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This 3rd prayer marks a transition from “ME” to “WE.” This rebuilding campaign was now a national program and no longer just about Nehemiah.
Sanballat and Tobiah were the principle agitators during the construction project. Not everyone can get on board for restoration.
As long as known agitators of the gospel plan succeeds, the work of the gospel will be hindered.
Old Testament prayers can be confrontational. Notice the words of this prayer; “…we are despised, turn back their taunt upon their head…give them up to be plundered…” There is a time and place for confrontational warfare prayer
This 3rd prayer is a plea for God to be at work while we work honorably to advance your name and Kingdom.
Insights
The shift from “ME” to “WE” (vv.1,4,6) should not be over-looked. The old adage is true; “He who thinks he is leading, and no one follows, is only taking a long slow walk by yourself.” God’s work must be inclusive.
There will be enemies of true biblical Kingdom initiatives. Bold Prayers required! Call them out! Let them know you see their destructive plan. Pray Gods judgement in holding them accountable.
If bold prayers are not offered and Kingdom enemies prosper – God’s work will be hindered. There are forces in our nation that does not care who is hurt and damaged in the process of achieving selfish goals.
No matter where your attack comes from or who the enemy is – WORK HONORABLY! GLORIFY GOD!
The result: the walls were connected and raised half-way to completion.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Nehemiah’s report of his response to the broken walls and burned gates in Jerusalem was not a quick prayer and done! Note his words; “…I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of Heaven.” (v.4b ESV)
There are seasons of prayer that time and energy is required. Not just for the sake of praying, but rather events are so deeply impactful that time and energy is required because an answer is needed. Feel the weight of this prayer; “….let your ear be attentive and your eyes open…” (v.6a ESV).In others words the weight of the report about Jerusalem was so heavy that Nehemiah wanted to make sure that God was paying attention.
Nehemiah confesses national sin of the people but specifically states “…I and my father’s house have sinned…” (v.6b ESV). Jerusalem was experiencing national shame and disgrace because of disobedience before God.
Notice that Nehemiah prays from a position of Biblical record and just emotional panic. He makes the record of God’s command with Moses part of his prayer vv.8-10a. “God you said…….Now hear my prayer as your servant” This is praying from a position of strength.
Observations
Jerusalem’s dilemma is a lot like the COVID disruption that we are experiencing. It was sudden, thorough and traumatizing. Interestingly enough the range of emotions among faith leaders is exhaustion, stress, compassion fatigue, anger, discouragement. Behind closed doors you can hear the cries of stunned faith leaders and congregants.
As of this writing we are 16 weeks into our national pandemic. We have faced reality this is more than a few days of distraction; we are faced with a disruption of our national norms. How would you summarize your prayers? Are they in a biblical context? Are we praying from a position our sacred traditions and methodologies?
Because we are experiencing layered disruption on top of disruption at some point the weight of the burden will bring us all to repentance individually and nationally. It is not always about the sin we commit rather it is the sin of our silence of making Christ fully known.
Our prayer today is much like Moses standing on the shore of the Red Sea. Trembling he holds up the staff of God and declares “MOVE FORWARD”! We are currently gripped in the fear of “what-if” scenarios. Stand and declare that I am moving forward into an uncertain future with the confidence that Hell’s Gates will not ever prevail against the Church.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
Then the King said to me, ‘What are you requesting?’ So, I prayed to the God of Heaven. Nehemiah 2:4 ESV.
Insights
Nehemiah finds himself before the King performing his tasks as cupbearer. His countenance was such the King noticed how he appeared, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart.” Nehemiah 2:2.
Nehemiah responds with words of honor in a moment of being afraid, “Let the King live forever…” v.3 He then describes the heaviness of his heart because the city of his home, the graves of his ancestry were in ruins and the gates were burned. A national crisis such as captivity will crush your heart and spirit.
The King asks a question, “What are you requesting?” So, I prayed to the God of Heaven.” Since this book is a first-hand account of Nehemiah, he does not tell us exactly what he prayed and the details of what he was feeling in this moment.
Nehemiah requests to return to Judah to rebuild the city.
