I recently shared a sermon which discussed Nehemiah 4, which talks about the Israelites rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem after years of captivity. The lessons we can learn from this will provide apostolic alignment for the days to come. This will be especially important in light of the U.S. presidential election this year.
Nehemiah 4:6 says, “So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.” Later, Nehemiah 4:15-17 says, “And it happened, when our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had brought their plot to nothing, that all of us returned to the wall, everyone to his work. So it was, from that time on, that half of my servants worked at construction, while the other half held the spears, the shields, the bows, and wore armor; and the leaders were behind all the house of Judah. Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.”
We have got to work in coordination and unity to build the kingdom of God. At the same time, we're not just working to build something for the kingdom; we're also maintaining the fight for our faith. There are enemies that have plans against it. We're not battling against flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:12). We're not each other's enemy. The fight of faith is about more than just fighting the culture wars and staying in church. It's also maintaining your faith in Christ and what He did at the cross.
It is not about having faith in your own efforts, your own skills, your own abilities, your own talents, your own gifts, or even your faith in your own willpower to live a holy life. It's maintaining your faith and the place originally where you got justification—in Christ—and who He is and what He accomplished at the cross.
By keeping your faith in Christ and what He did at the cross, the work of sanctification and purification and holiness will transpire in you, and it will do a lot more than you will ever do by discipline or willpower. So, there's a fight of faith, while at the same time we've got to be building our faith. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Now, it's not a coincidence that Nehemiah 4:6 says, “the people had a mind to work.” People need to decide whether they will put their skills, talents, and unique abilities together to work in a spirit of unity and cooperation. That is, they have to decide whether they will get in the battle and help build that for which God has given prophetic and apostolic blueprints.
In Nehemiah 4:15, it also said that God saw the enemies’ plans and “brought their plot to nothing.” The enemy has had plans against you. He's had plans against me. But aren't you glad that God can bring those plans to nothing? After you realize that the devil is a defeated foe, and after you achieve victory over the enemy, you can't just sit down. Everyone has to take a trough in one hand and a sword in another and say, “I'm reporting for work, and I'm willing to fight.”
Everybody working on the wall of Jerusalem had different skills. Nehemiah 3 tells us some were assigned to fix a section of the wall close to home, and some came from far away. They each had their own trades—priests, carpenters, goldsmiths, perfumers, and so on—and their own abilities, and they were willing to use those skills to help advance the kingdom.
What I love about this story is the priesthood and the government working together to rebuild the city of God, to rebuild the walls, and to restore the culture and heritage they had lost. There is value in Christians getting involved in the political realm and influencing government. Separation of church and state was not about keeping Christians out of government; it was about keeping the government out of the church, preventing government from having the power to shut down your church or put your rights on hold.
The book of Nehemiah is about politics, faith, and restoring what was destroyed when the Israelites were forced to live in a culture that was not operating according to God’s purposes. We can relate to that kind of destruction in the United States today. Each of the people working on the wall had different backgrounds. The thing they had in common was that each one was willing to keep their place at the wall to protect the city, to keep the enemy out while they were rebuilding what the enemy destroyed in a previous generation. They each had a desire for restoration.
Some contributed with their skills, but some also gave money and resources. I believe God has given certain people wealth to partner with apostolic and prophetic causes to align with what God is doing. When there's a restoration happening, God wants you to bring your own gifts, skills, and resources to the table. You've just got to be willing to help and do what you can uniquely do.
We can each use our diverse experiences and skills to be part of what God wants to build. It's what we're called to do right now in 2024. We must be ready to stand against the enemy and work to restore the values upon which our nation was founded. When Nehemiah put out the call for help, everyone responded. Let us have a similar kind of unity today.
