August 1, 2010

The Marks of a Revival - Nehemiah 8:1-12

Tucked away in the book of Nehemiah is the first recorded revival. And of all places, the revival occurred at the Water Gate in Nehemiah 8 were all the people gathered.

By this time, the wall was built – everything was completed. The people were well ordered, well defended and well governed. But something was still missing. There was a spiritual vacuum in the city. Here’s an important lesson: It is not enough to have a structure like a church building when there is little or no life on the inside. I’ve seen so many beautiful church buildings but many times that’s were the beauty ends. Some of these beautiful churches are empty today. Others still have people but its days of glory are gone.

So it’s not enough to just have a building. As a matter of fact, it’s not all that necessary. What’s more important is what happens in the building. Is there life in the church? Are the people in tuned with God? Is there love for one-another? Does true forgiveness take place when there are hurts? Is the joy of the Lord present even in times of trouble and hardship? Is there a clear understanding of the Word of God? Are the church members living holy lives?

Three things happened in Nehemiah’s day to ensure that the walls were put to proper use:

• A Delegation of God’s Work – Evidently, both the Lord and Nehemiah knew that Ezra would do a better job at getting things going inside that wall than would Nehemiah. Here is an example of entrusting the ongoing tasks of a project to others who are more adept and better qualified than the person at the top. No one person needs to be well-rounded but the organization – to us that would be the church – needs to be well-rounded. That happens when each one functions in their area of competency. So stay in our zone.

  We have already seen how Nehemiah was good at delegating. He knew that Ezra was better at handling God’s Word so he passes on the work to him. That allows Nehemiah to continue overseeing other aspects of leading the city. Nehemiah was still the governor, he still had authority but he recognized his area of weakness and concentrated on his area of great strength.

• Established Truth – The Scripture was openly and boldly proclaimed. Often when success comes – be it in business or in the church – there is a tendency to operate on emotional fuel instead of the authentic fuel of established truth.

  The first major thrust in a revival is the proclamation and understanding of God’s word. Read Neh. 8:1-3 – The Word of God was read. Revival doesn’t start with man’s opinion but must first get an inspiration from the Word of God. Also, the people listened attentively – v 5-6. The truth was explained so that all who heard understood – v. 8.

  The people wept. They found themselves guilty of sin. They had lived so many years without any spiritual input from the Word of God. But in this moment of guilt, Nehemiah told them to rejoice because God is forgiving. It was a holy day – a day to celebrate. They were encouraged to rejoice by celebrating with a feast.

  God was not angry at them. As a matter of fact, God was blessing them by giving them a new beginning.

• Never Losing Sight of the Main Cause – Nehemiah knew that the building of the wall was not the end but the means to get to the end. Nehemiah never lost sight of the greater cause – to contain the people of God within the walls and identify them once again as God’s people.

  The work of the wall was done but the real goal was a long ways away. Establishing the Jews as a spiritual and godly community was the final goal. The lesson learned here is that – this wasn’t about Nehemiah. It wasn’t about how good he was as a leader – which made him a great leader. It was about bringing the people back to God, who was waiting to save them, bless them and heal them as a nation.

  What a great leader Nehemiah was – he always put God first. He was a servant leader at all times. He refused to turn the wall project into an ego trip. When God gets the glory – it’s revival time!

Dino Miciano

February 13, 2010

Tired and can't go on?

I read Luke 5: 1-20. But the verses 4-7 stood out the most. We are reminded that when we have worked, prayed, cried, and fasted for so long, Jesus will ask us to let your nets for a catch (again). And when we follow His command that is when we see His blessings overflow to a point that we would need another boat (so to speak) to carry it all. I just pray that during the praying and the fasting period, that we will not grow weary. The waiting for the answer seems to be the hardest for me. It is when the enemy whispers in my ear “God will not answer you, give up, and give up now.” Then it is time to seek for God’s strength and not ours. We will always fall short. But not when it’s God’s strength. I know, the Lord will answer and He always listens. But in His time, He will respond. So what do we do in the meantime? Here are some verses to help encourage us.

Lamentations 3: 25-26 “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him. It is good to wait quietly for the Salvation of the Lord.” Sometimes I don’t wait quietly. I find myself hurrying God to answer soon. I need to remember that it is always in God’s time. And His timing is perfect.

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” The Lord will never lead me astray. He never has and he never will. Like the good shepherd, the Lord will always protect me and keep me from harm. And when harm comes my way, He will scoop me up in His arms and protect me from my enemies.

Psalm 73: 26 “My flesh and my heart will fail. But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” I don’t know how many times I have failed myself and others. Yet, I continue to be stubborn and try to solve my problems through my strength. I have proven myself many times that I am not strong enough to tackle them. And when I think I am getting an upper hand on my problems, I realize that it was the Lord holding me up and keeping me strong.

Isaiah 39: 29, 31 “He gives strength to the weary and increase the power of the weak.” “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not go weary. They will walk and not be faint.”

Have you ever looked at your problem through a magnifying glass? It is so big that it begins to look like a giant. Then we begin to feel overwhelmed and defeated. I have, many times. And yet as soon as I surrender it to the Lord, the peace that cannot be explained by mere words starts to cover me. Then I feel that I begin to soar so high above my problems that it begins to look so tiny, almost unseen. When problems come my way, I need to use my magnifying glass on the Lord and His word instead of my problems. Then the Lord will be the giant and will trample over my enemies. Praise The Lord!!!!!

1 Corinthians 1:8 “He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of the Lord Jesus.” The Lord never keeps me strong only for a moment. He always sees me through the ups and downs of my life. He is always present during times of sadness and happiness. His promise is to keep us strong to the end. Not just the end of a problem but until we meet Him.

Philippians 4:4-7 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious by anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God and the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Bible never says Rejoice only when good things are happening in our lives. It says Rejoice always! (It even says it twice) The Bible also says not to be anxious about anything but in everything….The right combination is Prayer+ Petition+ Thanksgiving+ Presenting request to God=Peace that surpasses understanding will cover us through Christ Jesus.

Brenda P.