The Passage: Introduction to Nehemiah 3
The Point: We are better together.
Andrew Carnegie said, “Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” This statement embodies what we see occurring in Nehemiah 3 — people coming together to accomplish something great.
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he surveyed the damage and noted what materials were needed. He knew the task was immense, but he refused to allow the immensity of the task to taper back his vision. Nehemiah was resolved to build the walls, and he knew God’s hand was on him. He also knew he could not do it alone so he got other people involved. This should remind us that the impossible cannot be accomplished alone. In fact, Nehemiah mentions 38 individual workers and 42 groups of people in this chapter, but surely there were many more that went unnamed. At least 36 times in this chapter, these workers and groups are mentioned working together to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and gates. This is teamwork at its finest! Consider the diversity of these people. It is not easy to unite so many different kinds of people. Nehemiah provided the vision, motivation, and direction to make it happen. These diverse and broken people responded and worked together to achieve something that was not just uncommon, but extraordinary.
God is calling Family Church to an extraordinary work. He is calling us to reach our neighbors, neighborhoods, and cities with the Gospel. This is not a solo mission. It’s a mission that requires vision, motivation, direction, and teamwork. The faithful obedience of believers is guaranteed to succeed because God uses that faithful obedience to produce divine results (1 Cor. 3:6). History proves that when God’s people come together for His divine purpose, they are unstoppable. Let’s come together to be a part of something extraordinary in our generation.
Processing:
- What are the greatest rewards of teamwork?
- What makes teamwork difficult?
- How did Nehemiah get these people to work together?
Planning:
- Do you work well with others? If not, in what ways can you change?
- What correlations do you see between Nehemiah 3 and our mission to reach South Florida?
- How can you partner with Family Church to reach South Florida for Jesus?