A Burden for our City
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Thank Dr. Minishew and GSBA board for the opportunity to share with today at this years Annual meeting.
The last 19 months have been a world-wind. Zoom church, church online, church with mask, church without mask, we lost family members and church members and so much too COVID-19.
COVID deaths are more than a number....(Kwame Allen, Juta Nau, Cassy)
Today I want to share from the though a Burden for our City. I believe that in even season we need to have a burden for the lostness, the brokenness and pain of our city.
If you have your Bible whether paper or screen journey with me
The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
During the month of Chislev in the twentieth year, when I was in the fortress city of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile. They said to me, “The remnant in the province, who survived the exile, are in great trouble and disgrace. Jerusalem’s wall has been broken down, and its gates have been burned.”
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
This is the word of the LORD.
Pray: Lord, My you give us a burden for our city. May the love and care you have for us . Lead us to caring for the lostness, the pain and the brokenness of our city. (Hide me....)
I want to begin our by telling you about:
My favorite niece (I love going to the beach with her)
Bucket- rebuilding sand castles (pouring water) (if feels like we are all rebuilding)
For many local churches it feels like we are start over again.
-New Locations
-New Leadership
-Less People
After 70 years of Babylon captivity (Zerubbel leads, Ezra rebuild the altar, homes and the temple, & Neh is the comfort of Persia but his heart is in Jerusalem)
Jerusalem was in shambles, and where there was once great glory, there was now great trials and chaos.
In the midst of this difficult time the people of God is back in Jerusalem. Nehemiah gets a visit form his brother Hanani
during this visit Nehemiah gets a notification…..With a distressing report.
He only gets this report because… write this down as the first point from the text
1. He cared enough about his people to ask. (vv1-3)
look at verse 2
Hanani, one of my brothers, arrived with men from Judah, and I questioned them about Jerusalem and the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile.
This week got power text from one our church members. Read the text.
How are you doing?
-After the worst pandenmic of our life time.
-After losing people (death)(just left your fellowship)
The news Nehemiah received was not encouraging. And today some of the news
-People are suffering lost (buried his daughter and 2 weeks later had to buried his wife)
-A church that was growing before the pandemic may not make it 2022
Up to 1 in 5 churches could close their doors permanently as a result of shutdowns from COVID-19 closure orders, according to David Kinnaman, president of Barna Group. While many churches have reopened, he says, fewer people are attending in person, which is having an impact on churches all over the country.
In the comfort of working for a king Neh care enough to ask about the people.
How are your
2. He cared enough to feel the pain of his people. (v4)
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
How long has it been since you have wept over the problems your sheep are experiencing?
Are burden because they are less people in our builds or over lostness, brokenness and pain of our people and city.
What burden has God put on your heart?
Foster care burden....
God gave me burden for girl who age out of foster care. (Safe Home)
Has God given you a burden for making disciple (gospel/life)
We cared so much for you that we were pleased to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become dear to us.
Are we weeping because the crowds are smaller or because harvest plenty but the labors are few.
Our weeping because they less people giving or because they are less people pointing others to the hope we have in Jesus.
When God puts a burden on your heart don’t try to escape it. But instead have confidence that he is God and he will do what he promised.
3. He cared enough to pray
Nehemiah 1:4-5 (CSB)
When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens. I said,
Lord, the God of the heavens, the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands,
Lord (Yehova) The one true God- we have the privilege to go boldly before the thrown of grace. We have the privilege as God’s people to go to the Lord who hears us.
But too often we treat prayer as a spare tire instead of the fuel we need for our ministry and lives
Sometimes we have more faith in: Podcast, System, Church growth strategies and/or traditions.
Prayer help us to move from our will and align our heart with with GOD.
Not only did Nehemiah cry out to God but he confess his sins.
I believe as the church we need to confess that we made more consumers than disciples.
Attraction communities instead of mission communities where we our member are equipped to be carries of HOPE the brokenness of city, FAITH to the lostness of our city and LOVE to the pain of our city.
We need to confess our sin just like Neh
MBC was planted because they went to 1st Baptist told them they might want to go to second Baptist.
Nehemiah 1:6 (CSB)
let your eyes be open and your ears be attentive to hear your servant’s prayer that I now pray to you day and night for your servants, the Israelites. I confess the sins we have committed against you. Both I and my father’s family have sinned.
WE are have SINNED.
To often :
We burry the mission for our preferences.
We fell in love with methods over the mission.
Here is my final point
4. He cared enough to do something
Nehemiah prays with a heart ready to do something.
Please, Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant and to that of your servants who delight to revere your name. Give your servant success today, and grant him compassion in the presence of this man.
At the time, I was the king’s cupbearer.
Grant him mercy in the sight of this man: Nehemiah concluded by asking God to bless him when he would soon speak to the king of Persia about the matter. Nehemiah was going to do something about the sorry state of Jerusalem's walls and people, and he knows without God's intervention, he can do nothing.
As an Association.....
We need to rebuild the walls of planting churches through the local church.
We need to rebuild the walls of care for our local pastors who are caring for God’s people. (Bad retirement plan, lack of raises, lack of health insurance)
We need to rebuild the walls of helping our local churches become healthy churches, become growing churches and become impact churches that will
Tony cracks in the cieling