January 4th, 2008 at 11:14 am (Introduction, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
When God wants us to do something, how do we know? Even if we know, how should we respond? How do we actually go about accomplishing the big, big things He asks us to accomplish?
We’ll find answers to those questions in the book of Nehemiah.
In this post I want to provide just a quick [...]
January 10th, 2008 at 5:03 pm (1:1-2:8, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
Just prior to Nehemiah, the Jews hadn’t been home to Jerusalem for 70 years. They hadn’t been able to worship God properly because they needed to be in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices. More than that, they had become complacent and comfortable in Babylonia, where they didn’t belong. They quit wanting to go back.
At that [...]
January 17th, 2008 at 1:19 pm (2:9-20, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
We’re reflecting on what Nehemiah can teach us about how to respond to God’s callings in our lives. As you read ahead, ask God to bring these things out for you. In the next lesson we’ll study Nehemiah 3 and 4. Chapter 3 may seem a little dry; it provides a lot of hard-to-pronounce names and [...]
January 24th, 2008 at 3:12 pm (3:1-4:9, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
In this lesson we’ll reflect on Nehemiah 3:1-4:9. I’ll assume you’ve read the previous lessons in Nehemiah and have asked God what he wants you to do with your life right now. And I’ll assume that since you asked Him, He answered.
Now what?
In chapter 3, Nehemiah shows us how to eat an elephant, one [...]
February 7th, 2008 at 9:00 am (4:9-5:13, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
Question- How do you deal with people who oppose you? Some people fight, others back down.
Better Question- How do you deal with people who oppose God?
Nehemiah knew that rebuilding Jerusalem’s city wall wasn’t his project. It was God’s. It stands to reason, then, that opposers - like Sanballat, Tobiah, and the Arab - were [...]
February 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pm (5:14-7:4, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
Great news! The wall will be finished today!
But why are there still six chapters to go? Because your ministry isn’t done until you make sure it can last.
Here’s where we begin today’s lesson:
In the work of rebuilding the city wall, Nehemiah and the workers in Israel encountered two types of opposition - external and [...]
March 20th, 2008 at 10:12 am (7:5-12:47, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
I’m going to break trend and begin with a side note today:
Side Note: If you’ve read the “About” section of this blog you’ll know that the lessons on this blog grow out of a Sunday School class I teach.
Someone in class asked several weeks back the dimensions of the wall Nehemiah built. That proved [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 9:52 am (13:1-31, Nehemiah)
Dear Disciples:
Let’s review what has just happened as we approach Nehemiah 13. The wall was rebuilt in 52 days, and Nehemiah did the following:
Appointed gatekeepers and Levitical priests (7:1)
Found God-fearing men — his brother Hanani and the commander of the citadel Hananiah - and put them in charge of Jerusalem (7:2)
Ensured that some important directives [...]
March 27th, 2008 at 1:38 pm (Nehemiah, Personal Application)
Dear Disciples:
This post concludes our nine-part series on Nehemiah. I’ll summarize the application lessons we’ve learned through our study.
For our purpose, Nehemiah’s story can be divided into five sections:
SECTION 1: Preparing to do God’s work (Chapters 1 and 2)
SECTION 2: Getting To Work (3:1-4:9)
SECTION 3: Dealing With Opposition (4:10-5:13)
SECTION 4: True Leadership (5:14-7:4)
SECTION 5: When You’re Done, Stop (7:5-13:31)
Here are the primary application [...]