“Rebuilding a Congregation”
By: Joe Mack Cherry
I. Introduction
A. There is a cry going out from pulpits everywhere.
1. Where is everybody?
2. Why can’t we get people to come back to church?
3. Fear brought people into the churches from the start of the Restoration Movement until the early 70’s.
a. Fear might have brought many to church but fear did not keep them in. I’m proof!
b. Undue fear leads to despair and despair often leads to capitulation.
c. II Tim 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
4. The consensus today seems to be that entertainment is working in re: drawing a crowd.
a. For those of us who value true worship over entertainment this maybe puts us at a disadvantage; but I believe this too will run its course. God did not intend for worship to be entertaining.
b. If all we come out worship doing is “ooh-ing and ahh-ing” over the band or the song leader, we’ve missed a lot.
c. Music (Acapella or Instrumental) can be bring on emotions that make us feel good but again this is not all that we should be gaining from spending time in God’s house.
d. With all due respect, I don’t think we should be leaving Sunday morning service like we were leaving a rock concert.
5. The church seems to be in a downward spiral and God needs us to bring it back. He has given everyone a chance at salvation so it’s up to us to accept it and fulfill his commandment through Christ to make disciples of all men.
6. What can we do?
B. Let’s go to God’s word and not some “expert” modern day methodology.
1. Man has never had a better solution than God when problems arise.
2. I Cor. 10:6-11 – The passages prior to vs 11 refer to sins and punishments meted out by God in Old Testament times. Vs. 11 – “These things happened unto them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.”
3. Rom. 15:4 – “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
4. People straying from God is no new phenomenon.
5. II Chr. 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
II. Lesson
A. Assessing the Damage
1. Nehemiah gets word that Jerusalem, especially the temple was still in shambles.
2. In Neh. 1-2:
a. He gets permission to go back and assess the city and the temple damage.
b. King Artaxerxes gave him a letter that secured his safe travels and made provisions for him to obtain materials to rebuild.
3. In Chapter 3, he sneaks out at night and takes a look for himself. No doubt it was a daunting task.
4. The new foundation of the temple was laid but work had been stopped for 20 years due to threats from nearby neighbors like the Ammonites and Edomites.
5. Hag. 1:4 – the prophets reprimands the Jews for living in “paneled”= ”fine” houses while God’s house lay desolate.
B. Ezra Rallies the People
1. Haggai lights a fire under the people and in 23 days the workers are mustered.
2. Ezra took command of the project and it was finished some four years later.
a. Ezra records the craftsmen and where they lived.
b. God always kept a remnant of people willing to do His work.
c. Ezra also records three hindrances that the Ezra and the Jews faced.
3. There were problems throughout the rebuilding period.
a. Their non-Jewish neighbors initially offered help which would have no doubt compromised the project. They did not want to see it succeed. Ezra 4: 1-3.
b. Discouragement from these neighbors included threats of violence per 4:4-5.
c. These neighbors turned the king against them and work halted for 20 years as was mentioned earlier.
4. Ezra chapter three tells us that when the old priests and Levites looked upon the new temple and its walls they wept because they remembered the beauty of the first one. This one lacked the luster. However, the young ones rejoiced because it was the only one they knew.
C. There is some correlation between the church today and the Jerusalem/temple of Nehemiah, Ezra, and Haggai’s time.
1. We know that Jesus promised us that even the gates of hell would not prevail against it. Mt. 16:18
2. This did not mean that the church couldn’t become unimportant people. Just as the Jews got comfortable in their nice homes and forgot about the temple.
3. The question to us is do we, like Ezra and the remnant, want to re-grow this congregation or do we want to continue offering excuses on why we can’t grow?
a. The time for lamenting over splits and “used to be’s” must cease.
b. The time to focus on dwindling numbers and waning contributions must be replaced with a renewed focus on what God can do with us!
c. We need to accept for the moment that the congregation of today is not the size it once was but we are still God’s family and the body is not dead!
i. Instead of focusing on everybody else and criticizing them, let’s focus on US.
ii. Is there a beam in our eye? Could that beam be apathy?
d. We need to stop measuring ourselves against other churches in regard to size, contribution, and growth. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the dog!
e. This would be like the AAA Nashville Sounds shutting down their operation because it was depressed because they are not the Milwaukie Brewers.
f. We are not building a business; we’re building a body for Christ.
4. God will bless our efforts.
a. If we don’t have that hope and assurance, then yes, we could go the way of the churches of which God promised He would remove their candlesticks.
b. The providence (God working behind the scenes) starting with the king allowing Nehemiah to go back to Jerusalem.
c. God will bless our EFFORTS, but not our intentions.
III. Closing
A. For us to Grow we have to take our work Seriously.
1. If someone were trying to take your home, would you just lay down and let them?
2. Chances are we would defend it with our lives.
3. God is blessing us with new people and also with the return of those went away for a while.
B. The arm of flesh itself cannot rejuvenate the church.
1. Christ can help us. He showed us how He orchestrated the rebuilding of Jerusalem
2. The question is how committed are our leaders and how committed is the family to growing a bigger family.
3. Jeremiah preached many years without a single convert. He got discouraged and pondered quitting. Before we give up, let’s consider what Jeremiah said in Jer. 20:9 – “Then I said, “I will not make mention of him, or speak anymore in His name.” “His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.”
C. Finally
1. We must ditch the negative attitudes and push forward trusting that if we plant and water, God will grant the increase.
2. We must remember that neither God or those to whom we reach out are on our timetable. God is longsuffering, so we should be, also.
3. We must look at ourselves and ask God to show us how we can better use our talents to serve Him and our church family.
4. Rebuilding a congregation is not accomplishment overnight.
