Posted by: pastorapbell | April 22, 2010

As we secure the restoration

After the wall had been rebuilt and I had set the doors in place, the gatekeepers and the singers and the Levites were appointed (Nehemiah 7:1 NIV).

Once the walls are built it is imperative that they are guarded. They are guarded by three sets of people; the gatekeepers, the singers and the priests. The gatekeepers are responsible for who comes in and goes out. They are the watchmen of the city. If the gatekeeper is asleep or off duty then anyone or anything can come and go as they like. For us in the church, this is a vital position and if the Lord has called you to be a watch-person, then you are responsible to the leadership to be aware of who or what is allowed to come and go.

The singers are worship leaders; these are the people who usher in the presence of God. They are in the front line of the battle and are the primary target for the enemy. This is why there is always some sort of problem in worship teams, the enemy wants to cause confusion because he knows that when true worshipper are united then the presence of the Lord will flood the place.

Finally the Levites are those who bring the needs of the people to God. i.e. they bring the heart of the people to the heart of God. They are the intercessors of the fellowship and are a vital cog in the scheme of things.

Today find where you fit and occupy your position. As we build the walls around our families, our finances and our faith secure it by prayer, watchfulness and praise.

Read Nehemiah 7:1-6

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 21, 2010

As we deal with opposition and oppression

Then I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “The work is extensive and spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. Wherever you hear the sound of the trumpet, join us there. Our God will fight for us!” (Nehemiah 4:19-20 NIV).

The unholy trinity of hate in disguise (Sanballat), rain (Gesham) and God is good (Tobiah) used all their influence and contacts to halt the building and restoration process. The problem that Nehemiah faced was this; people who were supposed to be working with him were feeding information to his enemies. Not only did they want to stop what God was doing they even employed some people to prophecy to him about a plot to kill him so he would leave the job at hand (6:10). I loved how he responded: I am doing a great work and I cannot come down! (6:3)

We must recognise that our enemies are out to stop us being restored, to steal our Joy and to kill us. Jesus reminded us that the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10), so we need to be on our guard. Once you are on the right road people will come in to tell you what you should and should not do and that the Lord told them this.  Be very careful of what you go along with. Before you submit to what you are being told, apply a few biblical principles to it, Viz.

Is there a biblical precedent to this? Has God confirmed to you that this will happen? The biblical principle is this: Before God does anything he reveals it to his prophet (Amos 3:7), so Nehemiah recognised that he was being set up and dismissed them. We must also recognise that there are people who try to get close to us to leak information to the enemy (6:17).

Today realise that once you take the first step towards restoration the enemy will be mad and will send people to you who talk the talk but do not walk the walk. That is, they will tell you what to do but they themselves are doing the very opposite of what they say. It is like someone telling you the benefits of marriage but they are on their second or third one.

Ask the Lord to reveal to you the heart of those who come into your circle and don’t be deceived by flattery and fine chat!

Read Nehemiah 5&6 in a different version. Read online at www.biblegateway.com

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 20, 2010

As we make up our minds to build and be restored

So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6 NKJV).

After the rebuilding process has started and you have made up your mind to do it, your enemies will rise up with greater fervour. Nehemiah’s enemies were constantly watching and waiting for an opportunity to stop the work or to get them to abort it. We must remember that these enemies were intelligent people who were officials in their countries. Sanballat was a Samaritan leader. The Samaritans were mixed heritage people from Arab and Jewish stock. Many worshipped Yahweh but others worshipped their traditional Gods. It was a descendant of Samaria who Jesus met at Jacob’s well in John 4 who declared that the Jews claimed that true worship could only occur in Jerusalem.  

Tobiah was an Ammonite official. These people are descendants of Lot, Abraham’s nephew, who because of disobedience ended up in Sodom and had to be rescued by Abraham before God destroyed the place. The name actually means God is good.

The final person of this unholy alliance is Geshem who was a probably an Ashdodite, although the bible calls him an Arab (Neh 6:1). His name means rain, while Sanballat’s means hate in disguise.

These three officials formed the bedrock of the opposition to what God was doing through Nehemiah. But however hard they tried, they could not succeed in stopping the restoration process because, ‘the people had a mind to biuld.’ Although Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem are people who are characterised by their spirit of rebellion, they could not thwart what God had planned.

