TOPIC: KABAHAGI KAYA NAKIKIBAHAGI
Text: Nehemiah
Introduction:
Why do we need to be actively involved in the body of Christ? The answer is simple and direct if we claim to be a Christian or a believer: Because we are part of the body of Christ. Our theme: KABAHAGI KAYA NAKIKIBAHAGI. Today I would like to bring you some principles why we need to get involve. Let’s open our Bible in a very familiar verse in the book of Nehemiah. Principles Concerning Our Involvement to God’s Work.
1. The Validation of Our Involvement (the confirmation, the rationale)
Nehemiah grew up in the exile and yet his heart was still on his people. His vision comes from a broken heart. When he asked and Hanani his brother told him the situation and condition of the remnant of Israel & the Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1: 3, “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.") When he heard this he was so affected (Nehemiah 1:4, “4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.”) Remember when God wanted Israel to get out of Egypt the Pharaoh didn’t agree until the end because of the pain he experience not because we wanted to. The Bible keeps repeating of the reason, “…because his heart was hardened.” That is why God said in Ezekiel 11:19, “19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” God repeat that on Ezekiel 36:26, “26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Having a broken heart before God will help us to understand His heart by giving us a heart of flesh and not a stone, it actually validates our position before God. In Jeremiah 24:7, “7 And I will give them a heart to know (recognize, understand, and be acquainted with) Me, that I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”(AMP). That is why the psalmist prayer is Psalm 86:12, “11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.” And when Nehemiah shared this vision from his broken heart the people who lives there suddenly open also their eyes and their heart to God’s vision and they started to actively involved in God’s matters. (Nehemiah 2:17-18, “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 upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.”) Do we still see and feel what God feel our people, for people who are still lost, who are hopeless because of sins? We actively involve because God is putting this vision in our heart from His heart. His desire is 2 Peter 3:9, “9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” What’s in our heart validates what’s in the heart of God.
2. The Values of Our Involvement
We can see the values of Nehemiah, he value his relationship with the Lord and His concerns. He showed this in his prayer, his worship, his being hearer and doer of the Word of God through his work, his being loyal to God and its vision even if others are not (Sanbalat and Tobias – Neh. 2:10, 19-20), his active participation on the concerns of God (his position in the palace is good and high paid, it is his comfort zone, it is very far, it takes a lot of resources to accomplish the situation in Jerusalem, it seems impossible task, no one actually ask him to do it, we can see his initiative when he saw the situation of his people, his heart is full of compassion and empathy not just sympathy) his values comes from His relationships with the Lord and His Word. That is the reason why he was able to get actively involved in the matters of God. He values what is important to God more than what is important to him and to others including his family. That is what Joshua also declared when he told the Israelites to choose, he said in Joshua 24:14-15, “14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (ILL. Tito Sotto’s dare to NPC – “Sabihin lang ninyo kung hindi kayo makakasuporta sa ating kandidatong pangulo at puwede namang umalis kayo.) Jesus said in Matthew 12:25-30, “25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 30 "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” They PROTECT each other (Nehemiah 4). (ILL. PPT.) There is always an opposition to everything God wants to do, here we can see how they protect each other. We should be the one protecting each other not destroying (speaking against, gossip, backbiting, etc.) Are we part of His kingdom? Do we believe on the vision & mission that God gave to BCBC? Shout Amen if we does!!! To be a great commandment & a great commission church? To build this building for Him? To established a best & excellent school for Him to prepare the future generation? To established a church base training center for Him? To raise up among us new generation of leaders? Etc? If we believe then we will not just accept it but we will become actively involve for the fulfillment of it, we will embrace it and own it. That is what kingdom values of our involvement.
3. The Victory of Our Involvement
Nehemiah 6:15-16, “15 So the wall was completed on the twenty-fifth of Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 When all our enemies heard about this, all the surrounding nations were afraid and lost their self-confidence, because they realized that this work had been done with the help of our God.” 52 days? Amazing with that enormous tasks without any equipment and resources? The word said because it comes from God through the united effort of His people. “When people works, man’s work but when people pray, God works.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, “9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: 10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? 12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (ILL. The Tower of Babel – God recognized the power of unity towards a common goal even if it is not God’s will, Genesis 11:6, “6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”) This is what we call “synergy” it is the power of involving yourself for a common goal not doing it by yourself. (ILL. One cow can pull 10 kilos. So two cows can pull 20 kilos. But if they join together pulling they will able to pull 30 kilos.) (One or two come together)That is involvement, synergism! If you notice in Nehemiah, everyone is involve: young and old, noble or not, priest or not, etc. in our involvement there is no separation between the laity and the clergy that is old school or old concept. The biblical truth is everyone is part. That is why in the Old Testament there is the 11 tribes and the Levites but they part of one nation Israel belong all to God. That is why Jesus compares the church to a body, to a house, to a family everything has not exemption or no separation they are all part of Him which is our head. Read Ephesians 4:1-13. That is our victory the unity that Christ brought to us when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead.
Challenge: (3 “V’s” of Our Involvement: Validation, Values & Victory) (ILL. PPT.) Ikaw ba ay KABAHAGI? Kung Oo, Makibahagi ka at wag lang Bumahagi! (Ptr. Anthony’s Text) (ILL. 2 PPT.) (Form groups of 3 & discuss: Ano ang nakikita mong sinasabi ng Diyos sa iyo sa pamamagitan ng mensaheng ito at ano ang nakikita mong puwedeng simulang gawin?)
