Nehemiah 1

Nehemiah, in the first chapter of his book, tells about learning that the survivors of the exile were in distress and that Jerusalem and its walls lay in ruin. Nehemiah was deeply grieved by this news. He tells us that he fasted and prayed for days in his grief and in his grief he came to some profound realizations.

First of all, God is awesome. God had worked in a mighty way and with His own hands to make the nation of Israel His people. In doing so God showed Himself to be faithful to keep all of His promises and all of His curses. This leads Nehemiah to realize that he needs to be honest with God.

Not only had Israel sinned but he had sinned. Because he and his countrymen had acted in ways that displeased God, they were experiencing the consequences of their choices. The condition of Jerusalem was not God’s fault it was theirs. His circumstances were not becasue someone else messed up it was him. Nehemiah not only admitted he bore responsibilty for his situation, he was sorry his action hurt God.

Nehemiah was not only sorry for his sin, he wanted to change what he was doing, change his circumstances. He wanted to start doing what God wanted Him to do. Nehemiah not only wanted to do what was right, he asked God to hold him accountable for his commitment.

The lessons we can learn from Nehemiah are numerous. In his prayer of Nehemiah 1 we learn that no matter how bad the situations in our lives are, God is still awesome. He never intended that we would be in dire circumstances. He created everything perfect. His desire was that things would stay that way. It was the choices of mankind that ruined perfection. We live in a fallen world but God is faithful to restore it.

We also see the importance of being honest about our role in the brokenness of our lives. Situations for us often end up with undesirable consequences because we make bad choices. Not always, but more often than we are willing to admit. We have to be honest with God about our sin. More importantly, we have to be honest with ourselves. When we admit what we need to fix and make a commitment to fix it we will be in a place where God can restore us and make things better.

Churches Providing Encouragement – Acts 4:32-37

In this passage we are introduced to a man from Cyprus named Joseph. I can only imagine what it must have been like to be around this guy. He was a member of the tribe of Levi and would have been very knowledgeable about God’s laws and rituals. However this is not what he was known for. This man brought so much comfort to others, he consoled others so well, and he was such an encouragement to the disciples that the apostles renamed him. They call him Barnabas, a name that means son of encouragement. Barnabas is often held up for us, and rightfully so, as an example of how we should encourage one another.

When we look closely at these verses we see Barnabas the encourager, but we also get a glimpse of the environment in which he performed that function. It seems that encouragement here takes place in a special environment, an environment that amplifies the words and actions of people like Barnabas. I think it is an environment we need to make sure we provide in our church families. We can’t all know exactly what to say or do in every situation to provide encouragement to those who are hurting but we can all contribute to an environment that allows encouragement to flourish.

So what is it about this early community of believers that nurtured encouragement? I see four things in this passage. First of all there was unity. Notice the word is not uniformity or conformity, it is unity. These people were of the same heart and mind, with the same purpose. That purpose and their attitude toward it enabled them to rise above personality, social, and economic differences and work together for the common good. Theirs is an example that we would be well served to emulate.

Secondly these were a sharing people. They did not view any aspect of there lives as belonging to any one individual but as tools to benefit the entire community. We see that these were people who shared their property, their time, and their lives. In this open environment it was easy for one person to see the needs of another and to be part of a solution in meeting that need. This would include encouragement. Our church families can always do a better job of sharing our lives so that those gifted with the ability to encourage can clearly see where their gifts are needed.

One problem has been those who take advantage of the openness of others to hurt or control them. It has caused us to protect ourselves by doing exactly the opposite of what was happening among those early believers. When a church family begins to share more and be more open we can never be guilty of taking advantage of that by taking more than we need or expecting a share when we don’t have a need. This applies to physical, spiritual, and emotional needs (including encouragement).

This was also a grace filled community. Grace is unmerited favor. This group was very aware of the unmerited favor that they received from God and they responded by extending that favor to others. These people did not perform acts of loving-kindness based on how these needy people had treated them or even how they would be treated in the future, but rather based on how God had treated them. Extending grace to our church family helps to create that environment where encouragement thrives because we are not concerned with trying to discern the motives of other people, but rather in bringing glory to the God of all grace.

Lastly, this was a group of people who were sensitive to the needs of others. These were people living in a compassionate awareness of others. These were not people who were focused on what they would get out of church or community but rather what they had to offer and looked for opportunities to meet needs. With their focus on others they were able to see needs and their compassion for others compelled them to be a part of the solution.
These four attributes of the early faith community show us the ingredients we need to incorporate into our churches to make them encouraging places and create arenas for encouragers to thrive. Whether or not we have been gifted with the ability to provide direct encouragement to others, we do have the ability to help create an environment where encouragement happens

Following God

Paul writes a great deal about the fact that Abraham had the type of faith that pleased God and says that those who have the same type of faith are those who are the true descendants of Abraham and therefore heirs of the promise made to him.

Abraham is an amazing man. When we get our first glimpse of him in Genesis 12 we see a man that is willing to drop everything and follow God where ever he is lead. His trust in God is so great that he is willing to follow Him not even knowing the destination. We have been asked to follow God as well. We have even been told the destination. However we often have a difficult time emulating the faith of Abraham. As Abraham begins his journey with God in Genesis 12 we are able to learn lessons from him about following God.