This conversation continues with the King desiring to know how long you will be gone and when will you return. Nehemiah obviously, provides a response and also offers a request for building materials the ability to travel through other regions safely. The conclusion, “And the King granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.”
Observations
This is the shortest of Nehemiah’s prayers in that his countenance was being called out by the King. In a split-second Nehemiah prayed. The magnitude of this reference can only be understood in the context of days of prayer and fasting that previously had occurred in Chapter one.
Nehemiah’s response should be viewed in the fact he had already wrestled with Judah’s sin that put the nation in this position in the first place. Yet, he was willing to be used to restore and rebuild the city. No small request! As you read Nehemiah’s prayer in chapter one we realize that repentance must come before empowerment.
A concise response can only be offered when a thorough evaluation and honest appraisal of responsibility is dealt with. The political debate is not my motivation, we are all in this moment of crisis no matter how we got here. I am not declaring that COVID is a response of divine judgement because of national sin. However, I am declaring this intersection of historical events should at the very least cause us to pause and evaluate the trajectory of what we have called Christianity.
The song “The Heart of Worship” dates back to the late 1990’s that came out of a season of apathy in the Soul Survivor church of Watford, England. Matt Redmon was the Praise and Worship director. Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?” In the midst of awkward silence with no instruments and sound systems, over the coming weeks the church began to find their voice of worship. The song, The Heart of Worship, came out of this awkward moment and has now gone global.
Could we include “Discipleship” into this time of national reflection? As we come out from our global pandemic, our goal as a faith community is not be “FIRST” in terms of returning back 100% to what we had prior. Our prayer should focus more upon our gospel mandate of reaching the lost, discipling the saved – “rinse/repeat!”
We are at a cross-roads moment of BIG “C” vs. little “c” – Kingdom of God vs. local church! Reopening our churches and businesses is proving to be far more difficult than imagined. Pastor’s emotionally are a mix of moderate optimism and discouragement and anger. You do not get a trophy for being 1st to reopen 100%.
Do not build massive movements without massive impact.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
The book of Nehemiah can be divided into four segments:
Nehemiah 1-3: Upon hearing of Jerusalem’s plight Nehemiah confesses his people’s sin and then requests permission from King Artaxerxes to rebuild and repair Jerusalem.
Learning About the wall – 1:1-3
Lamenting Over The Wall – 1:4-11
The Request 2:1-10
The Review 2:11-20
The Repairs 3:1-32
Nehemiah 4-6: The enemies threaten the rebuilding of Jerusalem – Nehemiah’s plan
The Trouble 4:1-6:14
The Triumph 6:15-19
Nehemiah 7-10: Census; Reading God’s Words
The City of God 7:1-3
The People of God 7:4-65
The Word of God 8:1-12
The Festival of God 8:13-18
The Confession to God 9:1-38
The Vow to God – 10:1-39
Nehemiah 11:1-36: People return; Priests and Levites return; Walls dedicated; Reform
The Resettling of the cities 11:1-36
The Priests and Levites return 12:1-26
The rejoicing of the people 12:27-47
The Reforms of Nehemiah 13:1-31
Observations & Application
The Book is by the name sake of the book, Nehemiah. This is a 1st person narration of events not a narrative being told as a story. This book is not really about Nehemiah so much as it is about the people of God, their sin, restoration, and reform.
COVID-19 is a 1st person narrative for all of us – we are experiencing this together. The emotional psychological toll is real and quite heavy. This started out as a simple distraction and now has turned into a very serious disruption of everything we have held as important and meaningful.
Nehemiah was moved to prayer and weeping for days. Not because of what they had and lost it, rather their sins were great, and Nehemiah understood the Biblical record of what was agreed upon and how they failed in national obedience.
COVID-19 has been sudden and shocking as we are living through this disruption of our sacred norms. So that I am not misunderstood, I am not calling COVID-19 our national punishment for sins committed. I am saying this season is thrust upon us and should be used to evaluate its impact upon how we have performed church and what must change moving forward. I believe we should repent where needed. Pre-COVID the reality was that faithful attendance was 1.7x per month. That is hardly making a real difference for time and eternity. The axiom is true; What gets reported gets rewarded! Is it time to reevaluate what is being measured and counted as success?
