Nehemiah 7:1- 5a; and 7: 73
1Then it was, when the wall was built and I had hung the doors, when the gatekeepers, the singers, and the Levites had been appointed, 2that I gave the charge of Jerusalem to my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the leader of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many.3And I said to them, “Do not let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut and bar the doors; and appoint guards from among the inhabitants of Jerusalem, one at his watch station and another in front of his own house.”The Captives Who Returned to Jerusalem4Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt. 5Then my God put it into my heart to gather the nobles, the rulers, and the people, that they might be registered by genealogy.
73So the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, some of the people, the Nethinim, and all Israel dwelt in their cities.
Nehemiah 8:1a
8 Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate…
As we recall the game Tug of War, teamwork is absolutely necessary. Opposing teams pool their strength with one goal in mind: that of winning, by pulling the other team across the line of demarcation. It involves strength, encouragement, support, effort, tenacity, and unity of purpose. In this game, it’s not so much to see defeat but more so to see the result of unity. The weakest member still has to pull his weight while relying on the strength of other teammates.
The reality of our existence is that we constantly struggle to obey the spirit as opposed to obeying the flesh (Romans 7: 22-25). Thus, there is a tug-of- war. Yet, the possibility of being more than conquerors is found in the unity of the spirit. The bond, otherwise called stick-with-it-ness, is love. The finite mind may not comprehend the one-ness of the: Lord; faith; baptism; God and Father; measure of the gift of grace; but the result is that Jesus gave us gifts when he ascended to heaven. Those gifts are for the empowerment of the body so that we can be His ambassadors.
In evangelizing, God’s love is shared and He is being glorified. The disciples were not just physically in one place, the upper room, but also of one mind. There was unity in the spirit of expectation. Then the Holy Spirit descended, enveloped the atmosphere, made them aware of His presence and filled the emptiness in each of them. They experienced the miraculous because the oneness of purpose facilitated Gods’ use of their availability.
In our various gatherings, success is achieved in the underlying, sometimes unspoken commonality. One God, who is Lord of all expects us to administer our service with a common bond. The body of Christ will accomplish great feats when we all envision Him as Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Without that one-mindset, it’s only a few sick folk that will be healed ( Mark 6: 1-6). Unbelief and offense are enormous deterrents to unity in the body. When the Church gathers to participate in Holy Communion, are there evidences of oneness or are they of division? We are forewarned that there should be self-examination, a waiting, then a partaking. This opens the door for totally focusing on the sacrifice of the perfect Lamb. When we do, together we can reflect on, and appreciate the benefits that are afforded to us.
Individually, we desire to please God with our worship. That is also His desire for us, although sometimes, we present “burnt offerings” instead of “ living sacrifices”. Can we, as members of the body of Christ, function in our God given capacity to bring the effectiveness of the body to its full potential?
If we fail to unite in purpose, we become guilty of creating a disability in the body. Thanks be to God for the availability of therapeutic measures:
“So says one, so say we all”-
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If God is God, then serve Him. 1 Kings 18: 21. What does that mean? When we say that He is God ( Supreme) our mind as well as our action should speak louder than our voice. Too often our actions speak differently from the attributes of God.
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Our Father…We acknowledge that God belongs to, and provides for us all as a people. ( Matthew 6: 9-13)
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Agree in prayer (Matthew 18: 19). Agreeing extends far beyond saying “Amen”. It means to consent to the actions and process of the request: not doubting but expecting that God’s ability supersedes our limitations.
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We have one hope of our calling (Ephesians 4:4). What is hope? (Expectancy, something not yet tangible is waited for. ) A glimpse of the hope of our calling is given in Revelation 21:6-7, 23, 24.
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We have a mandate to win the lost, so that they can be included in the nations who are destined to walk in the light of heaven.
In Genesis 11: 1-9 we see what happens when people function as having one goal. The following was common among them: language ( v1), land, habitation ( v2) resources, (v3), vision ( v4) identity ( v4), fear, ( v4). The Lord said that nothing that they imagined would be impossible because they were one. God Himself had to intervene and thwart their plans because of the power of unity.
Although their intent was contrary to God’s plan, their goal would have materialized because the task was well thought out and everyone envisioned the same outcome. What outcome are we working towards as believers?
As the people conspired to reach heaven via their own way, God confounded and scattered them. There is only one way to get to heaven; the Door, Jesus. (Acts 4:12).
We may not all be in unison, but unity is our aim. “Uniting we stand, by dividing we fall… then join hand in hand, brave Americans all.” ( The Liberty Song by John Dickinson, Founding Father). Missouri, Kentucky, and South Carolina are States that echo this quote, in part.
We are given the armor by which we can stand united ( Ephesians 6: 13-18). It is in resisting the forces that divide us that we are able to do ALL, and stand. The victory comes by doing what is necessary so as to not bow or bend to the enemy’s tactics. Principalities, dark powers, spiritual wickedness in high places MUST succumb to the unity when we create a fort by the stand we take. First we must do ALL. What does that entail?
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Utilize God’s strength, v.10
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Recognize the power in God’s ability, v.10
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Wear the whole armor, v.11
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Stand- resist, an unwavering position, a firm conviction, v. 13
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Prayer with fervency for everyone, v.18
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Be alert to the spiritual temperature in the atmosphere, verse 18.
On the contrary, division brings collapse: in our faith; in our goal; in our accomplishments; in our support; our walk with the Lord; our representation of who HE is.
In Nehemiah 7:5, Nehemiah knew his God so he fasted, prayed , and gathered the people. The fortification of Jerusalem was damaged. As God’s servant, he decided to act on his belief in the One he served. He realized that the wall could be refurbished by teamwork ( Nehemiah 8:1). That seemed virtually impossible, but the goal was to contend for the brethren, return to the wall and do the work. We may face some angry Sanballats, Tobiahs, Arabians, Ammonites and Ashdodites ( Nehemiah 4:7-8), but the antidote is OUR prayer to God. ( v.9).
When we become aware of opposition, our job is to gather ourselves as one.
Reflection:
Nehemiah 6: 3. How is this our resolve?
Dr. O.A.James