Have you ever felt like the walls were crumbling down around you? News so eye opening and devastating that it altered your thinking? Maybe the problem is taking place in a distant land or on the other side of the country and its affecting people you have never met. But for some reason their problem becomes your problem. Their plight takes a hold of your heart and you cannot help but become engrossed in the situation.
I remember watching the second World Trade Center collapse on live T.V. I wanted to get out of my chair and take action. I don’t know what I would have done but I wanted to be there helping in some way.
I remember watching the hurricane wipe out New Orleans. Like you, I watched stupid people do horrible things to one and other and I also watched unlikely heroes emerge from the ruins. My T.V. set brought me live pictures of the destruction all day long. My heart went out to those who were directly affected.
We watch the war in Iraq and the war between Israel and Lebanon and it bothers us. We know the walls are down and what walls to exist are frail and on the verge of collapsing.
Life is full of big potholes and big bumps and big tragedies and big disasters and many of them slip right under our radar and others capture our attention to the point that we can feel the weight. There is no shortage of big problems and hurting people in this world.
Most people simply raise their tolerance when they see big problems. They live with it or they change the channel in search of a brainless show. Some people ignore the problem week after week hoping it will just go away or pray that somebody else will take care of it. You know, someone more qualified or more educated or more gifted or who has more money or power or influence?
Let me ask you this: What walls are lying in ruins around you right now? What collapsed wall tugs at your heart? Does the war in Iraq bother you? Does the education system bother you? Does racism bother you? The homeless? Abortion ? The criminal justice system? Poverty? What is it? What stirs your heart and gets your attention?
There is no shortage of problems in this world but there is a shortage of people who are willing to tackle them. Big problems need God sized solutions.
One of my favorite stories of triumph in the Bible is found in the story of Nehemiah. It’s not a very complicated story. In fact it’s pretty easy to understand and has direct application to our lives. It’s an old school message with modern implications and today I want to expose you to the timeless principles that this book teaches.
Here’s the principle: When the walls come crumbling down around you, go to God, then go to work. Now that doesn’t mean you watch T.V. shout “Oh God” then go to bed and let things continue to crumble. That isn’t it. That’s not the principle. When the walls come crumbling down, go to God, then go to work. That’s the principle. It’s that simple and that complicated. It worked for Nehemiah and it will work for you. Why will it work for you? Because it’s a God principle. It’s universal and timeless. God loves you just as much as he loved Nehemiah and what he did for him, he will do for you.
Nehemiah had no more clout or influence with God than you. So you can go to God and go to work knowing that the same God that helped Nehemiah rebuild the wall will help you rebuild your wall.
Here’s the story. Nehemiah had a problem. The walls in Jerusalem had been torn down and the city had been completely ransacked years ago. The city had lay in ruins for years and now many of the Jews who had roots in Jerusalem were beginning to move back home after a long period of exile. The Jews were moving back because Jerusalem was their religious and cultural center. This is the city that David had lived in. This is the city that their ancestors had occupied. It was a very important place. But somewhere along the way the Jews got lost in their faith and God removed his hand of favor from them and their enemies completely destroyed the city and forced them to disperse.
But now a new generation had come. They began to follow God once again and felt led to go back and rebuild their home. So they were slowly returning with fear and trembling because they had absolutely no protection from their enemies. If a neighboring country wanted to attack them and pillage their goods they would be sitting ducks.
Everybody knew that the walls were down. Everybody knew the dangers that those who wanted to move back home faced. Everybody knew that they were risking their lives to move back to their religious and cultural center. Everybody knew about the problem but the problem seemed so big and so huge that nobody waned to tackle it. Sure, other people wished they could have helped, but they were busy doing life as usual. They had bills to pay and kids to raise. They had jobs and homes and their own troubles. It’s not that they didn’t care because I’m sure they did. They just cared more about their own problems than they cared about the historic city of Jerusalem. I think the problem was so big and so time consuming that nobody wanted to deal with it. But all that was about to change when Nehemiah heard the news.
Nehemiah was different. When he heard that his extended family was moving back to Jerusalem and it had no protection from its enemies he took the problem to God.
Biblical fact: Nehemiah saw a problem.
He could have ignored the problem or pretended that the problem wasn’t really that big. But the truth was here was a huge problem. The walls were down and something needed to be done. Nehemiah was nobody special. He didn’t come from royalty and he didn’t have any money. He wasn’t a good athlete or a skilled financier. He was a man who exposed himself to the problem. When he heard about the wall and his people he could have turned a deaf ear and kept busy with his work. But he didn’t. He chose to listen to the problem then bring it to God.
