planning principles we’ll develop are only effective when they are undergirded by prayer which acknowledges our dependence on God.
HOW TO PLAN FOR BUILDING GOD’S PEOPLE
1. Prioritize people over projects
Nehemiah had such a burden for God’s people that he was willing to give up a life of privilege in the palace in Susa to live a life of service in the midst of ruin and desolation in Jerusalem. He did that, not because he wanted to rebuild walls, but because God had given him a burden to build people. As I’ve said before. I am convinced that the wall building project was only a tool that God wanted to use in the process of building up His people. And I think that as a result of the time he spent in prayer, Nehemiah understood that.
This is a principle that we need to keep in mind in the church today. Far too often, it seems we forget we are in the business of building people, not accomplishing some project. And when that happens it is so easy to become slaves to our programs and ministries and methods.
Initially, at least, many of those programs were effective in serving people and helping them to become mature disciples. But over time because of changes in our culture or changes in the makeup of our congregations or changes in the circumstance of our lives, those programs and ministries no longer serve the purpose they did at first. But we are often reluctant to let go of them or make the changes that are needed so that we can get back to what motivated us to begin those programs in the first place – to serve the needs of people.
As individuals and as a body we have a tendency to want to hang on to those projects, programs and methods with which we are comfortable because they are the things that have helped us to grown in our relationship with Jesus. But sometimes, like Nehemiah, we need to let the burden for people that God puts on our heart jolt us into taking a risk and moving outside our comfort level because that is the only way we are going to be effective in building our lives and the lives of others.
2. Consider the cost
Nehemiah didn’t even recruit workers, alone start on the rebuilding of the walls until he first knew the magnitude of the task that faced him and his fellow Jews. This was going to be a demanding job. There were probably about 4 miles of wall to rebuild and the wall needed to be three to four feet thick and fifteen to twenty feet high. And this work all had to be done by hand.
This suggests that if we are to build our lives and the lives of others, we need to make an honest assessment of our situation and what is going to be required to become the people that God wants us to be.
During the height of His earthly ministry, when great crowds were following Him, Jesus spoke about the cost of becoming His disciple and used the illustration of a building project to point out the need to consider the cost before embarking on that journey:
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
(Luke 14:28-30 ESV)
Becoming the person Jesus wants me to become and helping others to do that requires a great deal of sacrifice. It requires taking risks. And I believe we need to be upfront with ourselves and with others about that before we make a commitment to become a mature disciple of Jesus. The words of Jesus and personal experience both reveal that those who begin a life of discipleship without considering the cost up front rarely remain on that journey. And that causes people to mock not only that person, but Jesus Himself.
3. Reserve time for rest
Nehemiah’s journey took its toll on him, so when he arrived at Jerusalem he took three days to rest before beginning his assessment of the work. This is an important example for those of us who are tempted to burn the candle at both ends. We usually don’t make the best decisions or do our best work when we are physically and/or mentally exhausted.
We see this principle employed throughout the Bible. God modeled the importance of rest for us when he rested from His work of creation on the seventh day and then established a Sabbath for His people. Elijah rested under a juniper tree after fleeing from Jezebel. Ezra had also rested three days when he arrived in Jerusalem years earlier after a similar journey. And even Jesus often withdrew from His ministry to rest and pray.
We can’t constantly drive either ourselves or others beyond the breaking point and expect to be able to develop our relationship with Jesus. We need proper rest, not just to recover physically and mentally, but also to be refreshed and renewed in our relationship with Jesus as we spend time with Him in His Word and in prayer.
4. Be ready for resistance
From the beginning Nehemiah understood that he was bound to face resistance. That is why he asked for letters from the king that would give him the authority for the work and allow him safe passage to Jerusalem.
When we are operating according to God’s will and carrying out His plans we are almost always going to face opposition. In fact, opposition is frequently a pretty good indication that we are in fact doing what God wants us to do. The evil one is really only concerned with opposing those who are contributing to furthering the kingdom of God. He really doesn’t need to spend a lot of time attacking those who are outside of God’s will. That’s why Jesus warned us that if we follow Him we can expect to face tribulation and hatred.
That is why we must not allow resistance and opposition to deter us from doing what is required to build people. While it is sometimes true that God uses open doors to guide us into His will, I’m convinced that far more often Satan opens up the easy way to lead us away from God. As Jesus reminds us:
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
(Matthew 7:13-14 ESV)
God never intends for us to discern His will based strictly on circumstances. We must depend on His Word and prayer to discern whether the opposition we face is a door being closed by God to direct us toward His will or whether, as is far more often the case, that resistance is being used by Satan to lead us away from God.
5. Commit to community
Although he waits until the appropriate time to involve others, Nehemiah knew from the start that this work was going to require the participation of the entire community. It was not something he could do on his own. And because God’s purposes went far beyond just rebuilding walls, it wasn’t a project he could complete just by going out and hiring some paid laborers to do the work.
Jesus takes His disciples and places them into a body we call the church, because He knows that becoming a mature disciple is something that requires us to be involved in community with other fellow believers. And within that community, it is God’s plan that every single member of that body be a minister. The church is not to be an organization in which the people join in order to pay someone else like the pastor to do the work of ministry on their behalf.
I am very grateful to all of you to be able to be paid for what I love to do. But my job as pastor is not to do the work of ministry on your behalf, but rather to preach and teach God’s Word in a way that equips all of us to do the work of ministry.
The word Greek word which is translated “disciple” describes someone who copies the master’s attitude and conduct. It is far deeper than just being a pupil who learns information. So it is impossible to be a true disciple of Jesus by just learning what He taught without actually putting that into practice. That means if we are going to be disciples of Jesus we must follow His example and actually participate in the ministry that is occurring within the body of Christ.
Building God’s people requires both
dependent praying AND deliberate planning
Last week we focused on the dependent praying aspect of building God’s people and I encouraged all of us to spend some time in God-focused prayer this week. And as I promised last week, I want to give you an opportunity to share your experience. So let’s take a few minutes to do that.
[Sharing time]
Hopefully you won’t quit praying just because this week is over. And hopefully even as you incorporate some other elements into your prayer life – like asking God for things – you’ll still keep your focus on God and not on self as you pray.
This week I’m going to challenge all of us to also incorporate the idea of deliberate planning into our lives. So as you pray this week, ask God to lead you as you think about and make some plans for how you are going to build your own life and be involved in building the lives of others. As you do that keep in mind the principles we’ve learned this morning:
1. Prioritize people over projects
2. Consider the cost
3. Reserve time for rest
4. Be ready for resistance
5. Commit to community
