Tag: NEHEMIAH

SPRING IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER

A deep groaning rose from the hearts of hundreds so caught up with living that they had journeyed far from the Word of God.

The grounds around Sunrise Church were packed on sunrise January 1st. An extraordinary outdoor meeting with absolutely no coffee and donuts available and no lawn chairs provided. Men, women, and children old enough to understand the gravity of the situation attended. A miracle was going to take place in the middle of winter.

ALL KNELT AND WORSHIPPED

Old Paster Ezra stood on a platform above the expectant crowd. All cell phones turned off, no chatter heard, the crowd was silent. Ezra praised God. Everyone lifted their hands and thundered, “Amen! Amen!” Then all bowed down on the cold frosty ground and worshiped God. Not a comfortable position in the middle of winter!

HOUR AFTER HOUR THE WORD WAS READ

Rising again, the people stood at attention. Hour after hour Ezra read aloud from his Bible, beginning with the Gospels. He transitioned to Acts, Romans, and the rest of the New Testament. Thirteen men roamed around huge crowd, helping explain the Scriptures. The cold winds howled as hearts began to respond.

BREAKING SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLDS

Hearing the Word began to break spiritual strongholds. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13) Open heart surgery was performed as the Word of God convicted and penetrated. Tears streamed down the faces of many. A deep groaning rose from the hearts of hundreds so caught up with living that they had journeyed far from the Word of God. Sins acknowledged, relationships healed, and hearts made right. Spirits were renewed. Joy sprang up. They truly heard from God amidst a winter of frozen hearts.

HEARTS DEFROSTED

And thus began the revival of Sunrise Church. Finally, they gave God their full attention and responded with repentance and obedience. Life was never the same for those who rose before dawn that frosty morning. The warmth of Spring defrosted their once wintry hearts. This is a modern-day retelling of the miracle of Nehemiah 8:1-18.

THE PRESCRIPTION

Is your heart cold or lukewarm, at best, toward God? I have a prescription for you. Choose a day, any day, and at the beginning of it turn off all distractions. Make a choice to fast for that day; only take sips of water. Begin with rejoicing on Who God is with your face flat to the ground. Ask Himself to show Himself in His Word. Open His book and read slowly and carefully. Write down what especially grabs your attention and what you need to get right with God.

“WOE IS ME” COMES BEFORE “HERE AM I”

The proclamation “Here am I, send me” in Isaiah never took place before Isaiah declared, “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Ask the Holy Spirit to convict, instruct, and propel you to live a life which brings praise to God. This will rock your world, as it did both Sunrise Church and the congregation in Nehemiah 8. Out of your frozen heart can spring the glorious blooms of Spring.

Generosity vs Greed: A Spiritual Reflection

We thought Marge was sharing her bounty, but Marge was making a buck.

“Do you like cantaloupes?” asked Marge. With big smiles, we replied, “We love cantaloupes!” Marge promptly produced two and said, “That will be $6.” This interaction was not at her fruit stand, but in shaking hands as our congregation exited the church doors. We thought Marge was sharing her bounty, but Marge was making a buck.

MAKING A BUCK IN HARD TIMES

In Nehemiah 5, there are wealthy people taking advantage their own Jewish brothers during hard times. Many people returned to the Holy Land from exile with little extra money. In the previous chapter, Satan attacked the Jews from the outside, now he attacks within their ranks. Greed runs rampant among God’s people to the point that resentment explodes when making a buck replaces caring for each other.

THE GREAT OUTCRY

“There was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. ‘We must obtain] grain in order to eat and stay alive…We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine…We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards… Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help, since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.’” Satan turns brother against brother. Greed eats away at the fabric of the nation.

GREED OFFENDS GOD

While working on rebuilding the city walls the people demonstrated tremendous unity. That collaboration and cooperation has now evaporated. Nehemiah is outraged what brother is doing to brother for the sake of a buck. Greed offends God.

WHAT THEY OWNED WAS NOT THEIR OWN

God always takes offense at an ungenerous heart. Satan has a field day. In the early Christian Church, displaying open generosity was a work of the Holy Spirit. “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had…There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. (Acts 4:32-35) Generosity is an attribute of God.

GLORY OF GOD IN THE BACK OF A TRUCK

During summers at GCC one often sees a truck parked outside the church doors after a morning service. In the back of it is the harvest of a farmer’s gardens. He brings bags and encourages people to freely fill them with what they can use in their kitchens. His generous steward’s heart freely displays God’s generosity. The glory of God can be seen in that truck.

RULE FOR GENEROSITY

What is a good rule of thumb for generosity? C.S. Lewis wrote: “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our giving does not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say it is too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.”

My bounty isn’t really mine. I am just a steward of it. Marge’s cantaloupes, the money held back by Nehemiah’s countrymen, and the GCC farmer’s produce all belong to God. Joy begins when we demonstrate the glory of God through generous hearts.

Click to read more on generosity.