Lessons from Nehemiah on doing God's work: Part 2

Lessons one to six on doing God's work can be found at the previous post in this series on Nehemiah which is located here.

7. God's work requires the people to be of a common purpose

'So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.' (Nehemiah 4:6)

Inspired by the vision of Nehemiah the people of Jerusalem had one clear goal; to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. They had a mind to work; they had that common purpose and desire to see the city restored to its former glory. Their 'mind to work' was not merely some vague aspiration, but it was a burden and desire which they had in common, and which evidenced itself in action. The had a mind to work and so they did work. For the Lord's work to advance the people need to be of a common purpose. Personal disagreements and differences (where not of major theological nature) must be set aside and the people must unite in that common desire of seeing the work built up. Pray God would give us all a mind to work.

8. Discouragement will come in the Lord's work

'The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build the wall. And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.' (Nehemiah 4:10-11)

The wall of Jersualem was in a poor state of repair. The effort that would be required to rebuild it was aggravated by the amount of rubbish that needed cleared from around it. On top of that there was the constant threat of attack from their enemies. Is it not understandable that their initial enthusiasm would give way to discouragement when they realised all that was arrayed against them. So we too must expect to meet with discouragement, in various forms, as we engage in the work of the Lord. As we seek to serve God we can be sure that discouragement will come, but if we look to the Lord he will bring us through and do 'exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.'

9. There is a work for everyone to do

'the half of my servants wrought in the work, and the other half of them held both the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the habergeons; ... They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon' (Nehemiah 4:16-17)

The talents and abilities allotted to the people of God are varied and necessarily so, for there are many different tasks to be done. As some were involved in building up the wall itself, so others stood guard, whilst there were also those who bare burdens. No-one was without a task to perform. As the hymn-writer said 'let none hear you idly saying, There is nothing I can do, While the lost of earth are dying, And the Master calls for you; Take the task He gives you gladly; Let His work your pleasure be'. There is a role for everyone in the work of God. Pursue the talent that God has given you to work for him, doing all to the glory of God.

10. The Lord's work requires commitment

'So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared.' (Nehemiah 4:21)

There are no quick fixes in the Lord's work. What is required is commitment; that ability to persevere, to stick with the work and labour on despite the circumstances. From the time that the sun rose in the morning until it set again at night the people laboured in the work of rebuilding the wall. There are many who will make a start in serving the Lord, yet like Demas will soon forsake it. What is needed is the infilling of the Holy Spirit so that we would be committed to the work, not only in the times of blessing, but also when things seem to be barren. We cannot expect to have it easy all the time when we are serving God, but we must commit ourselves to the work even when things are difficult. This is only possible by having a burden for the work, and realising that the work is of God.

11. God's work requires courage

'And I said, Should such a man as I flee? and who is there, that, being as I am, would go into the temple to save his life? I will not go in.' (Nehemiah 6:11)

Closely aligned to the need for commitment, is the need for courage. They were no idle threats which were made against Nehemiah by the enemies of God. Yet he would not be swayed or put off by them. He could easily have returned to his service in the court of the king, or hidden in the temple as was suggested to him, yet he did not do so. To serve the Lord will require courage for there is nothing easy about speaking to a soul about their need of salvation. It is not easy to knock a door and invite someone to a gospel service. To stand up for the cause of God requires courage. Where do we get that courage? We do not find it in ourself, but it is given to us by the Lord. 'Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart'.

12. God will finish his work

'So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.' (Nehemiah 6:15)

Despite the difficulties that they faced and  the discouragements that they suffered, the people of Jerusalem saw the work that they set out to do accomplished, and in the remarkable time of fifty two days. The efforts of Sanballat, Tobiah and Geshem to hinder the work were in vain. Often we can look at the church and fear for the future, yet those fears have no foundation. God has promised that he will build his work, and we can be certain that every one of God's elect will be brought into his kingdom. The gates of hell are unable to slow the onward advance of God's kingdom, but all that he has purposed he will accomplish. The wall will be built up and finished, regardless of the difficulties we may encounter as we engage in the work.