Today, remember that it is God’s purposes that will prevail, men plan and plot but it is God’s will that will be done in the earth. So get your mind in gear to press through the opposition that tries to stop your restoration.

Read Nehemiah 6.

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 19, 2010

As we continue the process of restoration with a purpose

So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out. At that time I also said to the people, “Have every man and his helper stay inside Jerusalem at night, so they can serve us as guards by night and workmen by day.” Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water (Nehemiah 4:21-23).

If starting the work was not hard enough, continuing it is even more arduous. Because of the state of the brokenness of the walls and the surrounding audience who were adamant that the rebuilding process would not occur, drastic measures were needed to continue the process.  Nehemiah positioned each person in their place and gave them instructions on how to continue the process. To lay the first few courses of bricks, each person had to develop the dual role of builder and warrior.

To continue with the task ahead we need to learn to fight, which involves breaking down and at the same time build. These two contrasting tasks require balance.  Every person whose desire it is to be restored needs to develop the skills to negotiate when to fight and when to build. This is not an either or situation but both and.

Let us learn to work but be on our guard whilst working and as we build up the wall. Remember that the enemy will be plotting to see how they can stop the work and bring you back to ground zero.

The first course of the building we need to lay is relationship. Let us build up relationship with those who are on our side as we continue the work.

 Read Nehemiah 4:12-23

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 18, 2010

As we get ready for spiritual restoration

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13 NIV).

As we fast forward to the New Testament period we will realise that what Nehemiah did in the physical, today we are called to do in the spiritual!  So in the New Testament, the apostle Paul tells us that for the body of Jesus Christ to be effective in these last days, we need to act in unity and rebuild the church of Jesus on biblical principles.  That is, we need to resurrect all the ministries given by Jesus and get them functioning again. 

In Ephesians 4, we are reminded that we are given the building blocks to build a successful ministry. But it must be in a way that all the parts are working together. This is a key ingredient in restoration.

 The church, that is the universal church, must be build with humility and discipline (v2) and we must bear with one another in love. Making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, and when we do this we operate in the grace that comes from Jesus and we activate the ability to receive the gifts that he has given.  These gifts will only be in operation when our fellowships are built on love, gentleness and faith and when we live for each other and not for ourselves.

So today find your place and occupy till Jesus comes.

Read Ephesians 4

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 17, 2010

As we fight for the total restoration of our families

Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times over, “Wherever you turn, they will attack us.” Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes” (Nehemiah 4:12-14 NIV).

Whenever you make a decision to be totally sold out for God, the enemy will try to thwart your rebuilding process. Having allocated each family a particular portion of the wall to rebuild and given them the necessary tools to do it, the enemy started to fight on all fronts. They mocked them and were very angry that they even attempted the reparation v.1. They taunted them and made all sorts of wise cracks v.2. And they ridiculed them and criticised the strength and fortitude of their building work, v.3.

But Nehemiah and people prayed and believed that God would bring them through it. Also Nehemiah reminded them that they would succeed if they worked together, focussed on the task ahead and allow God to confuse their enemies.

For us today there are certain principles we can take from this experience. We must realise that whenever we decide to work for the Lord we will face opposition and the opposition won’t just go away like that. For all the brokenness in our lives to be repaired we have to persevere.

Nehemiah told his people this; “don’t be afraid of them, remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your family, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your properties”, (v.14).

So today leave nothing to chance, let us do our part and ask God to do his as we fight the good fight of faith.

Read Nehemiah 4

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 16, 2010

As we start the restoration process in spite of opposition

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.”  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.  But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?” (Nehemiah 2:17-19 NIV).

Having identified that there are problems, the task that lies ahead is to fix them. The task of rebuilding is fraught with underlying problems. Nehemiah had a plan that was sanctioned by God.  However, he never revealed his plan to all those he came in contact with. As the enormity of the task became apparent, and not knowing the resources Nehemiah had at his disposal, several groups of people began to question the job of rebuilding.

