Wednesday, July 16

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Wednesday

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.  But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it.  And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.  In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”  And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.”  At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.”  So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.  And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”         - Nehemiah 4:6-14

In this part of the story of Nehemiah, the work was half finished. It was an exciting, but dangerous time; much had been done, but much was left to do. Fatigue and discouragement were ready to set in, if given an opportunity.  

It was also about this time that the opposition is getting organized. Instead of just a couple of critics shouting insults we have the beginnings of a conspiracy.  Sanballat has gathered all the disgruntled parties to resist the rebuilding of the wall. 

Sanballat and the Samaritans were in the North, the Arabs were in the south, Tobiah and the Ammonites were in the east, the men of Ashdod were in the west. The Jews were surrounded by these people who were conspiring against them. Have you noticed that negative people tend to gravitate to each other?  The purpose was to fight and stir up trouble. These folks are all around. Some people, their whole purpose in life, seems to be against stuff. 

On the one hand, this was serious: the wall was built to protect against the attacks of violence, and now it seemed that the very building of the wall may prompt an attack to come. It would have been easy for the people to fear and to think perhaps all their work would be made useless.

On the other hand, this wasn’t serious at all. We notice that they didn’t attack - they just talked about it. Sanballat and Tobiah were hoping that the threat of attack would be enough. Satan uses the same strategy of fear against us, and if we are paralyzed by a threat the threat has worked - even when nothing actually happens against us.

Let me ask you an important question: When is discouragement most likely to occur?  Notice that in verse 6 it says,  "So we rebuilt the wall until all of it reached half of its height."  Discouragement comes most often at or near the half way point.  When you start a project you are excited and motivated, you’ve got grand plans and you can’t wait to get going.  At the end of a project, you are motivated because you can see the finish line and you are excited to get it over with.  But, how many of you have half finished projects around your house, and how long have those projects been half finished?  Even as I write this, I’ve got an inside and an outside project that have been sitting around about half-done for several weeks.

This passage from Nehemiah shows us 3 major causes of discouragement:

1. Fatigue -  "the strength of the laborers is giving out" Vince Lombardi once said, "Fatigue makes cowards of all of us.”

2. Frustration - "there was so much rubble" Frustration is usually a matter of perception. Actually the piles are getting smaller.  The people are so discouraged by the conditions that they say, "we cannot rebuild the wall." 

3. Fear - "the enemies will attack us" The opposition always has two goals. One of them is to hinder God's word and one is to stop God's work. 

Perhaps nobody in history (outside of the Bible) has put this better than Winston Churchill.  Against incredible odds, he led a nation to victory in World War 2. I love what he said to a group of young men at Harrow School,October 29, 1941:  "Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never--in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force. Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy." 

This is not at all unlike what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

Jeff Frazier

Tuesday, July 15

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Tuesday

Nehemiah's prayer; "Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders."  -  Nehemiah 4:4-5

Nehemiah sounds a little hot here. He's letting off steam!  This prayer seems pretty tough, but prayers in the Psalms are even tougher: Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! (Psalm 58:6).  Let their dwelling place be desolate; let no one live in their tents (Psalm 69:25). 

It is proper for a child of God to pray such a prayer, because they are giving their violent inclinations over to God, and letting Him deal with them. If we are angry at someone or have a real enemy, then we can go at them in prayer. Never in the sense of praying evil upon them, but in turning them over to a good and just God, because He knows exactly what to do with them. Nehemiah doesn't get caught up in a name calling game. Instead of calling names, he calls on God.

Proverbs 26:4 says, "Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him yourself." If you're getting ridiculed for your faith, or whatever, don't answer back. Then you're no better than the person who's ridiculing you. If you've got a project and people are taking pot shots at you, just rely on God and humbly go about your work, but above all, Pray!

For Nehemiah, prayer was a first resource, not a last resort. When times of opposition come, God wants us to rely on Him - and the purest way of expressing our reliance on God is through prayer.

The greater the opposition the more you need to pray, to depend on God. When you're ridiculed don't take it out on people, talk it out with God. That's what Nehemiah does. He hears this initial ridicule but basically he ignores it and goes to God. The best response to ridicule is don't respond. Instead, you go and you pray and you keep on doing what you should be doing in the first place. The first verses says - they ridiculed, they prayed, they rebuilt the wall. Ridicule can never stop you from doing what you're doing. Not unless you let it. 