Next: Lessons 13 - 18

Lessons from Nehemiah on doing God's work: Part 1

When Nehemiah set out to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem he faced a monumental task; the report which he received from Hanani was not an encouraging one. The report was one of a city in ruins and of a people in great affliction and reproach. Yet in the remarkably short time of fifty two days Nehemiah oversaw the rebuilding of the walls of that great city, an achievement that caused even their enemies to perceive that the work was of the Lord. Throughout the book of Nehemiah there are many great principles and lessons which we can glean for ourselves as we engage in the work of the Lord. Although our work is not to build the walls of the physical Jerusalem, but the spiritual, the lessons of Nehemiah are most beneficial to us.

When our faith becomes a fad

What is a fad? The Oxford English Dictionary describes it as 'an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived; a craze'. It is a temporary trend or idea that is popular for a while, and followed enthusiastically by people for the time that it is in vogue. Very quickly however it will be replaced by another trend and that which had previously been in fashion is discarded in a manner that belies its earlier popularity. We can see this on social media, in how people dress, in what music they listen to, and in many other things. People will go with what is in, and whenever it ceases to be so they will move on to the next trend.

The question we wish to ask is this; is it possible for our faith to become a fad? Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians warned them against being 'tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine'. Of those in Athens it was said that they 'spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing'. Whilst those whom Paul wrote to in Ephesus were believers, and those in Athens to whom he preached to were not, yet all could be susceptible to the same fault of looking for and following after new and fanciful teaching.

The Mass: What is it?

The issue of the Roman Catholic Mass, and whether Protestants should attend it, has been much in the news recently. Those who have objected to attending the funeral or wedding of a Roman Catholic, because of the mass, have been derided as bigots, of being stuck in the past, and as not being representative of evangelicalism as a whole. We therefore have to ask ourselves what is the mass, and thy is it such a big issue as to whether a believer should or should not attend it. In times past it was an issue of such importance that men and women of God were prepared to die rather than attend the mass. In his famous Book of Martyrs John Foxe records the following about the actions of the Duke of Savoy towards the Waldensians concerning the issue of the mass:

He, accordingly, issued express orders for all the Waldenses to attend Mass regularly on pain of death. This they absolutely refused to do, on which he entered the Piedmontese valleys, with a formidable body of troops, and began a most furious persecution, in which great numbers were hanged, drowned, ripped open, tied to trees, and pierced with prongs, thrown from precipices, burnt, stabbed, racked to death, crucified with their heads downwards, worried by dogs, etc.

Rather than attend the Roman Catholic Mass they preferred to suffer the most cruel tortures and were 'persecuted this way unto death'. This attitude to the mass was not limited to the Waldensians, but has been held by many people down through the ages, who would rather suffer the flames of martyrdom, than give in to their conscience on this matter. In his Institutes of Christian Religion John Calvin says that 'in the mass intolerable blasphemy and insult are offered to Christ'. What is it about the mass that roused the fury of the reformers and caused the blood of the martyrs to flow before they would attend it? Perhaps the lax attitude of many believers toward being present when the mass is celebrated is due to their lack of understanding as to what the mass really claims to be. Its is not the same as the communion celebrated by Protestants, but is so far removed from it as night is from day. In looking at what the mass is, we do not want to be accused of misrepresenting Roman Catholicism, therefore all of our observations about the mass will be based on what the Church of Rome itself says in its own documents.

Offensive play at Mossley Mill Theatre - Recommended Articles

We would recommend that our readers take the time to view the following articles by Rev Brian McClung in relation to the recent controversy surrounding the production of the play 'The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)' which was held at the Mill Theatre in Newtownabbey. We would commend all those who took a stand against this play, which clearly mocked the word of God and made light of sin. It is sad that some professed Christians in positions of authority did not share this view but expressed their support for the play going ahead. Pray that God would bless the witness and stand which took place against this event, and that through it God's name would be glorified and the hearts of the people would once again be turned to the Lord.

