When prayerfully pondering what I should
speak about this coming Sunday at Melton Mowbray, I found my thought turning to
the record of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem under the leadership of
Nehemiah. This is a favourite part of
scripture. I have preached and taught
from it often. One thing that leaps out
from reading the early chapters of this book, is that it is impossible to
separate the personality of Nehemiah from what was achieved. For that reason, it provides an excellent
study for understanding the nature of good Christian leadership.
The story begins with Nehemiah receiving
visiting relatives from whom he asks news about Jerusalem. By now, Jerusalem had been conquered by the
Babylonian some 140 years previously.
While Nehemiah was physically 750 miles (1200km) from what used to be
the spiritual centre of his home country, it remained close to his heart.
Nehemiah enquires about those that had survived the exile imposed by the Babylonians
and were living back in Jerusalem. He
learns that things are in a bad way, the people are in great trouble and
disgrace and the city walls are broken down and the gates burned (Nehemiah
1:3)
Nehemiah seems to be shocked by the
news. He sits down and weeps. This is followed by a several days of
mourning, fasting, praying and repenting. By the end of the first chapter, it seems
that Nehemiah had a plan. We might say
that he had a vision for turning the situation around. Within just a few months later, this
seemingly unlikely person had turned the vision into reality, taking only 52
days to complete the work of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem and setting up
new gates.
When I started my ministry in rural
mission, the concept of vision was
given great weight. The words of Proverbs 29:18 were often quoted: “Where there is no vision, the people perish”
(though the precise meaning of the Hebrew was not exactly how it was
used). But vision is vital in Christian
ministry. Nehemiah could imagine what
the physical and psychological state of Jerusalem was, but his vision was for
restoration. For those of us who
committed our lives to the task of rural evangelism in the 1960s, we found
ourselves working with those who could genuinely remember better days, when
churches were spiritually alive and conversions common. But already, churches were being closed and
sold as congregations shrank. That marked decline continued through the
twentieth century at an alarming pace.
A vision of restoration has remained a
motivating factor in my life and ministry.
From time to time I have seen the tide of decline pushed back, but there
is much more yet to be done. Almost all
reading this will worship in churches that have seen better days. Have you a vision for the rot to be
stopped? But the restoration at
Jerusalem took more than vision. For
what was dreamed to become reality called for more, and I can list them using
the preachers’ favoured letter “P”.
Penitence
In chapter one, as Nehemiah reflects on
all that has led the people of God into such a sorry state he confesses the sin
that was at the heart of it. Even though
Nehemiah was not alive during the apostacy and final overthrow of the nation,
he identifies himself with that failure.
“I confess the sins we Israelites,
including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you…..” (Neh 1:6). For our vision to become a reality, perhaps
we also need to repent of the failure that has led to our present condition. Nehemiah wept.
Prayer
The journey not only starts in prayer,
but as difficulties and opposition is confronted, prayer permeates the
story. The words of 2
Chronicles 7:14 come to mind. “if my
people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my
face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will
forgive their sin and will heal their land.”. Prayer is much more than uttering words; it
is an exercise of heart that requires passion.
The local revival experiences in which I shared in Devon were born out
of times of agonizing prayer by godly men and women, for God to do again, what
had been experienced in the past. Paul
describes Epaphras as “Always wrestling
in prayer” for his church (Colossians
4:12). Do we pray? Do we pray enough? Do we pray earnestly?
Physical
Commitment
Nehemiah did not pray and then sit back
and expect God to drop the solution to the problem from heave. No! He
petitioned the king to allow him to go and DO something about it. Our churches have many people who would love
it if God answered their prayers and longing and suddenly sent people into our
churches in droves. But it will not
happen like that. Probably, the walls
would never have been built if Nehemiah had stayed in Susa in his cosy
job. In these days, I find myself moved
by the Spirit to ask again, and again, “Jesus
wants to know how you are getting on with the task he set you?” Is the
parable of the feast relevant for you? See Luke
14: 16-24. A feast has been prepared
by God. What have we been doing to fill
the places? Do we need some physical
action?
Planning
The book of Nehemiah is full of
excellent examples of the importance of planning and strategic action. All too often I hear resistant Christians
describing such things as “worldly” and inappropriate to the Christian
context. But God calls on us to understand
the times in which we are living, to be wise in what we do and how we do
it. Instead of shutting ourselves in
with our inherited way of being church and engaging in mission, we need
creative thinking that will catch the imagination of the men, women and
children of our age. Look at the way we
do things and see how anachronistic so much of it is. Language, style and method are not prescribed
in scripture. Do you know where it says,
“We must sit in rows on pews and listen to one-way ministry”? God has put within us the ability to be
creative, to experiment and change. Let’s
learn how to be relevant and effective with what God has entrusted to us to
bring blessing to others.
Persistence
Nehemiah had to cope with opposition
from the moment he returned to Judea.
That got steadily and increasingly intense. In addition, there were issues of tiredness,
fear, discouragement, and gross injustice to which he had to respond. CT Studd, a great missionary and mission
motivator from the past, used to speak about chocolate soldiers that melted at
the first sight of difficulty. My
friends, God has not called us to an easy life. Throughout the centuries since
God stepped into our world in the person of the Son, Christians have had to lay
down their lives for the sake of the gospel.
Even today, in some parts of the world, the cost is great. For far too
many in the UK, the cost of being a Christian is £5 per week in an offertory plate. God is asking for more, and it will take grit
if we are to see our nation re-evangelised.
In the news today, it was announced that Eliud Kipchoge has run a
marathon in seconds over two hours. That
is fast; but it is more about endurance.
That is like running a four-minute mile, twenty-six times back to back!
Penitence,
prayer, physical involvement, planning, and persistence! It takes more
than vision – but perhaps it has to start with one. Robert Kennedy, indeed all three of the
Kennedy brothers, paraphrased a line from George Bernard Shaw. It goes something like…
“There are those that look at things the way they are,
and ask why?
I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”
“Without a
vision (and more)…….”
From
the Diary
Sunday 7th – Welby Lane
Mission, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
Monday 8th – Outreach Planning
Meeting, Market Harborough
Tuesday 9th – HMP Gartree
(please pray for the Chaplaincy team)
Thursday 11th – Prayer Walk
in the village of Husbands Bosworth, Leics.
Monday 15th – Rural Mission
Solutions Trustees Meeting, London
Wednesday 17th – Teaching on
Salvation Army Safeguarding programme at Malvern
Saturday 20th – Sharing leading
a webinar full of ideas for mission activities through the summer months, ideal
for rural and small churches. Please bring blessing to your church and
community by attending this seminar you can enjoy from your home. All you need is an internet connection with
sound enabled. Advance Reservation is essential. To find out more and to book your place, click here and visit our website.
Thank you for your prayers and all the
ways in which you share with us in the work to which God has called us.
Yours sincerely in Christ,
Barry
(6th May 2017)
No comments:
Post a Comment