SERMON
HOW TO BE A MISSIONAL COMMUNITY
Nehemiah
By
Elder Dorai Manikam
On
29 MAY 2022
And they said to me, “The survivors who are left from the captivity in the province are there in great distress and reproach. The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire.”So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
Introduction:
In the bible, God only chooses certain people because they have a concern for God’s will, compassion for people and have a want to do something about it.
Nehemiah was able to not only rebuild the wall but rebuild a community that had much trouble and distress.
Walls symbolizes identity. When the walls were broken down, it shows the state of the city where its identity was broken down.
When Nehemiah saw the state of the city, his response was to pray to God.
Nehemiah was a Man of Concern
Nehemiah received news that the remnant of Jews that survived the exile was in trouble. When we lose our identity, we fall into great trouble.
Jerusalem was a city where God said He will put His name but when the city was without walls (lost identity), the Name of the Lord went into the background.
To be a man of concern, we must be able to identify with the trouble that people are going through
Nehemiah was a Man of Compassion
The key to compassion is kindness.
One of the fruits of the spirit is kindness. The spirit produces kindness
Nehemiah was a Man of Prayer
Nehemiah spent a long duration in prayer (approx.. 4 months)
In his prayer, he identifies himself and the Jews as servants of the Lord. He confesses his sins before God. He aligned himself to the name of the Lord.Through prayer, the Lord revealed His plans and heart to Nehemiah
Through prayer also, Nehemiah found courage. He had to have courage to speak to the king even just being a mere cupbearer.
Conclusion:
Under the spirit of the Lord, we will have courage to rebuild, restore, renew and revive the missional community.