First of all, blessing come to those that follow God. As Abraham set out on his journey, God had already blessed him with all that he would need for the journey. In his case this was servants and livestock and wealth. As we respond to the call to follow God we can also expect blessings. We have been promised the gift of the Holy Spirit, power, comfort, understanding, and the fruits of the Spirit. Peter tells us that we have all that we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). God truly blesses those who follow Him.

Secondly, we see that following God (at any age) can result in drastic changes in lifestyle. Abraham was seventy-five years old and asked to get up and go. He was asked to leave his home and his relationships there so that he could follow God. He went. He radically changed the way he had been living to follow God. Often we will follow God only to the point that he starts asking for sacrifice or the point where we think he is asking us to sacrifice too much. We should expect our spiritual journey to disrupt out physical existence. When it does, God promises to get us through.

It also seems that the more closely Abraham follows God the more aware of God’s presence Abraham is. When he goes to the places that God sends him, Abraham communes with God in worship. However, in Genesis 12 we see an instance of Abraham wandering off the charted course (down into Egypt) and God has to get his attention and bring him back to where he is supposed to be. My experience is the same. When I am closely following God I am keenly aware of His presence and His work in my life. When I wander off, even slightly, it become less clear to me exactly where he is.

That leads to my final observation. A proper response to the awareness of God’s presence in our lives is worship. Every time God lead Abraham to a new location his response was to build an altar and worship. He was aware of what God had done and he just had to praise Him. Worship for us should be the same. Worship is not that thing that we do on Sundays so that we appease an ego-maniacal dictator but it is a response to the work of a loving Father in our lives. God loves us and only asks us to do those things that are in our best interest. When we do what he has asked us to do and we realize the work He does in our lives as a result, we should praise Him.

Acts 1:7-8

He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." NASU

While in this passage Jesus gives the eleven apostles a special promise and commission, it is clear from the writings of the apostles that all Christians are called to be witnesses to the work of Jesus in their lives. As I contemplate my role as a witness for Jesus, providing testimony of his amazing teachings and works, I can’t help but reflect on my credibility as a witness.

In a trial, attorneys will call expert witnesses to the stand and have them testify to facts that are germane to their case. In doing so, they hope to impress upon a jury that the testimony given is trustworthy because of the credibility of the person providing the testimony. Opposing counsel is then given the burden of disproving the testimony or, if that is not easily done, undermining the credibility of the witness.

One of the most dramatic illustrations that I have seen dates back several years to when O. J. Simpson was on trail for murder. Whether you believe Mr. Simpson to be guilty or innocent, everyone would agree that the prosecution’s case against him began to crumble in the eyes of the jury when one particular witness was called. Mark Furman was a Los Angeles police officer that had collected evidence for the case against Mr. Simpson. After the prosecutors had asked Mr. Furman to testify about the evidence he had collected, the defense attorneys began to undermine his credibility. He was portrayed by the defense as racist, rogue cop who was out to frame Mr. Simpson for murder. In undermining Mark Furman’s credibility, the defense was able to have jury dismiss much of the testimony he gave as insignificant.

The same thing happens to Christians who aren’t credible witnesses for Jesus. If I don’t live like I truly believe what Jesus taught, then how can I expect the people I tell about Jesus to put their faith in him. If I try to convince someone that the fruits of the spirit would be a blessing in their lives, they need to be able to see evidence of those blessings in my life. If I tell others that salvation comes from complete surrender to Jesus as Lord of my life, I need to make sure that am I not holding back anything from God.

In short, if I don’t practice what I preach, I don’t make a very credible witness. It would truly be a shame to find out that my lack of credibility caused someone to dismiss testimony about Jesus as irrelevant.
If I may paraphrase 2 Corinthians 7:1, since we have been called as witnesses let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. In doing so we bring credibility to the testimony we share.

God Uses People - Acts 3:1-26

As the third chapter of Acts begins Peter and John are going to the temple to pray. As they enter they encounter a man who was born lame. He was over forty years old and had been begging for money outside the temple every day for a long time. He asked Peter and John for money but they tell him that they don’t have any and then do some thing amazing. They tell him to get up and walk – and he does. I must confess that I have never seen anything quite like that, but I have seen God use people in my life. The way God used them and uses all of us parallels the way that he used Peter and John in Acts 3.

First of all, when asked for money, Peter says he has no money but “what I do have I give you.” We all must be willing to share with others “what I do have”. That may be possessions, time, energy, or talent, but what ever we have comes from God and He expects us to use it to bring glory to His name.

In sharing what we have we must also remember that we are responsible for doing so in a way that encourages others. My favorite scene in this story is in verse 7. We are told that Peter takes the man by the right hand and raises him up. So often we see people that have been blessed using those blessing to make themselves look better in the eyes of other people. God’s desire is that we not live life that selfishly but rather use what he has blessed us with to lift up those who are discouraged.

But even in encouraging others, the temptation is to expect people to pat us on the back and be so grateful for what “we” did for them. Notice in this story that the man never thanks Peter or John, He thanks God – and Peter and John are okay with that. When we share what we have with others it should encourage them but it should also shine a spotlight on God (not us). If we give to others just to be recognized by people we have missed the whole point. It is God at work through us, not because of us.

When these principles are lived out in our lives something wonderful happens. In this story, as the events unfold, people run to Peter and John with amazement. People are drawn to those who reflect God’s glory. A life that reflects God is amazing and people will want to know what makes it that way. Peter and John used their opportunity to share the hope of salvation found in Jesus. We all have the opportunity to live one of those amazing lives and share Jesus with others. Let’s not neglect sharing what we have.