If you're a leader and you're under attack, the first thing you do is pray. You take it to God. Sometimes if you ignore the opposition the criticism dissipates, vanishes. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it intensifies. When Sandballat and the others realized that ridicule wasn't working, they plotted together to fight against Jerusalem. Nehemiah 4:9 shows how God’s people responded.

And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.  - Nehemiah 4:9

They did the prayerful thing and then the practical thing. They did Both!  It's fine to lay in bed at night and pray, "Oh God, protect me from thieves." But you also need to get up and lock your door! Oliver Cromwell is reported to have said, "Trust God and keep your powder dry."   

Up to this time, Nehemiah has been doing the praying. Now all of the people are praying. Where did they get that idea? They've been watching their leader. Leaders lead by showing, not by telling. Nehemiah has been praying constantly for four chapters. The people are getting the idea that it must work. They start praying too. If you're a leader in your business and if you want other Christians to follow your lead, start praying!Nehemiah's constant prayer life had affected these people. The point I want to make is that corporate opposition requires a corporate response. Now the whole people of God are praying. 

They prayed and they posted a guard. Nehemiah sets up an alarm system. He sets up 24-hour guards. He posts a watch. He knows his opposition. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. A lot of leaders have lost because they've underestimated the opposition. Don't just pray. Be aware. Know your opposition and don't be ignorant about what's happening. 

In the Bible the phrase that is used over and over again is "Watch and pray". Jesus said it. Paul said it. John said it. Peter said it. Watch is the human part - post a guard. Pray is the divine part - trust God. 

Jeff Frazier

Monday, July 14

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Monday

When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!”  Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of the builders. So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.  - Nehemiah 4:1-6

Nehemiah and the people of Jerusalem are being attacked psychologically.  We have a clear example of this here. That's a powerful, effective tool. It's still used today. There are books out today on psychological warfare in the office place. How to psych out your competition. The world continually ridicules the church. Puts it down, argues, makes fun of God's people, characterizes them as weak, ignorant, intolerant, fanatical people, all pastors are either wimps or crooks. 

Why is it so effective? It's because it attacks our sense of self worth.  The Jews involved in building the wall with Nehemiah had been living in disgrace for decades, and their confidence was probably still a rather fragile thing.  Spiritual and psychological warfare can be very debilitating.  There are many people who can overcome tremendous physical obstacles, but are defeated by psychological obstacles.

The passage says that Sandballat became extremely angry. "He became very angry and greatly incensed...."  In other words, he is not rational at this point, he is enraged.  Ridicule is always the substitute for reason. Laughter is always the substitute for logic. If people can't reason you out of a position they'll just try to ridicule or shame you into giving up. People who ridicule you are usually just afraid.  Afraid that you're going to succeed. He uses name calling, "...those feeble Jews". He implies that they have a selfish motive. He makes fun of their beliefs. He overstates the case.  

All of these are typical tools of ridicule. He says "Are they going to rebuild it in one day?" No where is there any place they say they're going to rebuild it in one day. That's typical ridicule. They overstate their case, set up a straw man and then try to knock it over.  And notice this - ridicule is contagious. When Sanballat makes the initial ridicule Tobia, his side kick, chimes in and starts. There's always people who will ridicule you if somebody else will take the lead. 

In this story, the character of Sandballat symbolizes our spiritual enemy today - Satan.
This might sound like a stretch to you, but let’s consider the similarities for a moment.
They oppose the work God wants to accomplish
They are angry and fearful when God’s people take action
They are skilled at twisting the truth to confuse and discourage God’s people
Their primary weapons against God’s people are deceit and shame 
They recruit other weak minded people to their cause
They are ultimately unable to stop the work God is doing!

The kingdom of God on earth will never exist without opposition until the day our King returns to establish the New Jerusalem.  Our enemy is real and he is active and he will do all that he can to mock, shame, distract, tempt, discourage, and ridicule us into giving up.  But do not be discouraged, let the words of Scripture remind you of the truth...

 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.  - 1 John 4:4

Jeff Frazier

Friday, July 11

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Friday, July 11, 2014

Joshua 24:15

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

The Christian bookstores have made a fortune on the various knick knacks that are embossed with the verse above.  A household may have more of them than even Bibles I might suggest.  They are all typically very beautiful and may even allude to your home being Christ centered.  But I would ask, “Really?”