Nehemiah 1:4-7 reads: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. Then I said: "O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.” Nehemiah 1:4-7 NIV
The problem was so big and so overwhelming that he fasted and prayed over what he should do. He asked God to clarify the problem and help him to get his arms around it. He was burdened by the walls that lay in ruins and instead of praying that God would help him to focus on something else he let his mind focus on the problem at hand. He let himself get consumed with the details of the problem and he willingly felt the weight then he gave this weight back to God.
Application point: Go to God with the problem.
I wonder if Mayer Randy Giuliani felt overwhelemed when he saw the walls of the World trade centers lying in ruins. Did he let the screams of the people penetrate his ears? Did he let the weight bear down on him? I wonder how he felt inside. I know when I watched the second tower fall on live T.V. my heart fell with it.
I wonder if Mother Theresa felt despair the first time she saw the collapsed walls of the poorest of poor in Calcutta India? I wonder if she looked into the faces of the hurting and homeless and was bothered. I wonder if she prayed to God and said “Lord, who am I to deal with this?” I wonder what went through her mind when she first arrived and saw all the pain first hand. I wonder if she felt helpless holding a dying woman or an orphaned child? Mother Theresa saw the problem then brought it to God.
I wonder if Martin Luther King Junior felt the weight collapsed walls of equality. When exactly did he feel the weight of discrimination on his shoulders? History tells us that he did feel the weight and pondered the weight and prayed to God for help with the weight. He saw the problem and presented it to God.
Last week several of us from church went to a leadership seminar with 70,000 other people from around the country and listened to Bono from U2 tell us about the wall that is in ruins in Africa and just how heavy it is on his heart. He shared how AIDS has been destroying lives everywhere. And he is right. He asked how decent human beings can turn a blind eye to the tragedy that is happening there. After he allowed himself to see the wall in ruins he pondered and questioned what he could do to help. So he decided to use his celebrity status to start a new worldwide campaign called “One” to help stop the destruction that this disease is causes in the lives of moms and dads and families all over Africa. Bono saw the problem then brought it to God and asked “What can I do about it?”
When you leave today I want you to have the ability to see the walls that are in ruins around you. And I want you to walk away with a heart that senses the walls are down.
There are so many great causes and great organizations working to rebuild walls that it can get confusing as to which one to support. I will say this: To do nothing is not Biblical. You cannot sit on the bench and receive God’s blessing. I cannot speak for you but I would rather have a sore back from helping than a sore butt from sitting.
Jesus says: “If you welcome a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will receive the same reward a prophet gets. And if you welcome good and godly people because of their godliness, you will be given a reward like theirs. And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded." Matthew 10:41-42 NLT
AIDS bothers me. Abortion bothers me. Injustice bothers me. Hurting churches bother me. All of them are good causes and I believe that the local church has the ability to make a positive impact on them. That is why I have chosen to spend my life building the local church. I’m not just interested in the brick and mortar side of the church. I am interested in building peoples lives. I want to help good people become great people with the help and grace of God.
I want to help build the walls of the hungry in our community. That’s why we have a food shelf. I want to build the walls of the naked by providing clothing and other necessities through our work with the Marie Sandvick Center, a place for the homeless and hungry located downtown Minneapolis. That’s why I support AWANA and VBS. I know that if I can help build healthy families today, we will have a better community tomorrow. That’s why I give well over 10% of very penny I make to Freshwater because the people and programs of Freshwater are worth investing in.
I am committed to building Freshwater into a world class organization that changes lives for the glory of God and I am also committed to helping new churches get going all over our region. I believe that the local church is God’s plan to bring hope to our community and I am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.
That’s why we have planted four other churches. That’s why I meet with all the pastors in our surrounding area every month. That’s why I mentor new pastors in SD and all around MN. That’s why Freshwater is successful in reaching over denominational walls and into people’s hearts.
What wall do I see that needs repair?
That’s my wall. What’s yours? Don’t just sit on the sidelines hoping the world will get better. Don’t close your eyes to the plight of the poor and the needy. Don’t ignore God’s command to love your neighbor. What would Calcutta be like if Mother Theresa stayed at the monastery? Where would we be with racism is Martin Luther King Junior didn’t speak up? Where would we be in our fight against AIDS if Bono refused to see the brokenness? Where will the world be tomorrow if you sit on the sidelines today?
This week I want you to pray and ask God to reveal a broken wall to you. I don’t know what your wall is but you do. I don’t know how you can help, but God does. I don’t know your heart but God does. All I know is that if you ask to see, you shall see. And I know that is if you want to make a difference, you will. I am unashamed to call you to action because following Jesus isn’t just about paying him lip service; it’s about giving him life-service. Next week I am going to talk all about how to rebuild the wall once you have identified it. Make sure you come back for part two. AMEN.