Nehemiah will teach us thoughts of managing a crisis and coming through this season spiritually stronger and prepared. We will examine Nehemiah’s prayers and what they teach about responding to a national crisis.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
How are you doing at week #18 of our COVID journey? I trust that you have a support network of close friends and other leaders. I have prayed for you today!
Our COVID journey is turning out to be far more than anyone could have imagined. There are 60% of churches in America that are now open with precautions in place. Re-opening is proving to be far more complex than anticipated. There are many factors that are contributing to this fact of which in my opinion is the intellectual dishonesty of our national reporting about the corona virus. This has left people confused as they attempt to navigate their lives through this national fog. It seems the real culprit is that we struggle to make “data informed” decisions over “emotionally charged” decisions based upon speculations.
That being said 18% of Pastors stated they will not reopen until next year. Again, some churches have re-opened and then shut down because of virus outbreaks within the church and then re-opened a 2nd time. Again, because of disinformation and uncertainty some have declared they will just wait it out until 2021.
Church attendance continues to struggle in that we are measuring current trends against pre-COVID attendance. Currently 43% of churches stated they are down; 30% stated they are the same as pre-COVID; and 27% stated they are up. As I mentioned in a previous podcast and blog articles that I have prepared the question has been discussed if attendance is the correct metric to measure Kingdom work?
What we can state clearly is that connecting with people is more important now than ever before. SPIRITUAL – EMOTIONAL connection is more important than ever before. This level of human connection is the top priority as we move through this pandemic. The current data for Pastors & Leaders is revealing, showing that spiritual/emotional health is severely lacking. Only 12% state their emotional wellness is excellent; 13% state their relational wellness is excellent; 18% state their mental clarity makes it easy to grow and learn during this pandemic. What is the bottom-line concern with this data?
Leaders are leading from an empty tank!
It seems that everyone is in a near state of “melt-down”!
Small Group Ministry is absolutely KEY right now! It is at this granular level that real relational/spiritual ministry will occur. Therefore, investing in leadership development is at a premium. Do not become afraid to set large goals in front of people, especially our students. Large goal thinking communicates more than survival, it communicates conquering!
Speaking of communication, here a few thoughts.
•Communication is not digital or analog (Cards & letters) – it is both/and
•Don’t engage in emotional manipulation – 50% of millennials have not engaged in any form of church during this pandemic because of manipulation
•Be aware of the MILLSTONE EFFECT for misleading people
•Clear and concise communication with parents about student ministry is at a PREMIUM
•Use technology to communicate by showing up when and how people are using it – not when you think they should use it
•Beware of the idol of a 1hr/week facility-based service as the only way to communicate Christ’s gospel message.
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“This what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says: In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15). Did you know that you are allowed to rest?
The weekly data of church leaders during our national pandemic has revealed that exhaustion, depression, and discouragement has crept into the hearts and minds of our spiritual leaders. PRAY for them – this is not the time to criticize! Leaders have acknowledged they are working harder now than pre-COVID. We must confess that we have worshipped at the altar of technology believing it has brought convenience, simplification, and made life over-all easier. Technology has caused our lives to become ragged, frazzled, and dissatisfied. This has resulted in emotional exhaustion, psychologically overworked, and spiritually malnourished.
The answer is to over-come this nonsense by living in the four movements of Sabbath rest. Formation only occurs in repetition. So, this exercise is not a one and done exercise. It is a lifestyle that must be enforced no matter what happens around us. Consider these four Sabbath movements.
Resist Work – Simply stated – STOP WORKING! Sabbath rest is when you stop acting as if you are god and open yourself to the comprehension that God is God.
Resting & Restoration – It is not until you stop your work and allow Christ the Shepherd to do His work of restoration in us. Your soul is rarely nourished through entertainment. Stop acting like you are on a mission. Rest your mind, emotions, will, body, and intellectual thirst.
Remember Your Identity – It is too easy to distort our identity in the workplace. One of the unique features of the DISC Profile Assessment is that it shows you three graphs: who you are at work, home, and your true self. It is not until you truly rest that that you realize you need God more now than ever. He alone is transcendent. Think about the Apostle John’s transition from being a Son of Thunder to a lover of Christ with his head on the chest of Jesus. His identity shifted.