Video: Protesters claim show makes ‘a mockery of the Word of God’

Free Presbyterian Protest

Dirty Tricks by the Artistic Board over Offensive Play

Why we oppose offensive play: "The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)"

Offensive play at Mossley Mill has been cancelled!!

Offensive play at Mossley Mill

A statement has also been put out by the Caleb Foundation in relation this play which can be viewed here:

The Caleb Foundation

 

The benefit of the Shorter Catechism

The great C.H. Spurgeon had the following to say about the Shorter Catechism:

'For my part, I am more and more persuaded that the study of a good Scriptural catechism is of infinite value to our children, and I shall see that it is reprinted as cheaply as possible for your use. Even if the youngsters do not understand all the questions and answers in the “Westminster Assembly’s Catechism,” yet, abiding in their memories, it will be of infinite service when the time of understanding comes, to have those very excellent, wise, and judicious definitions of the things of God. If we would maintain orthodoxy in our midst, and see good old Calvinistic doctrines handed down from father to son, I think we must use the method of catechising, and endeavour with all our might to impregnate their minds with the things of God'

Sadly today there are many who put little value on teaching the Catechism to children. Entertainment in the church has taken over from teaching, and one place where this can be seen is in the lack of systematic catechising of children. Yet the same can be said of many adults also. They have never acquainted themselves with the contents of the Shorter Catechism, something which surely goes some way to explaining the deficiency of theological knowledge in many believers. Over the past 18 months I have managed to memorise the answer to all 107 questions in the Shorter Catechism, and can confirm from personal experience that it has been of great benefit. We would recommend that all believers seek to master it's contents, and that Sunday School teachers teach them to the children under their influence. The advantages gained from learning the Shorter Catechism are considerable.

Conviction, belief or opinion

It can be said of any Christian witness that for the first generation of believers their faith will be a matter of conviction, for the second generation it will only be a belief and by the time of the third generation it will be nothing more than an opinion. They may openly proclaim the same faith, yet in reality their attachment to those truths is vastly different from the generations before them. Although this may be most apparent in the youth of the church, yet it can also be the case in older believers also. It is evident today that many professing Christians have fallen away from that position of conviction which their predecessors have held and are 'carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness'. Their faith has become at best a belief and at worst an opinion. In considering what the difference is between those three positions it is easiest to reject that of an opinion, for opinions are subjective to the desires and views of those holding them. One opinion can never be truly considered to be of greater value than another opinion. As such we should never consider our scriptural standards as opinions, for John 17:17 says that ‘thy word is truth'. The doctrines of the Bible are not opinions but God’s revealed truth, a truth that is absolute and unchangeable and what it teaches can never be considered on a par with other ‘truths’.

Protestant - not a name to be ashamed of

There is a tendency among some believers today to avoid the use of the name of Protestant when describing themselves. The will call themselves Christian, and rightly so for we are followers of Christ before we are anything else. They will describe themselves by their denominational affiliation, be that Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist or something else. Yet when it comes to the name 'Protestant' there sometimes seems to be an aversion to using the name, as if it is something they should be ashamed of. This should not be the case, but every believer should be proud of their Protestant heritage. There are doubtless some who avoid emphasising their Protestantism because of an ecumenical spirit. They do not want to risk ruining their relationship with the local priest by proclaiming too loudly that they are Protestant. By avoiding the use of that name they can more easily blur the lines between their respective churches. Yet there are others, who have no desire for communion with Rome, but who also avoid using the name Protestant. They are not ashamed to be called Christian, yet they will not use the distinctive name of Protestant. In Northern Ireland the association of Protestantism with unionism and loyalism has caused them to be treated as one and the same, and perhaps for some this is the reason some have rejected the name Protestant. Yet they are not the same, for Protestantism is a matter of religion, not politics.