Really… are you and your family serving the Lord?  Remember the Jim Carey movie the Truman Show.

Before “reality television” was popularized there was a movie about a man played by Jim Carey, named Truman, who was being filmed 24 hours a day and he never knew it.  People became addicted to watching his life on their own television.  If this was happening to you and your family, would the television audience know that your priority is serving the Lord?

If I am honest with you the video camera would illustrate the importance of our meals (eating), our social and sports lives, our television habits and perhaps the priority I place on making our yard look good or my addiction to endurance running.  Yet, if you filmed on the right day of the month or week and at the right time…well then you may have some great footage of our family serving the Lord.  Our frequency is increasing and I am confident that the Lord delights in that, but we can do more.  You can do more to!

The first reason we can do more is anchored in how one’s priorities are misplaced right from the start.  We have valued other activities above serving the Lord.  We have made our hobbies, social life, finances, and even going to church more important that using each day to serve the Lord.

Faith at Home Application: 

Today discuss what changes are necessary with regards to your calendar for the rest of the summer.  Does your calendar reflect that you are serving the Lord or simply attending programs that FBCG has created for your participation.

What are two ministry opportunities that you can move higher on your Family priority list?

BRUCE MCEVOY
Pastor of Family and Serving

Thursday, July 10

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Thursday, July 10, 2014

Nehemiah 3:12

Shallum son of Hallohesh, ruler of a half-district of Jerusalem, repaired the next section with the help of his daughters.

Throughout the Scriptures can you think of the epic examples of women who are recorded in Biblical history that were a force?

I’ll share a clue you name the woman.  (this works best with the Audio version of 10 Minutes)

She hid spies and ultimately had her life saved    Rehab

She saved her people from annihilation.    Esther
She gave birth to our Savior.    Mary

Recorded in Judge 4, she used a tent stake to kill  Sisera.  Jael

Only recorded female Old Testament prophet.  Deborah

Famous widow who marries her kinsman redeemer after returning with her mother in law.  Ruth

Because of the oppression of women through history it inspires me to take note when God’s Word highlights them like the daughters of Shallum.  It is more significant than even Lucy Li the eleven year old girl who qualified for the Women’s US Open.  It’s terribly exciting to scurry through the Scripture with my eleven year old daughter and give her a vision for Kingdom impact by reflecting on the examples of God using women for his purpose and for his Glory.

The daughters of Shallum would have worked alongside their father and other men to build the fortifications needed to keep their families, their livestock and their temple (which had already been rebuilt) safe. These women wanted to see Jerusalem rebuilt like the others and were willing to do the physical labor required. They may have been especially skilled in their work, or they might simply have been moved by a need to build and protect their families, their community and their faith.

As I've thought about these unnamed daughters, I see the value in teaching girls and young women the value of hard work and getting one’s hands dirty.  The daughters of Shallum had learned and developed their building skills years well before Nehemiah ever began his work on the wall. Their father and probably their mother too, had taught them and trained them so that when the time came they were able to contribute to the re-building of Jerusalem.  They were READY!

I don’t think I am going too far out on a limb when I suggest that our young women in the future are going to be face a hard world.  One with physical and spiritual challenges and with incredible temptations and opposition from the evil one.

Will the women in our families, the women of FBCG, be prepared, like the daughters of Shallum, to handle the trials that come? Will they be prepared with a good work ethic and valuable skills? Will they be ready to rebuild?

As I have shared previously, they will if we win home field advantage and equip our daughters (and sons) what it means to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, strength, and mind.  Not to mention the importance of teaching them how to chop wood, change a tire, load the washing machine or add window washer fluid to a car.  Our young women and men need this taught and lived out in the lives of the adult faith community.  Join the team!

Faith at Home Questions to Consider:

• Who is the "handy" one at your house? Husband or wife? Daughter or son? How were those skills developed or recognized?

• In Nehemiah 2:6 Nehemiah mentioned that when he was speaking with the King about returning to rebuild Jerusalem that the queen was also sitting by him. This queen is probably Queen Vashti, since this would have been before Esther's time. Why do you think he mentions her? Do you think perhaps she said something that influenced the King on his behalf?

BRUCE MCEVOY
Pastor of Family and Serving

Wednesday, July 9

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Nehemiah 3:23

Beyond them, Benjamin and Hasshub made repairs in front of their house; and next to them, Azariah son of Maaseiah, the son of Ananiah, made repairs beside his house.

