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My Story of Rebuilding the Wall (part 2)
I’m Nehemiah, and this is the continuation of my story, about spiritual growth. After I led my people to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, things took a turn. We had made something beautiful, but when I returned from Babylon, the sight before me was disheartening. The people had slipped back into their old ways. It was like the walls we’d built with such passion and unity were now just backdrops to the same old sins.
I found Eliashib, the high priest, had messed up big time, setting up shop for Tobiah right in the temple courts. Tobiah, the very guy who had tried to stop us from rebuilding in the first place! And then there were the Levites and singers, who had been so crucial to our worship, they had been abandoned, left without provisions, forcing them back to their fields just to survive.
On the Sabbath, the day of rest and worship, the city’s gates were swarmed with traders and merchants. It was business as usual when it should’ve been a day dedicated to God. And then there were the marriages, our people taking wives from the very nations, which means they put behind God’s commandments of being holy. Didn’t we learn anything from our past?
So, with a heavy heart, I took action. I cleaned house, literally threw Tobiah’s stuff out of the temple. I rebuked the officials, put the Levites back to work, and ordered the gates shut on the Sabbath. And those marriages? I confronted that too, reminded everyone of the vows they’d made to God.
I did all this, not for power, not for glory, but for love—for the love of my people and the love of my God. For the hope that this time, things would be different. This hope wasn’t just a wishful thought; it was a deep conviction—a conviction that had led me from a cupbearer to a builder, and now, a reformer.
I remembered the songs of my ancestors, how they couldn’t sing the Lord’s song in a strange land. How they swore if they forgot Jerusalem, their skills, their joy, should also be forgotten. I wasn’t going to let that happen, not on my watch.
The resistance I faced? It was fierce. Challenges came not just from the outside, but from within our own ranks. But my resolve was bolstered by the very strength that had helped me build the walls. And that strength came from the Lord.
So here I stood, once again in Jerusalem, filled with the same hope that had guided me all along. It was a hope that this time, God’s people would remember their first love, would stay true to their heritage, and live under the shelter of the Most High. For this hope, for this love, I had come home. And God blessed us with spiritual growth; and He guided us to not only rebuild the wall of Jerusalem; buy more importantly, through Him, we rebuild the wall of our faith. Because of God’s love, we should never give it up. And when God is with us, then we can accomplish His works. And this is also God’s intention for us. Because We all needed this spiritual recovery and growth.
We warmly invite you to come to the True Jesus Church’s bi-annual Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation. See details below.
18-21 April, 2024 Evangelical Service and Spiritual Convocation
Thursday, 18 April, 2024 6:50PM to 8:10PM
Friday and Saturday, 19-20 April, 2024 9:00AM to 8:10PM
Sunday, 21 April, 2024 9:00AM to 1:00PM
Complimentary lunch and dinner will be served.
Please find our church location below:
4N550 Church Road
Bensenville, IL 60106
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For online streaming, please click here.
For regular service hours, please click here.
Email us at ilovejesus@tjc-chicago.org