Building Churches By Incorporating His Example

“We have acted very corruptly against You..” 1:7 “I became very angry.. I rebuked.. ‘let us stop this usury!” 5:6-10 “It grieved me bitterly.. I threw all the household goods of Tobiah out..” 13:8 “What evil thing is this..?” “..you bring added wrath on Israel..” 13:17-18 “If you do so again, I will lay hands on you!” 13:21 “I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled their hair, and made them swear by God..” 13:25 “I drove him from me” 13:28 “Thus I cleansed them of everything pagan” 13:30

The church should not be thought of as a hospital full of sick people. The beautiful queen of Psalm 45, tall mountain of Isaiah 2, indestructible kingdom of Daniel 7! Can University be described that way? Only possible if all the members hate sin. Romans 12:9 Don’t be “puffed up” like the Corinthians, but “purge out the old leaven.” 1 Cor. 5:1-8 Everyone needs encouragement in the battle but some need special “attention”! 1 Thess. 5:14; Neh. 13:25

“The survivors..[are] in great distress.. When I heard these words.. I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days.” 1:3-4 “I also.. Am lending [the poor] money and grain.” 5:10 “At my table were 150 Jews… yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.” 5:17-18 “Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.” 5:19

Churches that “cannot bear those who are evil” and “hate” false doctrines may still be failing in the vital aspect of love. Rev. 2:1-7 Some have left unloving, doctrinally sound churches to be at churches that teach error, but make them feel more loved and appreciated. They have just left one bad situation and gone to another. Neither church is truly “of Christ”. Is University known for its warm “labor of love” or behaving “rudely”? 1 Thess. 1:3 How does the church treat visitors? Especially non-Christians? Are the members evangelistic? Matt. 28:18-20 Romans 5:8

“..send me.. to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 2:5 “Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem.” 2:17 “So we built the wall.. For the people had a mind to work.” 4:6 “all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work.” 4:15 “So we labored in the work.. from daybreak until the stars appeared.” 4:21 “I also continued work on this wall.” 5:16 “I am doing a great work so that I cannot come down..” 6:3 “Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.” 6:9

Romans 12:4-8, 11 “not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit” Ephesians 4:15-16 “each part does its share” Ephesians 3:20-21 “the power that works in us” Don’t limit yourself Sleep, tv “If you are wise, you’ll listen to me. What do you get from a glut of TV? A pain in the neck and an IQ of 3” –Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Acts 8:4 “Those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.” There are too many lost souls in the world to be lazy.

If we are going to build strong, faithful churches, we need to develop the character of Nehemiah. Romans 12:9-11 Do you want peace with God?