There once was a thriving little church in the country.
Internal squabbles developed that tore the church apart. Attendance dwindled
until the church died. It time a middle-class neighborhood grew up around the
church. One day a newcomer, tired of looking at the run down church, started to
paint & clean the old church. Some former members came by to watch. They
sat in the old dusty pews and told stories about Sunday night hymn singing, or
the pot luck dinners. Oddly, no one mentioned the squabbles.
They rolled up their sleeves, started to help clean up the
old place. Leaders of the homeowners association laughed at the idea of a
church in their community, but the old members persisted. Within weeks they
resumed hymn singing and pot luck dinners. The church bells started to ring and
the Songs of praise could be heard Sunday mornings and evenings. Folks in the
neighborhood who had never attended the church began to come by. God saw it all
and it was very good. Thankfully, that is not yet the case of our church, but
if we are not careful what happened to that church could happen to our church
too. However I have been sensing that the spiritual walls of our church have
been broken down and we are trying to rebuild those walls.
Last week we learned how Nehemiah saw a similar scene when he
returned to Jerusalem in 445 BC. Most of the city lay in ruin. The walls were
broken and burned. He shared his God-given vision and the people responded. It all began, in
the place of prayer. Nehemiah became an answer to his own prayer, not only that,
he motivated an entire community to be part of the answer. Let’s continue from
where we left and see how, a community of people rolled up their sleeves and rebuilt
the broken walls of Jerusalem. It’s Time to Roll Up Our Sleeves! Nehemiah 2:11-18
Upon hearing the
devastating news of the destruction of Jerusalem, the place of his forefathers,
Nehemiah mourned, fasted and prayed for several days to get a strategy on how
to rebuild the broken down walls and the burnt down gates. He earnestly sought
God’s favor. In the 2nd Chapter Vs 1-10 we see God’s favor by the
way the King granted him letters to obtain safety throughout his journey as
well as the needed material to rebuild the walls. In Vs 11 we pick up the story: Nehemiah
reaches Jerusalem after being there for three days, he gets up one night with a
few men and examines the damage to the walls.
After the careful examination
he comes before a group of officials, priests and the nobles and relates how
desolate the city of Jerusalem has become been and how its gates were burned
with fire. Then Vs 17-18, “Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in:
Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come,
let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in
disgrace… They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good
work.” They said, “We’re with you. Let’s
get started.” They rolled up their sleeves, ready for the good work.” (The Message)
People roll up
their sleeves for various reasons. Here are a few pictures of those who rolled
up their sleeves. I am more impressed with a congregation who came together in
times of crisis. Let me introduce them who stood undeterred in the midst of a
natural calamity. Here
is the photo of the congregation
members gathering in front of the Carl Junction United Methodist Church in Carl
Junction, Mo., on Aug. 7, hours after it was struck by lightning and burned.
This is the second time the Carl Junction United Methodist Church has been
destroyed. On May 4, 2003, a tornado wrecked the church as it tore through
Missouri, ripping off the roof and destroying the interior.
After the 2003
devastation, one member said, “We all had one purpose in mind and one goal,
which was to rebuild, to make the church stronger and better than it was
before.” Lo and behold, the church was rebuilt and reopened in 2004, with a larger
sanctuary and dedicated classrooms. Now, a decade later, the congregation must
raise yet another church. Has the determination of the pastor and the
congregation weaned? No way, this time, the church leaned on the rest of the
community. The support has come quickly, as other religious organizations
pulled together planned a prayer vigil for the congregation the day of the fire
itself. One member said, “It’s going to be a start from scratch,” “But we can
do it. We will do it.”[1]
This is just one
example where a whole community came together to rebuild a burnt down church,
literally from the ashes. By God’s grace we are not facing the same situation,
however our problem has been the deterioration of spiritual health which is
resulting in declining membership, and their participation in the life flow of
our church. Six years ago we have launched a vision, “To build a diverse
community that loves God and shares the gospel with people of all ethnic groups
in Quincy and beyond.”
We felt that was
the mandate of God for our church. How have we fared as a church since then? We
have kept ourselves busy with ministries such as Sunday worship service; Kid’s
church; Hospital visitation; Adult Bible Study; Wednesday Prayer meeting; Thursday
Bible study; Media ministry; Missions; Hospitality and Community Friday Night.
With all these ministries it seemed like our church was growing and thriving up
until 2010, but since then we had one set back after another and we began to
decline. For a pastor that raises a red
flag.
I sought the Lord
for understanding in prayer. The Lord showed me that we have allowed certain
factors to destroy the spiritual walls of our Church. So just like Nehemiah,
along with the leadership of this Church we have been on a journey to assess
the damage and strategically rebuild the spiritual walls of defense and
protection. That’s why we have taken certain disciplinary actions, organized a
Biblical Peace Making seminar, and formed a Church Health Team (introduce the
team) which will be implementing a process, recommended by the Natural Church
Development organization.
Having said that,
no matter whatever the strategy that the leadership may have, that itself cannot do much, unless the whole congregation
rolls up their sleeves and join hands in doing the good work. One preacher compared the New England churches
to a football team where 22 players desperately needing rest, cheered by 70,000
fans desperately needing exercise.”
Thank God in our
Church there have been a few people who tirelessly serve week after week, while
others just don’t lift a hand I want you to ask this question, have I been a
spectator, consumer, or an active participant in this church? If you are
wondering what some ways that you might get involved, here are a few: We need staff to revitalize our nursery, we
need singers and musicians to strengthen our worship team. We need English teachers
to team up with Leo in teaching English to the Chinese immigrants.
We need ushers,
multimedia people, sound technicians, painters, and people to serve in the area
of hospitality, people to set up and clean up after the coffee hour each Sunday
and in other areas of service.
I believe learning
lessons from the book of Nehemiah is a really important theme for us as a
church at this junction. Nehemiah is a great example in motivating a
community of people in rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem. In spite of opposition
Nehemiah, and all the people who said, “let’s roll up our sleeves and start
rebuilding” finished the work in 52 days.
When we think of
our Church, we need to be honest about where we are at, some of us have given
so much to this church and you may have become discouraged and tired. Others may have been attending our church for
a while but haven’t yet gotten involved in serving.
I want to say to
those who are feeling whether they belong here or not, there is a place for you
to get involved, take the next step, and be part of the rebuilding of this
community. What do you think all the
gathering and listening is for? It is
meant for you to grow in faith and Christian character so that you can put your
hands to the good work of serving the Lord.
Can you imagine what
this church would be like if we could all receive each other as dearly loved
ones, and we are!! What would we grow to
be like if we could value and affirm the gifts in each other? What if we could learn that it’s not all
about me and my opinion but about the greater good, what if we could lay aside
our annoyances and work together?
I am thinking of
such an opportunity with the Christmas season coming up. What do you
think? Can we work together to celebrate
Christmas in a way that brings us together as a Body? Can we work together to touch lives with the
love of God? I would love to see some of you who have started attending more
recently, you have amazing gifts and experiences that you need to start using
to build up this church! You know what; I really think that a lot of
growth takes place when we start interacting at the level of serving together.
So is it about time that you roll up your sleeves and put your hands to the
good work of God in this church. Amen