Reveling in God’s Goodness – John Ortberg suggested that we need to arrange our life so that sin no longer looks good to us. We tend to fall into a trap that our faith is only about self-denial. At some point we need to feast in the goodness of God
Sabbath cannot save your soul, but it may very well save your life! (Swoboda – Subversive Sabbath).
Marriage Retreat Online
Have you been shut-up in your home too long? Are you attempting to figure out who this other adult is in the house? Oh, that is my spouse! The pandemic quarantine has put a lot of stress on marriages and family relationships.
We are offering married couples an opportunity to participate in a unique online Marriage Retreat. The primary material will be the Birkman Questionnaire. This tool is based upon the Psalmist words; “…we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” You will be able to see God’s unique design and creation in you and how this applies in your marriage relationship.
Key Features:
Each person will receive a 30+ page Birkman Report
Soul Conversations Exercise
Six Dates With Your Mates
Six one-hour Zoom meetings
Cost: $124.99/person (Each Mate will take the Birkman Questionnaire – $249.98/Couple) CLICK on this link to receive a SAMPLE report (John Q Public) before you purchase. LIMITED SEATING. Once you purchase the Questionnaire a Birkman Link will be sent to your inbox to respond to all of the questions.
Registration/Purchase Deadline: September 13th
1st meeting September 17th 7:00pm
Unlimited personal emails and questions
This Marriage Retreat moves beyond theory and dives into God’s Design for you and your mate.
Author G.K. Beale stated once that we resemble what we revere, either for ruin or restoration. Jonah 2:8 echoes this thought by saying those who worship worthless idols forfeit the mercy that could be theirs. Early church historical documents report that idols are the fruit of a disordered life where we allow an inordinate and immoderate setting of our minds upon other things beyond our devotion to Christ.
1 John 2:15-17 constructs the idea of Heart Idols and Cultural Idols. A Heart Idol would be things that we elevate to pseudo divinity in our hearts. Cultural Idols are things in the world that seizes our affection and devotion.
The real problem with deception is that you do not know you are being deceived. It feels right to you. Idols function like spiritual forgeries that imitate Godly character but actually it distorts that character. The study of theology is not for seminarians but everyday worshippers. We need to know the God of the Bible so that we can identify idols that attempt to lure us away from true worship. DISTORTION and DESTRUCTION should be of concern to every Christ follower. Christianity is not just thinking differently but behaving differently (Romans 1:21). Romans 1:18 is perhaps a splash of cold water needed today; “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”
How do we respond to idolatry the correct way? Philip wrote in 1985 in his book, Church; Why Bother stating that the church exists primarily not to provide entertainment or build self-esteem or to facilitate friendships but to worship God; if it fails in that it fails. The ultimate goal of worship he suggests is get worshippers in touch with God. God is not interested solely in our behavior. Moralism suggests that behavior is foremost. Secularism thinks that character traits are foremost. But God wants our hearts!Psalm 139:23-24 states; “Search me God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive ways in me, and lead me in the way of everlasting.” True Christian worship is one of the primary arenas in which we participate in the practices that shape who we are. When we seek the Kingdom of God first of all, love him with our whole heart, and prize our loyalty to him, a watching world will be compelled to ask about the difference they see in our lives. The power of true worship is greater than all of the forces arrayed against us at this moment of history. True worship outlasted the Reich in the 1930’s and it will outlast COVID-19.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
In a New York Times article 2015 entitled, The Googling of God by Davidowitz gave some interesting Google Search stats. Porn searches were up 83% that year and heroin searches were up 32%. “Love thy neighbor” was the top search with the word neighbor in the search phrase. This was followed by a very close second place phrase, “neighbor porn.” The top phrase with God in it was “God of War” a video game.
It feels that 2020 is the apex of a difficult decade 2011-2020. The church that Jesus founded on the basis of compassion and grace has at times failed to resemble its founder. We all cringe at celebrity Pastor failures, scandal’s in the church, abuses, political hijacking of the church, indifference to human suffering have honestly caused people to leave the church. There is one data point that is shocking – faithful church attendance is measured by those who attend 1.7x in 30 days. That is touching the church twice in 30 days – large gathering or small group. Really!
