Normally I open these devotions with a cute story, but marching into the last half of Nehemiah 2 there is just so much to unpack related to where we are as a church. Starting in verse 11 we see Nehemiah immediately get to work inspecting the gates and walls of Jerusalem in preparation for his mission.
The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, for I had not yet told the Jews, priests, nobles, officials, or the rest of those who would be doing the work. So I said to them, "You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins and its gates have been burned. Come, let's rebuild Jerusalem's wall, so that we will no longer be a disgrace." (Nehemiah 2:16-17)
This speaks to me with where we are now. There is the idea in small-town, largely Baptist, Christian circles where unless something has been brought up in front of a church business meeting, formally presented, and put to a vote, it must be somehow underhanded. We've seen this with ministries at BGBC recently. I get where this feeling comes from because back-room deals taking place between "influential people" can be death to the church and alienate others in the congregation. With that said, there is nothing in the Bible that says, "If you're doing good, holy work, it must be plastered all over your bulletin board". In fact, we see Nehemiah showing up to Jerusalem without announcing his purpose, doing his research and coming up with a plan, and only then approaching the residents of Jerusalem with his mission.
Welcome to The Well in November 2020! As a small church plant group, we are circling the walls of a metaphorical kingdom of God, inspecting our work and coming up with a plan. In due time, we will approach the "residents of Jerusalem" (being the broader community in Bowling Green and Caroline County) and invite them to join. Just as Nehemiah had to inspect the work to be performed ahead of time, that's where we are. We study, we prepare, we meditate and we pray.
When [many of those who stood against Jerusalem in the region] heard about this, they mocked and despised us, and said, "What is this you're doing? Are you rebelling against the king?" I gave them this reply, "The God of the heavens is the one who will grant us success. We, his servants, will start building, but you have no share, right, or historic claim in Jerusalem." (Nehemiah 2:19-20)
As soon as Nehemiah "went public" with his calling, he immediately got questioned by those who stood against him. What is worth noting is that his detractors used the authorities they recognized from a worldly perspective to question Nehemiah. "Are you rebelling against the king?" This is such an important point for us to follow... Nehemiah, in fact, had the king's blessing and could have easily defended himself, but he didn't defend himself against the worldly standard his adversaries were using to slander his work. Instead, he turned the focus on his calling from "the God of the heavens".
As many of you know, the last several months have been very difficult for many of those at BGBC. Accusation after accusation has been thrown around and we're constantly asked to stand accountable to emotional expectations based on scraps of bylaws, procedure, tradition, and plain-old-"that's not how we do things" mentalities. In most instances we have been justified even by these worldly standards, but there is little to gain from climbing into the mud and defending ourselves against perceived authorities that are losing focus on who they truly serve. I am sure as this church continues, many challenges to our mission will arise. In those moments, it's important to remember that it is "the God of the heavens" to which we are accountable and not to the notions of man.
So long as we are following God's calling and God's Will, we will find favor in heaven and God will bless our labor. Our focus is loving people and sharing Christ, not maintaining the standards or status quo of the world.
DAILY PRAYER A Prayer for Planning and Purpose
God, during this time of planning and preparation, we pray that you would give us patience and wisdom. Give us the patience to move deliberately and intentionally so that we can keep our focus on what you want us to do. Give us wisdom so that in moments when action must be taken, we can act in a way that reflects your love and unyielding commitment to the truth. None of this could have started without you and we know it will not continue without you. Bless what we are doing as a ministry and mission and not just the pet-project of a few random church members. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do in our lives. Amen.
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