28Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,h and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.
How would we apply the picture we see from chapter 3 in the church?
Text your friends what you think and pray for the church. You can select a reflection from your group and post on the site also.
One commentator has said, God is a great believer in putting names down. That is true. There are many chapters like this in the Scriptures. But that should really encourage us. It means that God has not forgotten our names either. He loves to record the names of obscure people.
The central teaching of a chapter like this is that in putting lives back together, we need and must seek help from each other. This is a great chapter about cooperation. It illustrates the New Testament truth concerning the body of Christ. First Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and other chapters teach that believers in Christ are part of a worldwide body made up of many members. We belong to each other, and so we are to help one another and bear one another’s burdens. This is portrayed in a very dramatic way throughout this chapter.
We learn from the New Testament that there are two things you cannot say any longer when you become a Christian. The first is, You do not need me. Everyone in the body of Christ needs everyone else. The second thing is, I do not need you. You do need others! It is the awareness of that truth that makes a church a living, warm, vital, loving fellowship.
In the summoning of the people of Jerusalem to rebuild their walls and their gates, we learn that all the people were involved in the project. That portrays for us an important principle of the New Testament: that the ministry of the church belongs to everyone in the congregation. Often people think that only the pastor and the hired staff are to do the work of evangelizing, teaching, counseling, healing the hurts of others, and serving the needy. Because we have followed that practice far too long, the church is in trouble all over the world. But the ministry belongs to the whole congregation. I do not know any truth more important for the accomplishing of God’s work than that. Yet in church after church, it is difficult to get people to understand that. You have the great privilege of reaching out in your own neighborhood and doing the work of the ministry there. Where churches do not understand that, one finds a very distorted condition. People have no ministry of their own and, therefore, little excitement or interest in life.
Where is it wonderful to seek help from others instead of trying to be independent of them? Which people does the ministry of the Church belong to?
In the picture, there are many workers shown and there is that sense of unity and one-ness as they stand next to each other. Based on chapter 3 as well, we can see how there was unity amongst the people as they rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem together and it is cool seeing how they all come from different backgrounds yet are unified. Now, how can this be applied to RP? Well, I would say through the deepening of relationships (ex: discipleship and accountability), carrying each others’ burdens, and seeking transformation together (so even being corrected and reprimanded in truth and love). My hope is that as a church we would aspire to grow more like Christ and to essentially live out our purpose of making more disciples. I acknowledge there is a lot of brokenness so I pray for healing and for all of us to become more like Jesus through it all.
Looking at this passage it is clear that each individual has an assigned role and responsibility. It can be easy to Looking at this passage it is clear that each individual has an assigned role and responsibility. It can be easy to look over at a neighbor and question their role and compare it to our own life. This serves as a reminder that God’s kingdom is not meant to have diversity. I think that individuals are also called to different groups and demographics. Not every Christian is called to serve children, or be a worship leader, etc… So it is important to pray for wisdom that you can be hypersensitive to the group that God wants you to serve and not blindly lead out of convenience or comparison. look over at a neighbor and question there role and compare it to our own life. This serves as a reminder that God’s kingdom is not meant to have diversity. I think that individuals are also called to different groups and demographics. Not every Christian is called to serve children, or be a worship leader, etc… So it is important to pray for wisdom that you can be hypersensitive to the group that God wants you to serve and not blindly lead out of convenience or comparison.
Today’s passage is very similar from yesterday’s. In summary of Chapter 3, I see teamwork being a big factor in rebuilding the city walls of Jerusalem. I continue to grow in admiration for Nehemiah’s leadership style despite the obstacles and opposition he faced. He continues to fixate his vision on God to bring people together towards rebuilding and leading them in unity for the purpose of God’s glory. I think this is the same unity and teamwork that we can apply in our church leadership despite our differences & the backgrounds we come from.
My group selection tonight
Today passages is about local community service. God is not asking for everyone to make huge sacrifice or requires everyone to start large endeavors. Many are tasked to serve within their communities only. Repair the section of the wall right by their house. Fix what they can see right in front of them. Do what they can no matter what their skill set. But it seems most of the people didn’t even see the problem or if they did, didn’t take action until they were rallied by Nehemiah. I know I don’t see the problems in front of me. I think I would be willing to help if rallied. We need a modern day Nehemiah.
I think what we see in the passage is that as a church we all need to do our part to serve in building up the church. When we actively take ownership and do our part we are best serving God with our talents.
In today’s read, I’m reminded that God does not shy away from catching every little detail and how important we are to Him. Also the important theme of unity within the church. Even though we may not have a deep connection with everyone at church, they are all placed intricately within RP for a reason and with a purpose.
ruby:
We can apply this passage to our church by being mindful of other people’s struggle & being able to reach out to help and for help. God has given us as human beings the ability to notice needs and ability to console. It is when we step out of our bubbles to really hear abt other people’s story we felt no longer isolated and we find the connection in the common goal of rebuilding our lives on the foundation of Christ
This passage discusses home and that you should be dedicating time to your community and your home. Recently I am not sure where God is leading me and I don’t quite know where my home is so I continue to pray that it will be revealed to me and that I will be aware of the responsibility that God has ordained to me.