I love this verse because of the pronoun used before “house.”   Think about it for a moment.  Thousands of laborers and yet Benjamin, Hasshub, and Azariah got to re-build in front of and beside their own homes.  Let me ask you a question, “How faithful, excellent, or diligent would you be doing this work if it was right next to your home?

Granted I believe God has given me a heart for service…but I will always work harder at our home than I would yours.  I’m just calling the spade the spade.  Pun intended!

However, my encouragement with regards to this truth from Scripture is that it DOES start at HOME!  Truthfully, your faith is refined more at home than it is in God’s house, eh?  According to research the two most primary spiritual influencers in a person’s spiritual life are:

First – Mothers
Second – Fathers

Pastor takes third but grandparents are right there at number four!  So consider the research and connect the dots.  Your impact in the Kingdom occurs at home!  Each one of us is called to spiritually invest in our homes…in our family.  And it doesn’t matter how big or small our family is or how old you are in it!  Please, this day accept the responsibility to lead courageously in your home.  Serve in and outside of your home.  Equip your home to know and love Jesus and shine your light as a beacon in your neighborhood.

Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Faith at Home Questions to Consider:
Reflecting back on Sunday’s message, what two families are your “targeting” to be praying for, caring, and sharing?

What is a something you can do as a family this week to serve in the Kingdom?  If you are wrestling with finding a place don’t hesitate to reach out to Cheryl Pacilio (cpacilio@fbcg.com) our director of local serving to discover an opportunity to invest either inside the church our outside in our local communities.

BRUCE MCEVOY
Pastor of Family and Serving

Tuesday, July 8

To listen to the audio version, click here.

Let’s jump back to chapter three and let me ask you a question:  Which location would you be least excited to serve?  Where would you feel that you drew the short straw?  You’ll have to read the whole chapter over again.  Please don’t skim…remember these people are jacked up that their families have been remembered!   

Who remembers the game show Family Feud?  When I survey myself 100 times with regards to the question – least excited to serve, I come up with verse 14 and the location – THE DUNG GATE!

Nehemiah 3:14

The Dung Gate was repaired by Malkijah son of Rekab, ruler of the district of Beth Hakkerem. He rebuilt it and put its doors with their bolts and bars in place.

As many of you know I spent a handful of years in Junior High ministry but seriously Malkijah got the worst assignment of anyone re-building!  He got placed on the wall were poo was hauled out of the city.  This was the gate where refuse was taken from the Jewish Temple and city into the Valley of Hinnom where it was burned.

Each of the gates surrounding the city also has some spiritual symbolism.  The Dung Gate describes, how the flesh will die. Through the Dung Gate, trash was taken out of Jerusalem, to the Valley of Hinnom, in which trash was burnt. In the same way as trash couldn't stink and smell bad in Jerusalem, but were burnt in the Valley of Hinnom, so sins must die from the heart of believer.

The Dung Gate’s spiritual meaning is that sin, which smells bad and destroys our heart and mind, must be put away  by dying of the flesh. We must face our issues concretely, by putting them away from our heart. Those issues include: 

Matthew 15:19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies:

Mark 7:21-23 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

All these evil things come from the heart, and defile us.  All sins, which live in the heart, must die. The Holy Spirit renews our mind, and affects our desire to reject sin. We are not going to be perfect, but told to die to our flesh and grow in righteousness.
Paul writes…

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

God washes the heart of believer through faith in the Holy Spirit. When we understand that we are not perfect, and are not becoming perfect in this time, but are growing toward it, that can't be an excuse for us to sin.  But the fact is…we need to grow and that there is the need to grow in righteousness. So we as Jesus' disciples, can't ever accept or support sin, but reject it and grow in the grace of God.

Faith at Home:

Yesterday the challenge was to be obedient to God’s BIG and step into it.  Today…lets press pause and look inwardly regarding what might be affecting our ability to hear God’s BIG.  Is there unconfessed sin that is thwarting your relationship with God or others? 

Stop right now and ask God to first CONVICT you of your sin and then CONFESS your sin to Him!  And for those who want to really button this all up…bring another into the loop and confess you sin to a brother or sister in the Lord and receive support and encouragement to leave it in your past!

Remember the truths of I John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

BRUCE MCEVOY

Pastor of Family and Serving