When we are faced with problems, it is refreshing when we know what they are and have a plan to fix them. However we must be aware that we will always face opposition. For Nehemiah he was faced with the diabolical trinity of a Persian, an Ammonite and an Arab. They conspired to derail what God had put in Nehemiah’s heart.  So as we start the process of rebuilding the broken areas in our lives, we must recognise that there will be opposition. For Nehemiah, these people who opposed him were high officials in their regions and people listened to them.  Those who oppose what you do usually have some expertise in particular areas.  This does not give them the right to talk you into jettison what God has placed in your heart.

Today remember that the rebuilding process will be long and arduous and there will be opposition, but you can do it if you rely on godly people who see the good work that God is doing in you.

 Read Nehemiah 3

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 15, 2010

As we survey the areas that need restoration

I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days I set out during the night with a few men. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire (Nehemiah 2:11-13 NIV). 

Although Nehemiah had it in his heart to rebuild the walls that were broken down, he first needed to assess the extent of the damage before he could crystallise the plan. He went by night and inspected every area of the ruins. And significantly he only had a few trusted people with him. As we read through the text we notice that all the gates were accessible and anyone could go through them. This highlights to us the extent of the problem, the whole city was open to everyone and anything.

The significance for us is this: when the walls of protection around us are broken down, anyone or anything can come and go as they like. The gates are there to check what comes in and what goes out. But if the gate lies in ruins and there is no gatekeeper then there is free access.

Today the lord wants us to rebuild the walls and to re-establish the gates. We need to rebuild the walls around our relationships, our families, our finances and our spirituality.  We also need to establish gates so that we know who and what is coming and going. As an example of this let us look at one of the gates to our bodies. Our nose is a gate, and if anything out of the ordinary tries to get into our bodies, there is a natural reaction of sneezing to eject that foreign body.  Similarly our spiritual body should be on alert so that when a foreign body tries to breach a gate there is a natural reaction to subdue and eject it.

So today, survey all the areas in your life that needs rebuilding and make a plan as to how you will start the rebuilding process.

Read Nehemiah 2:11-16

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 14, 2010

As we embark on the process of restoration

In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before; so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart” (Nehemiah 2:1-2 NIV)

Before any process of restoration can begin there must be acknowledgement that something has broken down. Once this is acknowledged, those who are interested in restoration must develop a concern. This concern may start by just gathering information about the situation or reading up about the problem.  By using Nehemiah as a model for our restoration we see from the outset in his writing that his concern was visible for all to see.  So much so that the king noticed what was going on and concluded that there was a heart problem.

The concern we develop must be genuine and heartfelt.  For us to begin to change anything, we must be filled with compassion and empathy so that we can work towards changing the situation. Nehemiah had a deep longing to see his beloved city where God resided rebuilt, but there was none of his fellow exiles who had the passion or the contact to begin the process.  However, God placed him in the right place with people of influence so that he could start the process to effect change.  God gave him favour so that he could receive benefits from the king. And because of his faithfulness in diligently serving him over the years he received all he needed. He was able to leave his Job for a period of time and go to Jerusalem to start the rebuilding process.

Today God sees and rewards faithfulness, but he is more concerned about our concern for rebuilding and restoring those in our communities who wandering away from him.  Let us develop a concern for others and not just focus on our own problems.

Read Nehemiah 2

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Posted by: pastorapbell | April 13, 2010

As we humble ourselves and trust the lord

Jesus said to him, if you are able all things can be done for the one who believes. Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe help my unbelief” (Mark 9:23-24 NRSV).

To trust God for something that seems impossible we have to develop a spirit of humility. It is alright to believe when everything is going great but when we are in a dry place or in a cul-de-sac we need to know who it is and what exactly we believe. In our passage today the man who cried out had a son who was demon possessed. This spirit would cause the boy to throw himself in the fire and to self-harm. The father was at his wits end when he came to Jesus. So Jesus asked him the question, do you believe that the boy can be cured?  Many of us believe that God can do it but we would rather seek medical advice as the first option. Perhaps the father had no other option, so he exclaims, Lord I believe, but help my unbelief! He humbled himself, trusted in the Lord for the deliverance of his son and received it.  Today you may have doubts, but humble yourself, tell the lord of your doubts and receive deliverance in the area of your faith-life that you struggle with!

Read Mark 9:14-29.

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