NEHEMIAH THE BUILDER
1 THE PASSION OF NEHEMIAH Chapter 1

“But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring unto the place that I have chosen t o set my name there.” – Nehemiah 1:9 (KJV)

The word passion in many dictionaries today means an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action. It speaks of something that is desired intensely. The rebuilding of the broken walls of Jerusalem was a byproduct of Nehemiah’s consuming passion. It led him to cry out to God to have mercy toward his oppressed people and implored Him to make a way for him to be in Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. Armed with passion and much prayer, he left his royal position and rallied the whole nation of Israel to build the walls together with him and help their nation rise again from ruins. Do you have that kind of passion too for the work of God today? My passion for the glorious Gospel of Christ has prompted and propelled me to leave everything behind and beg God to use me the greatest way possible. I pleaded to Him having all the confidence that He will trust me with the work of the Gospel and prosper every undertaking, small or great that I will do for His name and glory. And the rest is the history of our Ekklesia which God has raised and greatly blessed to be a beacon of light and hope in this part of the world. Nehemiah through his passionate leadership demonstrated beyond doubt that:

“There is no winning without warfare.”
“There is no opportunity
without opposition.”
“There is no victory without vigilance.”

A. The wall of Jerusalem were broken down (v.3). It is a picture of a:

1. Lost soul
2. Lost testimony
3. Vision of a lost world
4. Lost and neglected nation

B. Nehemiah WEPT, MOURNED, FASTED and PRAYED (v.4). “And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven.”

1. He remembered his nation’s plight and eventual dark future. Nehemiah was part of the children of captivity and he was from the lineage of David or the priestly line called the Jewish Patriot.

2. He recognized the need of his nation.

3. He realized his own sin and his nation’s sin and was terribly burdened by it.

“You never lighten the load, unless first you have felt the pressure in your soul.” – copied

4. He responded in intense prayer. He recognized God’s greatness (v.5); uttered the prayer of confession (vv.6-7); and remembered God’s promises (v.11).

This was Nehemiah’s prayer of usefulness. See that before God can call you to service, He will put a burden in your heart first. Did this ever happen in your life as God’s servant? Did you feel the burden first?

C. Likewise, there are some walls in our lives that need rebuilding too:

1. The wall of separation.
2. The wall of prayer life and Bible reading.
3. The wall of walk with Christ.
4. The wall of consistent testimony.
5. The wall of involvement in our nation’s affairs.

D. Our ministries are always in the task of building. But before we can build, we have first to see the burden, then weep over the ruins and ask God to prosper us (vv. 4, 11).

1. Building lives for the Lord certainly is one of the most fulfilling and rewarding works we could ever have as God’s chosen servants and overseers of the body of Christ. Though it may cost us even our lives, the fact remains that God has purposed for us to raise men and women who will love Him, serve Him and live for Him and be a witness and light to this dying world.

2. Nation building. As God’s chief servants, it is our solemn duty to teach our people Biblical Patriotism that will teach and lead them to love our nation and care deeply for the eternal destiny of every Filipino. We believe that only the Gospel of Christ can change their lives and redeem them from spiritual and moral poverty. There is no other way to make this nation a sheep nation of God but Christ’s glorious Gospel (Rom. 10:1).

—BMA’s Messages, 01.10.16