In the sermon on The Mount Jesus stated “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” (Matthew 5:13). Malachi 2:3 is a bit more graphic, “Because of you I will rebuke your descendants; I will smear on your faces the dung from your festival sacrifices, and you will be carried off with it.” Ouch!
The Church Is Still The Bride of Christ
Jesus does not view the church simply through a doctrinal, moral, ethical, or sociological lens; He views it through a covenantal lens. Author and speaker Frank Viola states; In Genesis 1-2, the Bible opens with a woman and a man. In Revelation 21-22, the Bible closes with a woman and man. The opens with a wedding, and it ends with a wedding, it opens with marriage and ends with marriage….The Bible is essentially a love story.”[1] Notice the wedding metaphor in Exodus 6:6-7 when Moses spoke to the children of Israel leading them into their destiny; I will take you out; I will rescue you; I will redeem you; I will take you to me.
Fast forward from Exodus to Christ’s ministry in the New Testament. John 2:20 reports the Temple had been under construction for 46 years and according to Rabbinical report there was no building as spectacular as the Temple. Yet part of the scandal of Jesus’ ministry was that he called this beautiful monument a den of robbers and He cleansed it with a whip and over-turning the money changers tables. The difference of perspective is still lost today. The Rabbi’s failed to see the Glory of God had left – Jesus’ observation was a worship center that was nothing more than a religious program void of substance.
Because of the blood of Jesus Christ and our being united with Him we have become the temple of God. That quite honestly is an outrageous claim! Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 this very fact. “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.” The Incarnation meant that God was with us. Through the death of Christ on the cross, we have become that place where God dwells. The church is the temple of God, embodying the presence of God on earth. The question is can others see this reality in us? God is not interested in dominating a domain. He is interested in partnering with people. The tangible presence of Christ is manifested through us!In spite of the avalanche of trouble, change, and the irreverence, the church is still standing and walking with a limp but walking nonetheless! At this intersection of history what does it look like to love God and love our neighbor? I believe it looks like worship, sabbath rest, and insatiable spiritual hunger. Practice hospitality, give honor, love enemies, sacrifice, and celebrate God’s goodness together!
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
As summer comes to a close, the pandemic continues to grip the United States, forcing pastors to consider what it means to lead online or hybrid church services into the fall of 2020. At the top of the list of concerns for the leaders is how to do Kids and Student ministry. One half of ministry leaders are struggling with this area of church work. Additionally, 44% of spiritual leaders are struggling with how to conduct a hybrid church format. Add another layer of disruption to this conversation 35% of spiritual leaders are facing burnout.
I personally can relate to these statistics. I have had my dark days recently that has swept over me like a flood. This season of history has been a very real disruption. Many ministers have felt like they did not sign up to all of sudden become a digital pastor. So, I think a lot of spiritual leaders are being forced into positions where they either have theological reservation or a lack of practical skill. They’re being forced to operate out of a weakness and against their preferences and convictions. And that gets draining!
Personal branding and efforts to have large audiences is not where many efforts are being focused. I feel like many leaders just want to love on their attendees and make sure they are OK! Yet we are faced with the notion that faith runs the risk of diminishing in some Christians. We do not want that to happen, but it will! All the more that our prayer ministry efforts are to increase, not decrease. This is a spiritual battling!
Could it be there is a theological reexamination that is taking place in people’s thinking? It is difficult to live in a James chapter one frame of mind – “Count it all joy…” I have engaged many conversations with people who are angry, confused, discouraged, and disillusioned. Loss of jobs and relationships that are being strained. Do not be over-whelmed or discouraged. I do not believe that struggling with God is not a sign of losing faith. It’s a sign of deepening faith. Wrestling with God is a gift and leads to further maturity. I think with skillful leadership, this can be a sign of growth, but it is hard work to continually revisit that week after week and live through it.
Shepherds Advantage provides Servant Leadership that helps people close the gap between where they are and where they want to be. Shepherds Advantage closes that gap by providing Leadership Development, Key Note Speaking, and Executive Coaching.
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